Astroboy Toys in Jollibee Kids Meal!

For toy collectors, Astroboy fans and Jollibee kids Meal fans out there!

Presenting their latest collection, from the movie Astroboy... Astroboy himself and several other villains!!!

You won't be able to buy this collectible figurine elsewhere as this toy was exclusively created for Jollibee Foods Corporation only!

Here are the actual toy photos I took below:






















Here is the official Astroboy trailer on Youtube:



So what are you guys waiting for??? Hurry and grab a Jollibee Kids Meal now before it gets out of stock!

Jozu Kin, The Fort - My Personal Experience

The Ambiance
Upon entry, you would immediately feel that the place is an upscale place where one would usually wind down and relax after a hard and long day at work. This is achieved by the low-light and quiet atmosphere mixed with quality modern furniture.



The place might be familiar for some as it would feel like you were in New York. No kidding. It was the same feeling I had when I went there a couple of years back.



The price
As I said, this has the ambiance of a fine dining restaurant, the feel of a modernized Japanese restaurant in New York and quality furniture and cutlery. So, what do you think would the price be? Come on! Guess!



Well, it might come as a shock because, it's so expensive -- NOT!!! If you ask me how to describe the prices, I would tell you that, it's like eating in those Japanese restaurants proliferating the metro. Yes! It's priced not far apart from their pricing!

I actually can't believe that a restaurant situated in The Fort, with a premium name called "Jozu Kin - Japanese Gold" using quality furniture and fixtures would be priced that affordable. In short, do not judge the restaurant by where it is located and how it looks!

The Food
As a Japanese food lover, I cannot say that I am an expert and I might be biased since I love Japanese food. Ever since I went to Japan, I kept on comparing the food there from what I eat here and sadly, not many restaurants can be up at par with the real thing in Japan. (Food by Chef Jayme Natividad)

Here are some of the dishes we tried out:


| Maki Moriawase | Califonia Maki, Tempura Crunchy, Dynamite Roll, Philadelphia Roll and Futo Maki |


| Kin Salad | Japanese Classic (Cucumber, Kani and Mango with Ebiko) |


| Tartufo Hotate | Pan seared scallop with asparagus shitake mushroom and truffled brown butter |


| Maguro Tataki Salad | Sesame crusted tuna with light teriyaki vinigrette |


| Spicy Tuna and Salmon Skin Temaki |


| Kurokusho Pasta | Freshly crushed black pepper, olive oil, permesan cheese and black tobiko |


| Angus prime with teriyaki niiro sauce |


| Smoked salmon and fresh oyster |


| Matsusaka Gyu | Matsusaka beef traditionally seared on teppan |


| Ushi Ebi Sunburst | Seasoned prawns, strawberry, blueberry, apple, orange almonds with balsamic hachimitsu vinigrette |


| Pan Seared Foiegras | Honey glazed duck liver with mango-sushi rice and mango puree |


The Experience
I went there after a busy day and just want to eat some Jap food. Since it was new (opened just Sept '09), I decided to try it out. I love restaurants with superb ambiance like this one since it takes all the stresses of the day away! I felt relaxed by the low-lighting around it and the temperature inside was great. Servers were professional, neat and fast in responding to our needs.

Height of the table and chair was comfortably right. I just had the problem with the washroom as it was downstairs and can fit 1 person at a time, both M & F. Well, you don't go to a restaurant to check out their washrooms, do you?



Music was set to a movie-like-background-music so talking was great as we could hear each other clearly. Lighting was, as I said, dim, but bright enough to see each other and the menu, of course.

Cutlery was superb. No el-cheapo accessories to complete a fine-dining yet, very affordable experience.


Overall
The overall dining experience we had was superb!!! Near-perfect ambiance... Quality furniture and fixtures... Modern Japanese food with a mix of imported ingredients...
This is the way I wanted to spend my weekend and this is what I got exactly. What more could I wish for?



Try it out! (Info below from Clickthecity )

Jozu Kin

Forbes Town Center

Unit ES-2, West Crescent Park, Rizal Drive (Burgos Circle), Forbes Town Center, Fort Global City
Taguig

Phone Number: (63 2) 403-1875

Join Anton (Our Awesome Planet) in this year's JCI Entrep Summit 2009!

It's not yet too late! Register and join now!



Date: October 24, 2009, Saturday
Venue: SMX Convention Center
Time: 9.30am - 5.00pm

So, what are the topics from these gurus?

JCI Entrep Summit 2009
Inspiring Tomorrow's Leaders
Ideas and stories from business people who are ahead of their time.

"Are You Ready to be an Entrepreneur?" - Rudy Ang, Dean, Ateneo de Manila's School of Management

"How Belo became Belo" - Vicky Belo, Founder, Belo Medical Group

"The Secret Behind the Largest Consumer Products Company in the World" - Johnip Cua, First Filipino GM of Procter & Gamble Philippines

"Taking the Family Business to the Next Level" - York Vitangcol, CEO, St. Peter Group of Companies

"5 Pillars to a Successful Entrepreneur" - Edward Lee, Founder and Chairman, Citisec Online

"Social Business Enterprise: Doing Good While Doing Well" - Mark Ruiz, Social Entrepreneur, Hapinoy and Rags2Riches

"10 Best Practices for Marketing on the Internet" - Anton Diaz, Professional Blogger, Our Awesome Planet

and Victoria Jardiolin, Founder and President, Natasha and Marikina Shoe Exchange

Ticket Prices: P3,500
Early Bird: P3,000 on or before October 17, 2009
Corporate Rate: Buy 5 Get 1 Free
Student Discount: 20%
For Tickets: call TicketNet +632 911-5555

How to Dig a Deeper Grave for the Philippines

Only 2 weeks to go before the voter registration ends.. Please, for the sake of our country, exercise your right to vote! Register to vote!

Believe me, leaving your work a day or 2 just to register to vote is more worth rather than the suffering we will all experience in a term of the wrongly elected president.

Haven't we learned our lessons yet? The more we don't vote, the more we dig a deeper grave for our country. Remember, this is our one and only country. Not only yours, not only mine. If we don't care because we think our country is a hopeless case, who will give a damn to care?

Let us not add up to the problem. The domino effect will surely hit you sooner or later. If even our leaders aren't united because of selfish ambitions and reasons, don't you think that we should be the example for them rather than waiting for them to act right? Let us stop blaming them and let us be the first right example.

Let them know that they aren't liked for what they did rather than kissing their asses because they are good to you.

Before voting, please make sure that your candidate is really qualified. Not only technically and legally but more importantly, competitively.

It doesn't mean that when everyone is doing it, it is right and vice versa. Listen to what those politicians are saying. Look at what they are doing. And finally, check out if they are doing what they are saying because these 3 are entirely different things.

So, please please please -- do register and vote so you would not be contributing to a deeper grave for our beloved Philippines. I already registered.

Also, this Friday, please support this cause -- it's a concert. To enter, just bring
donations for those affected by Typhoon Pepeng and Ondoy (Although not required, better if you have).

For details, check this poster out:

xxx

Baby Quiz: Discover your child's gigil personality!

Do you know your baby's Gigil Type?

If you've been wondering about your baby's personality and what Gigil Type best suits him/her,

take this baby personality test to find out.


Also, there is an on-going contest!

This is very easy to do. Any mom or dad can do this! Win yourself a digital camera or digital frame to put in your child's memories!

Read more about it > Contest Mechanics

Why is it important to know your Baby's Gigil Personality?

Different types of babies respond to different types of Gigil Moments with mom. The more you know about baby's Gigil Personality, the better equipped you are to respond to his needs. You will also be equipped in providing the Gigil Activities that will make your Gigil Time with him extra-fun and special.

Knowing baby's Gigil Personality will help mommies choose the appropriate JOHNSON'S® Baby Cologne variants. These variants have fragrances that are designed to put you and baby all the more in a Gigil mood any time of day. With just a splash of JOHNSON'S® Baby Cologne, mommies can turn even the most ordinary times into extra-ordinary Gigil Times with baby anytime, anywhere.

With JOHNSON'S® Baby Cologne - it's Gigil Time na!

5 Things I'd Definitely Recommend When you are in Manila

Philippines. It's just truly awesome. I mean, Just being in Manila alone, one would need a long time just so they can absorb what Manila really is like behind the fanfare of the politics.

Being in Manila for more than 2 decades, I guess that would leave me with tons of personal experiences and with that, I present you 5 of the must-do's when you are in Manila. (I am so sorry that this won't be your usual list of tourist destinations. These are the real sights-and-sounds of Metro Manila)





1. Be a Human Sardine
> No, I am not kidding. You have not experienced the real Manila when you haven't tried riding the MRT and LRT -- on a rush hour. By rush hour, I mean around 7-8am and 5-6pm. Experience first hand on what other people are saying and feel what a sardines in can feels for several minutes.

2. Ride a jeepney, rush hour style
> Of course, tourists can ride jeepneys in several tourist destinations like Intramuros. heck, they can even ride horses a.k.a. Calesa in Ongpin, Chinatown. BUT, what visitors must try is riding the jeepney the rush hour way. This is what I meant by the "rush hour way"...

Photo from filipinolifeinpictures.wordpress.com

HANG-ON!!!

3. Eat Balut. Eat Dirty Ice Cream (Not really dirty). Eat Isaw. [Street Foods]
> Street foods! Well, Balut is one of the most famous street foods here in Metro Manila. It was even used as a stunt in Fear Factor! Other must try if your tummy can handle it are, isaw, addidas (chicken feet), baticulon (gizzard) , corazon (chicken heart), betamax (pork blood) and helmet (chicken head?). Dare try it? Post your experiences in the comments section :)

Photos from housewifeatwork.blogspot.com

4. Rent/borrow a car and try to drive around the Metro.
> I know this sounds crazy (and stressful) for a tourist to do but, when other countries, for example, when in Vietnam, crossing a street itself is an adventure, when in Manila, driving around the Metro using the jeeps as "natural" obstacle courses may be compared to sky diving or bungee jumping in other foreign countries. Actually, doing the 2 latter activities might be even safer. Watch this...(Disclaimer: Not all jeepney drivers drive like this. But most of them are really very bad drivers.)

For more videos, please read my older post >> (click here)

5. Last- not the least, but the best...

> You've lived all your life in comfort. You've lived your life at it's best. At times, you can even say to yourself, "This is life!".

What I want you to try out here in Manila is.. how hospitable Filipinos are. This might pose as a big challenge as this is not very easy to do but, the challenge is, find a family who can adopt you guys for a night or two. Live with them. Do what they do. Eat what they eat. I know this is crazy but, this way, you can compare the life you live full of complaints with the life they live simply yet happily.

Maybe sometimes, you complain to your wife or mom about the food she cooked. After living with them, you might appreciate whatever you have on your table.

Maybe sometimes, you complain because there is no hot water. After living with them, you will appreciate having the privilege to have electricity and, even just plain cold water.

Photo from blogs.bootsnail.com

Maybe sometimes, you complain too much about the bad traffic, terrible economy or bad weather. You go home and get angry at your wife, your mom, your dad or even your dog. After living with them, you will appreciate how God truly blessed you. Despite them living in the shanties, they still find a thousand reasons to smile and be merry. You might be even surprised why they are thanking God when sometimes, you still get angry with God because you didn't get your dream car or what.

So next time when in Manila, thank God because this is where you can appreciate your life more!

This blog is an entry for When In Manila's blog contest for the Maven Secrets scholarship. The ideas and wordings are all from the author and not copy-pasted from any other websites or blog.

I want to win the Maven Secrets because not only could I help the world appreciate their lives but, I can help spread what the Philippines has to offer -- bad or good. This is not a paid commercial or blog post. We are in a democratic country and everyone should know of the real situation and not just cover up and show them the good stuffs. In this post, there are also negative things about the Philippines but, nevertheless, I still love this country and let's just take the negativity as criticisms so we can have more room for improvement!

Mabuhay!
-Cheftonio

3 Downloadable Candies from Brands

Freebie downloads are a nice way for companies to provide something extra for the consumer, and it's a dream come true for them as well, that they've developed a product worth bragging about by the very people they wish to serve. Clothing companies do this all the time --- big name brands turn their customers into walking showcases.

Another way of seeing downloadable candies is the company giving out something “extra.” Something new that the customer may or may not necessarily like, giving them more options. Here's a couple downloadable candies that I really like, check 'em:

1. Open Happiness – From Coca Cola. What better way to encourage people to drink Coke, by associating it with happiness? The collaboration song, and the accompanying music video just oozes with things that should make one crack a smile. Performed by Patrick Stump, Brendon Urie, Travis McCoy, Cee-Lo Green and Janelle Monae, the song is a hit, not just in terms of having people purchase the song over iTunes, but also in associating Coke to be a song about happiness.

2. The Axe Man Ringtone – Deemed “too sexy” to be included in the AXE on Phone page, this downloadable candy not only heightens what must be the secret appeal that AXE scents give the MAN, it also shows you that the AXE man is also playful. If a person's choice of ringtones denote some sort of personality factor, then having this as a message alert or a ringtone is bound to be used by men who may be serious on the business front, but also leaves a hint of playfulness. Get this downloadable candy here.

3. Windows 7 Wallpapers – With what they've shown so far, it appears that Microsoft's trying to make it up for Vista. Still roughly a month from release, they've let some downloadable-candy-in-the-form-of-wallpaper leak into the public. Is it too soon to see what Windows 7 wallpapers might look like on your desktop? Try these on for size. What's also amazing about these Windows 7 wallpapers is the inclusion of community-designed wallpapers --- it just goes to show you that even before a product hits, there are already people looking forward to it. The downloadable candies only excites potential users more.

Not Your Usual Weekend Bonding - With the White Forest Cake

It was just like any other weekend. Woke up a bit late, read the bible and turned my laptop on. After, I went down to eat my usual breakfast -- eggs, oatmeal and a slice of sweetness.

The only thing very unusual that day was the non-stop rain. Same with any other rainy days, I loved it. I didn't think that it was the last time I'd love that kind of heavy rain.

Lunch came and our activities were still flowing normally. No one would expect that, that same weekend, it would change the lives of a lot of Filipinos. Afternoon came and the effects were getting worst. Suddenly, our electricity went out in the afternoon. Stuck at home, without electricity and without anything to do, we did what most people do when there is no electricity -- talk.

This is what you get for living an optimistic life. Even though everything is so negative, you still find ways to make it positive. And to take our family bonding level up one notch, mom offered us all a slice of White Forest cake from Red Ribbon. We don't want to put that cake to waste, don't we?

One soft, rich and creamy spoon after another, what was supposedly a short bonding talk became a long and unexpected fun bonding time even though when everything seemed to go wrong. Amazing!

Too bad, the cake didn't last till our dinner. But, with the help of that cake, it made every single second of our lives sweet and memorable that day -- Bonding time was lengthened because of one cake.

It's a cake we will surely remember for the rest of our lives.

For more information about Red Ribbon's Yummy cakes, please go to their website at or read my previous post HERE.

Photo Essay on Typhoon Ketsana (a.k.a. Ondoy) - Metro Manila, Philippines

I remember it clearly. It started around 7pm. September 25, 2009 -- A Friday night.





It started raining hard around 11pm. From what I remember, I think the rain did not back down. It was this hard (Please see video above)

September 27 morning came. Other than the heavy rainfall, we are very thankful to God that we do not have any scheduled activities for that day.

At around 4pm, it was still raining hard. (The video above was taken around 4pm on September 27)


That night, we went out to buy food. There were still electricity in other places. Ours didn't have any.


At around 8pm to 9pm the rain stopped a bit.. and it rained again.. and it stopped. In the dark, I composed this blog using my mobile phone (read it here)




The next day, we need to go somewhere else and this was my chance to take photos. Photos to expose Ondoy's wrath.


This is E.rodriguez in Quezon City. Doesn't look like a major road as of taking that picture.


You can see watermarks in this establishments (Wheels Inc and Kia New Manila) window.


New cars and old cars were equally not spared.


Despite the damage, it's still great to see some people smiling.


Wherever you are, water can go anywhere. Gate or no gate.


Even this bus was not spared. High or low, water can get to you.


As we go by, the road conditions got worst. More mud as ever.


Convenience store - racks and everything destroyed.


Emergency room - Also destroyed.


This used to be the hospital ramp - that day, it became a parking lot.


Rescue vehicles - still not spared...


Waiting sheds became temporary shelters...


From Boomtrap to trashtrap.


Below this bridge lies gazillions of trash as it is evident above it.


Sight for the day: Dirty cars.


On higher grounds where it doesn't usually flood, you can still see how high the flood reached.


Floods submerged the entire first floor of this bank in Banawe near Retiro.


I guess the elevation is not enough.


Yes, elevation not enough in Banawe St. for Ondoy.


It was that high, he said.


Businesses incurred losses. Including this pet shop in Banawe.


Even bigger businesses was not spared. This establishment covered their inventory. They sell exotic cars and several other luxury vehicles. Sources said that they weren't able to save any.


Restaurants suffer...


This famous hopia shop is closed. Closed when they should be peaking sales -- it's the mooncake festival month.


Restaurants let out their furniture hoping that the sun would dry them up fast.


Mighty mart: Not mighty versus flood waters.


Trash dangled from several establishments.


Trucks and cars are no match for Ondoy. They all became powerless floating vehicles.


More trash above high ground as evident in the photo above. Retiro Corner C3.


Destroyed road along Quezon Avenue.


More devastated roads...


More destruction caused by typhoon Ketsana.


South Luzon Expressway: Sandstorm up ahead?


No.. just dirt flying up the air.


Billboards are down. Good job. Except for that one. Don't support that brand!

Part 2: Same day, Sunday afternoon, it rained a bit. Result?

Even dirtier cars...


Dirt road turned into very muddy road...


Floating debris on the road...


Really, really bad driving conditions...

The next day... thank God it was sunny!!!

Dirty cars caused by Ondoy.


Even more dirtier cars.


Even this drugstore wasn't spared...


Our warehouse wasn't also spared..


Funny, this coke bottle stood up by itself. It was filled with flood water. Anyone care for a water sample?


Disaster c/o Typhoon Ondoy.


Good thing that glass door didn't break!


From the inside.. this is how it looks like..


So, can you point out to me how high the flood was in here?


Bye Flatron. May you be flat again.


A grocery parking lot with stalled cars..


Water-sealed Toyota Vios headlights -- water sealed from the inside.


Ouch! Brand new!


But, life must go on...


We must learn from our mistakes...


Even this dog lost his home..


Good thing that dog and that pup still has a home...


As dirty as this looks like...


We must all stand-up and recover...


Let that bayanihan spirit motivate us all...


With perseverance, we all could start again!


Don't just sit there, sulk and do nothing..


Continue to learn...


Continue to play...


Because as long as we have God, surely, the sun will rise again and so will we.