Birthday Celebration at Yakimix SM Dasmarinas

Our family loves celebrating an occasion though eating (and sometimes, swimming).  Since we don’t have anything planned for Neo’s Lolo Jun’s birthday last September, and Yakimix opened a new branch at SM Dasmarinas, the mall closest to where we have our Sunday church, we decided to give this newly opened buffet restaurant a try.

We have celebrated the hubby’s birthday last time at Yakimix Hobbies located at Macapagal before.  So Yakimix’s type of buffet is nothing new to us.  Yakimix buffet allows you to grill your own food.  Buffet price per person is Php650 and kids Neo’s age is charged Php299. 

Functioning griller – unlike the one we had at Yakimix Hobbies.

We arrived at Yakimix SM Dasmarinas around 11AM.  We were seated asap since we have a reservation. 

The paper placemat has instructions on how to grill properly.

There are a lot of varieties of food choices you can grill – pork, fishes, chicken, seafoods, etc.  But if you’re not too fond of grilling, you can go to the other food station they offer. 

They have regular viands and dishes.  They also have some Japanese cuisines – Sakuyaki, Sushis, and Makis.  They also have a salad area.   They have dessert area that includes some cakes, ice creams, and a halo-halo station.  Take note that all these food stations have very small number of choices (no more than 10 choices in every food station).   The grilling station has the most number of food choices among all the food stations.

Yakimix Dasmarinas’ area is bigger than that of Yakimix Hobbies Macapagal.  The presentation of food is better too (maybe because they are fairly new).

Since it was Lolo Jun’s birthday, he was given a small birthday cake, a group of staff sang a birthday song for him, and he gets to eat for free (since he was with 3 full paying adults – us).

Look how happy Lolo Jun while the Yakimix staff was singing. 

Our overall experience at Yakimix SM Dasmarinas was a nice one.  You rarely see a buffet restaurant in Cavite, and having Yakimix at SM Dasmarinas is a welcome addition to all the restaurants already in there.  Plus, they made Neo’s Lolo Jun a happy one on his birthday J

Scott’s DHA Gummies For Your Child’s Brain Development

Little kids need all the nutrition they can get from food.  But we have to admit that not all kids love to eat all types of nutritious foods.  This is the reason why mommies (guided by pediatricians) give multivitamins to their kids. 

When Neo was still a baby, his pedia prescribed him two types of vitamins: one solely focused on vitamin C, and another one for multivitamins.  As Neo grew older, we have retained the brand with vitamin C but we have tried different brands for the multivitamins.  You will ask, why though?  This is because as my little boy age, his needs changes.

Neo is now a first grader at five years old.  Yes, too early for grade school right?  We are happy that he is not having a hard time understanding his daily lessons.  In fact, he sometimes excels at school.  But just like any other mom, I would give anything to make sure he would find learning an easy task.

Recently, I have been introduced to Scott’s DHA Gummies.  DHA helps in your child’s brain development.   Research shows that at age 6, a child’s brain by weight is 90% developed.  Therefore, it is important for brain development to be aided by fatty acids called DHA.  Scott’s DHA Gummies is a rich source of DHA.  It is in gummy form which is easy to chew and fun to take.  It also comes in two sweet flavors that kids love: Strawberry and Orange. 

Neo takes 3 gummies a day, the recommended dosage, to help him in his daily activities.  His assessment exams are coming and I’m confident that he will do well thanks to Scott’s DHA Gummies.

Event: Neozep’s Huginhawa Day With Alden Rchards

Last Saturday, the events area of Festival Mall was in full blast.  This is because Neozep had its Huginhawa Day and it was graced by no other than Neozep’s brand ambassador, Alden Richards.

The whole afternoon event was fun filled as Alden Richards gave a song and dance number to entertain the guests.  He also participated in the short story that shows how Neozep can quickly heal colds.  Neozep has two variants: Neozep Non-Drowse perfect for days you need to be up and about, and Neozep Forte that is good for days when you need to rest.

That’s Ilong Ranger beating up Sipon.

It was easy to gain entrance to the event.  All the guests have to do is buy certain amount of Neozep Forte and Neozep Non-Drowse.  This gave them access to the event, and a chance to have a photo op with Alden Richards.  There are also games and prizes throughout the whole event.

To cap the night, Neozep had its Huginhawa Appreciation Night at Bellevue Alabang.  Neozep honored all people, from Doctors, Volunteers, Fans, and everyone, who helped them make Huginhawa Days all over the country a huge success.

An Overnight Stay at Midas Hotel’s Deluxe Room

One very busy Saturday of August, I find myself staying in the office past midnight and I need a place to stay overnight as I need to be back at the office again come morning.  There are a lot of hotels near my workplace.  These hotels vary from 5-stars to 1-star.  As I need only need a place to stay overnight (not really overnight but only a few hours), I don’t think it’s practical to book a 5-star hotel; however, I don’t want to stay overnight in a motel as well.

Midas Hotel is not so close my workplace but I find its rate cheaper than those close to my office.  It’s a 4-star hotel and casino located along Roxas Boulevard close to SM Mall of Asia and Baclaran.

The hotel lobby is small but grand with high ceilings and has a lot of decorations of various luxury brand boxes (Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Channel, and a lot more).  The lobby of the hotel is where the reception is located.  Also located in the lobby is the 2702 Lounge area.

We didn’t have a hard time checking in the hotel.  The receptionists are nice and welcome drinks were offered to us while waiting.  A security deposit of Php3000 was required from us.  I find this quite high (as some hotels I stayed at only required Php1000 – Php1500).  This must be because Midas Hotel has a casino – and guests might spend there.

The room given to us was at the fifth floor.  It is a deluxe room with a view of EDSA.  Let me give you some of my takeaways and review of our overnight stay at Midas Hotel’s deluxe room.

Room – 4 out of 5.  The deluxe room given to us has twin beds with a small area of approximately 33sqm.  It has a small balcony with a view of EDSA.  It has an LED TV, air-conditioning unit, cabinets with bathrobes and slippers, extra pillows, in-room safe, and a mini bar complete with snacks and drinks.  The bathroom has a bathtub (I really love hotel rooms with bathtub J) and complete set of toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, dental kit, and a small vanity kit) .  The room was clean and the pillows in the bed are very soft.  Everything was perfect even though the deluxe room was quite small.  What I don’t find okay was the balcony area.  It was quite dirty.  I understand that it was outside and close to EDSA with all the dirt and pollution – but I would have appreciated it if it was cleaned especially the seats and flooring.

Amenities – 3 out of 5.  Midas Hotel is nice but for a 4-star hotel, I find its amenities lacking.  The parking area is at the back of the hotel.  You will have to walk quite far just to go the reception.  There’s a valet parking but we haven’t tried it.  Midas Hotel has no swimming pool and no play area for kids.  So for those who are planning a staycation here, I don’t recommend it.  I wasn’t able to ask if they have a spa area – but they do offer in-room massages.  Midas Hotel has no recreational activities save for the casino.  So I think, it was really meant for casino goers and business men.

Staff – 4.5 out of 5.  Hotel staffs are nice.  They greet you along the way. They are helpful when asked for directions.  They also offer to carry bags (even small ones) to help.  The hotel receptionists are nice – but they don’t smile often.  When asked, they respond nicely but stiff.  I wish they would smile more.  Smiling to guests gives off a nice hotel ambiance.

Food – 4 out of 5.  Midas Hotel’s complimentary breakfast is located at the hotel’s 2^nd floor.  Midas Café has a big area and thus is not crowded.  It is overlooking Roxas Boulevard. They have few food choices (regular breakfast menu, pancakes, breads, salads, coffee, and drinks)  – not as much choices as with Century Park Hotel and Crown Regency Cebu (both hotel’s has my thumbs up for buffet breakfast).  Buffet breakfast price is at Php950 per person.

Location – 5 out of 5.  Midas Hotel is strategically located.  It is so close to SM Mall of Asia and Baclaran.  It is also close to the airport.  This hotel is a nice option for those who have an early flight.

Value for Money – 4 out of 5.  We booked Midas Hotel’s deluxe room at Php4000 overnight with breakfast buffet for 2.  I find it a good (not best) value for your money if you don’t have staycation plans and you need a very nice place to stay overnight.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are mine.

Online Shopping At HeyMom

Online shopping has become a trend in the past years.  It gives the shopper a lot of convenience.  There will be no time wasted as you can do your online shopping anywhere, anytime.  Online shopping is a treat to busy moms like me.

However, there are a lot of horror stories when you shop online.  Sometimes, the product you buy online can be broken, sometimes you pay more online that the price from the physical store, or sometimes the product delivered to you are fake.

Therefore buying medicines and vitamins online can be so much a risk than a convenience.  As a mom, we want to be sure we don’t give fake medicines or vitamins to our kids.  Good thing, United Laboratories, or UniLab, has given a thought of how busy moms like me feel – and has launched www.heymom.com.ph  .

Hey Mom! is a website dedicated to moms.  It is a fusion of some of the digital needs of moms like me – a community, a forum, different news, and an online shop.  Hey Mom!’s online shop is the legit store of UniLab products. 

And because I love online shopping, I decided to give Hey Mom! online store a try.  And this is what happened.

·         I registered online and chose the cash on delivery (COD) option.  COD option is what most online shoppers want nowadays to avoid credit card skimming.

·         No more than an hour after I placed my order online, a representative of Hey Mom! called me to verify my order and gave me a timeline on when to expect my product delivery. 

·         The next day, the delivery man texted me as early as 6AM to inform me that he will deliver my product that day.  I was out of the office (I had it delivered in my office), and just texted the instructions to the delivery man. 

·         When I came back to the office, the package was there.  I was completely amused as I only texted the instructions once and the delivery man got it perfectly.

·         The package was well-wrapped.  It was in a box, covered tightly in a bubble wrap. 

·         I am one happy online shopper of Hey Mom!

Busy moms like me can now have a peace of mind while shopping for vitamins and medicines.  No need to worry that we would be buying fake ones.  Thanks to Hey Mom!

These Ceelin vitamins were delivered to my office! Talk about convenience. J

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  However, all opinions are mine.

Press Release: National Pampering Day 2017

Last year, Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa introduced National Pampering Day.   It was a huge success that this year, another nationwide celebration of relaxation is on its way on October 17.

What can we expect on National Pampering Day?  Last year, Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa offered free manicure service and stress relieving hand massage.  This year, it will be even more exciting as Nailaholics will be offering free service of your choice: a soothing manicure, a calming foot spa, or a relaxing foot massage.

So don’t forget to mark your calendars and make sure you head down to the nearest Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa branch on October 17, 2017 (Tuesday) from 10AM to 1PM and get yourself a free relaxing manicure, foot spa, or foot massage.

Let Nailaholic’s trained nail technicians take care of you for a little while and walk out of the experience feeling refreshed.  Don’t miss out this once a year treat only for you! Visit www.nailaholics.com or any branch near you for more details.   Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa has over 50 branches nationwide. 

Another Japanese Dinner: Song Tsu Shabu Shabu

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables cooked in boiling water.  The first time I tried eating a sa shabu-shabu meal was more than 5 years ago, and I have been meaning to try it again.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to try one in our visit to Japan early this year.   Fortunately, there are a lot of shabu-shabu restaurants in the metro we can eat it at.

Song Tsu Shabu Shabu is a restaurant located at Harbor Square, Manila City.  They serve shabu-shabu meals only. The interiors of Song Tsu are clean but there are no ornaments or any decors that might make it appealing.  The restaurant is just plain, nothing too fancy. 

We ordered a set meal of Hot Pot Shabu Shabu costing Php690 and a cup of rice.  It is good for 2-4 people.  The set shabu-shabu meal we ordered is already complete in ingredients with assorted balls (fish balls, squid balls, etc.), seafood (mussels, clams, and shrimps), sliced beef and sliced pork, egg, noodles, and assorted vegetables.  A kimchi side dish was also served to us.

Each table has its own cooking stove with the gas range in the flooring (for safety reasons, I guess).  The staffs of Song Tsu prepare and cook the shabu-shabu.  We just watch and wait for the meal to be cooked in front of us.

Song Tsu Shabu Shabu may have plain interiors but the meal is surprisingly yummy.  The shabu-shabu was very filling and delicious.  It was cooked well and I find the price very affordable for the amount of meat and vegetables served to us.  For a packaged/set meal, the serving was generous.  We were able to take home some.  We will surely try shabu-shabu again at Song Tsu. J

Press Release: #JuanWash, Ariel Men’s Campaign For Gender Equality

In Filipino households, doing the laundry is traditionally seen as a woman’s sole responsibility.  This thing will about to be a thing in the past.  Ariel recognizes that chores can be done by anyone, any gender.  That is why Ariel launched the #JuanWash campaign last September. 

Ariel’s #JuanWash campaign’s goal is straightforward – to get men to do their share of laundry duties, one wash at a time. For Ariel men, this goes simply beyond doing the laundry, as this shows their support to their wives, and shapes their children’s view into understanding the equal role of men and women in doing household chores.

As the first detergent to invite men to do their part of the housework, Ariel gathered several celebrity #JuanWash ambassadors.  Among them are JC Intal, professional basketball player, and actor John Prats.  Both men are supported by their respective wives, Bianca Gonzales-Intal and Isabel Oli-Prats.

Other local personalities that are active in the #JuanWash campaign are Kean Cipriano, Ali Khatibi, Sam Adjani, Marco Alcaraz, Anton del Rosario, and James Deakin.  These #JuanWashers use Ariel Power Gel which makes superior cleaning effortless so they can easily help out at home. 

Last September 1, #JuanWash campaign was launched online not only for men to do their part in laundry duties but to dedicated Fridays as #JuanWash days.  Considering that Filipino households do their laundry twice a week, encouraging men to do the laundry once a week promotes equal share of laundry load.  In doing so, Ariel Men all over the Philippines we able to collect 10,000 laundry hours in just one month, which equates to the number of hours freed up for the women in their lives.

Ariel’s #JuanWash campaign is just in time for Filipino families whose lifestyles continue to evolve especially with the rise of dual-income households.  Filipino men getting involved in housework shows increasing trend over the years (as per Philippine Statistics Authority).  The #JuanWash campaign supports Procter & Gamble’s #WeSeeEqual global advocacy, that continues to push the boundaries on gender equality and women empowerment.

So mommies, let us encourage our husbands to participate in Ariel’s #JuanWash campaign – and let them share the load in housework.

Press Release: Visa Launches Financial Literacy Play Entitled “Lukot-Lukot, Bilog-Bilog”

Visa launched a financial literacy play entitled Lukot-lukot, Bilog-bilog (Crumpled, Round).  This is an interactive play featuring national heroes developed with Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), the resident drama company of the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines), and BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas).  This play is designed to empower and educate the Filipino youth to make informed financial decisions.  This is the first program of its kind launched by Visa Philippines in support of the government’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion, a program spearheaded by BSP.

Lukot-Lukot, Bilog-Bilog features the different scenarios that a Filipina senior high school student named Gwyneth who is challenged to make financial decisions to differentiate needs versus wants in spending.  Filipino national heroes Apolinario Mabini and Jose Rizal “comes alive” from the crumpled bills  and rounded coins to help her make wise financial decisions.

Starting this October, the play will perform in 10 different schools to make financial literacy education more accessible to students.  The program targets to reach 3,500 students at the end of one year.  Visa’s financial literacy initiative also aims to reach out to students under Teach for the Philippines.