Category Archives: Awesomeness Break

Sep 19 2016
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Awesomeness Break, Food, NK Ideas, Press Release

Starbucks heard me.

I am a coffee addict; I take around 3 to 5 servings/cups everyday. Anything more than that might not be very wise and could mean a sleepless night. I was always wondering what could be a better substitute of coffee if I am already at the threshold of my personal daily allowance for coffee.

Some few months ago, when I already had 4 to 5 cups of coffee for the day, I had tried experimenting with my orders in Starbucks. Not coffee but same fun and experience, it got to be a tea. The standout is what I personally called as Sunset. Iced China Green Tips Tea + 1 pump of Strawberry Sauce = P125.00 (If I wish to be more playful I usually add a pump of mint.) This has been my go-to drink at Starbucks for weeks when I heard the news about the new Starbucks product.

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Starbucks heard me. They are amping their tea game.

Starbucks is launching Starbucks® Teavana™ for the first time in the Philippines, as well as to other markets in Asia. Starbucks is introducing innovative Starbucks® Teavana™ handcrafted beverages — shaken iced teas, unique layered beverages and combinations of tea and espresso.

This is a modern take by Starbucks on the tea experience for people looking for new and different tastes and experiences. It will give customers the opportunity to enjoy a range of unique iced and hot tea beverages with bold taste and layered flavors, handcrafted the way only Starbucks can. It’s Tea Reimagined.

“The launch of Starbucks® Teavana™ brings an entirely new tea occasion specifically developed for our customers in Asia, who increasingly want new and different tastes and experiences,” said John Culver, group president, Starbucks Global Retail. ”With Starbucks® Teavana™, we see a tremendous opportunity to leverage the company’s expertise in creating best-in-class retail experiences, handcrafting customized beverages, and sourcing the finest ingredients, to create a new, premium tea experience. Just as we’ve done for coffee, this is tea reimagined at Starbucks.”

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The launch of Starbucks® Teavana™ is the first time Starbucks has launched a brand on this scale since 2008 with the launch of Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew, and represents an important growth opportunity for the business.

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Sep 15 2016
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Awesomeness Break, Food, Press Release, Restaurant

Thai Fun Food Festival at Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu

Very recently Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu opens “Thai Fun Food Festival” at The Sails restaurant wherein diners will have a chance to win a round-trip ticket to Phuket, Thailand courtesy of Cebu Pacific, inclusive of two nights hotel stay at its sister hotel, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket.

In between courses, I flexed some muscles to make room for more spicy food!

Everyday from September 10-18, 2016, The Sails will showcase the best of Thailand cuisine prepared by real Thai chefs from Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket. The three guest chefs will be seen in action around The Sails, cooking and serving authentic and diverse specialities that reflect the Thai culture, ingenuity and tradition.

It’s difficult to choose if I should have Tom Yum Soup or Chicken with Coconut Milk so have I have both.

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Tom Yum Soup and Chicken with Coconut Milk Soup

Chef Christian Bouby, the executive chef, is proud to put the spotlight on the three guest chefs from Phuket, Thailand, namely Wiwat Yong-en, Sutee Yamkratho and Teenasit Nakrua.

“Thai cuisine captures the interest of many, not only for its enigmatic and exotic cultural influences, but also for the interplay and harmony of flavours present in each dish,” explains Chef Bouby. “The playful and creative nature of the Thai people is visible on every plate they serve. They are very adventurous when it comes to texture and essence.”

Here are some food on the buffet:

goong-sa-long-stir-fried-prawns-with-vermicelli

With this alone, the trip to Movenpick is already worth it. 

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The salad and appetizers were big teasers.

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Another stellar dish from Thailand. I usually make Thai Beef Salad at home. 

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Thai food is always a food adventure.

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How can I forget you? I will go back to Movenpick just for this. 

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Dessert? My favorite of course is Thai’s Sticky Rice. I really don’t know why I can’t hack it at home. 

“We live by our service philosophy of bringing something fun and fresh, to be a trailblazer of genres and flavours,” says Mr. Harold Rainfroy, general manager. “We always aim to bring in new excitement in various seasons to delight our guests of different nationalities.”

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GM Harold Rainfroy, Exec. Chef Christian Bouby with guests Thai Chefs: Sutee Yamkrathok, Teenasit Nakrua and Wiwat Yong-en from Movenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket  and  F&B Manager Mr. Jerly Tio

“Our team is excited to work with these three kitchen superstars,” adds Mr. Jeryl Tio, food and beverage manager. “They are bringing with them years of experience and innovation in Thai culinary traditions, with age-old recipes tweaked with modern sensibilities. The menu selections they’re preparing for this food festival will use special ingredients they’ve sourced from Thailand. That’s as far as we go when it comes to bringing authentic flavours to the table, and it’s definitely something we all look forward to.”

Dinner buffet is at PHP1,600 nett per person.

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Aug 23 2016
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Awesomeness Break, NKRecommendation, Press Release, Uncategorized

Mövenpick’s #AKiloOfKindness 

Helping couldn’t be sweeter than this. On the mail today from Mövenpick.

Support Mövenpick’s #AKiloOfKindness campaign, leading to the UN International Day of Charity on 5 September, by donating at least one kilo of school supplies in our lobby from 21 August to 1 September 2016.

Mövenpick Hotel Hotel Mactan Island Cebu is pleased to support Cordova Alternative Resource for Education (CARE) Center, the organisation that will benefit from your generosity.

Donate #AKiloOfKindness:

Books (stories for reading practice and lined exercise books for writing)
Supplies (pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, sharpeners, glue, scissors, paint, etc.)

Supporting items (backpacks, clothing, socks)

Encourage kindness by spreading the news: #AKiloOfKindness #InternationalCharityDay.

Each person who makes a donation will receive an ice cream as a small gesture of appreciation.

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Aug 15 2016
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Awesomeness Break, Press Release

Cebu Food Crawl 2016

As the the Project Director of Cebu Food Crawl, I am very excited to announce that the Cebu Bloggers Society will once again organize the Cebu Food Crawl this year. 25 food, lifestyle and travel bloggers and social media influencers from Cebu, Manila, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban, Bohol, and General Santos are expected to come to Cebu to explore the best restaurants and food establishments the made Cebu an indispensable gourmet destination in the Philippines.

Cebu Food Crawl will take the participants and their blog and social media followers into a gastronomic journey of the exquisite and delightful taste of Cebu hinting everyone with new destinations in the progressive dining scene of Cebu.

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Cebu Food Crawl 2016 Poster


Cebu Food Crawl will take place on August 26-29 and is aptly themed: “Destination Food”. The 4-day food tour of different restaurants and hotels will highlight Cebu as a prime spot for food travelers. Beyond the pristine white beaches and beautiful islands, Cebu is a melting pot of varied food influences inherited from its early inhabitants and colonial past enhanced with modern techniques and technology. Cebu Food Crawl celebrates Cebu as a foremost gourmet destination best known for practicality and glamour of its food.

This edition of Cebu Food Crawl will be bigger with the participation of top-notch establishments and restaurants like Ayala Center Cebu, Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu, Marriott Cebu City Hotel, Rico’s Lechon, Mactan Newtown Alfresco, Anzani Group of Restaurants, Salinas Restaurant by Golden Cowrie, Choobi Choobi Restaurant, Gibbs’ Hot Wings, Profood, International Corp., Café Jasmin, and Sugbo Mercado, that will highlight food offerings that are synonymous to Cebu.

All participants will post on their respective social media accounts and blogs with the official hashtags of the event: #CebuFoodCrawl2016 and #BisayaNaFood for their audiences to follow.

 

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Jul 30 2016
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Awesomeness Break

Sun.Star’s Best of Cebu 2016 and Lifestyle Bazaar

NindotKaayo.com along with other Cebu Bloggers was invited by Sun.Star to an exclusive event for media, suppliers and sponsors of Sun.Star Best of Cebu. The event is a prelude or opener of the biggest one-day-only lifestyle bazaar in Cebu. Participating exhibitors were  some of the food and services that won during lat year’s Best of Cebu selection. This is a rare occasion when the best brands of Cebu are under one roof.

For this year, Sun.Star Best of Cebu is made open to the public beginning 2:00PM in the afternoon. For a minimal entrance fee of P150.00 with free cocktail drink, one can avail of the discounted food and other merchandise from the winners of Best of Cebu.

Here are some of the good finds: 

Movenpick Hotel


    

Anzani Restaurant


Matmat Carcar Chicharon


PLDT Home Booth

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May 28 2016
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Awesomeness Break, Press Release

The New Annie at Resorts World Manila

Resorts World Manila (RWM) recently acquired the rights for the classic and original Broadway musical, “Annie” from MTI New York. It is set to play on September this year at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Preparations were underway and live and online auditions were held in search for the new Annie. 
Very recently, RTW announces that it had concluded its search and it has already selected the lucky young talent among the hundreds of hopefuls who auditioned to play the lead role.

Meet the new Annie/s

Krystal Brimner (9 years old), who recently won a Best Child Performer award in the 2015 Metro Manila filmfest for her role as Angel in Erik Matti’s Honor Thy Father. 

Isabeli Elizalde (10 years old), who takes her first shot at professional acting.
Both were picked for the most coveted role as Annie.  

Krystal and Isabeli were made to perform song excerpts from the musical including the classic “Tomorrow” which caught the attention of Annie director Michael Williams and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo who will be playing the role of Ms. Hannigan.

Annie play dates and other details will be announced soon on this blog. Watch out for NindotKaayo.com’s review soon.

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May 11 2016
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Awesomeness Break, Food, Press Release, Restaurant

Vikings Luxury Buffet Cebu opens! 

Finally, the long wait is over. Vikings Luxury Buffet Cebu is now open in SM City Cebu with more than 350 seating capacity and 2 VIP areas. 

Vikings Luxury Buffet – Cebu


Weekday Lunch

Kids Below 3ft – FREE

Kids between 3.1ft to 4ft – P188.00

Kids between 4.1ft to 4.6ft – P388.00

Adults – P688.00

75 years old and above – 50% special discount
Weekday Dinner / Weekend & Holiday Lunch and Dinner

Kids Below 3ft – FREE

Kids between 3.1ft to 4ft – P288.00

Kids between 4.1ft to 4.6ft – P588.00

Adults – P888.00

75 years old and above – 50% special discount
All prices are subject to 5% Service Charge. 
Promo Alert: Dress like a Viking (any gear) and get 50% discount until May 12, 2016. 

Reserve your seats by calling (032) 255-3888 or 09989969888. They open 11:00 AM for lunch and 5:30 PM for dinner. 

Two more restaurants by Vikings will open soon at SM Seaside City. Watch out for it soon here. 


#EatLikeAViking #cbsForever 

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Apr 24 2016
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Awesomeness Break, NK Ideas, NKRecommendation, Places

iPhone Battery Replacement in Cebu (while you wait)

Oh, just in case you will need it.

My iPhone battery dies fast. A single post at snapchat for example will drain the battery. This has been troubling me for weeks. I called the apple service centers and was quoted 4,000 to 6,000 pesos for replacement and worse, they said I have to leave my phone at their store for at least 2 weeks. How can one live with that? 
Guess what, this problem was solved in just 10 minutes! A short trip to the 2nd floor of JY square led me to Jaetech Trading. They will actually replace the defective battery with an original battery while you wait for only 2,500. Amazing, right? 
So, I asked if they have batteries for older models, of course with the quality of their service, you know the answer, yes! Finally, you can put that old iPhone to good use again. 
Contact Details:

Jaetech Trading

2/F JY Discovery Mall

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Apr 20 2016
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Awesomeness Break, NK Ideas, NKRecommendation

How should morality be measured as a basis of your vote? 

How to evaluate a person’s moral character? Should it be made as basis for your vote?
It is crucial and important to consider morality as a key characteristic of a President or any office holder. Many would frequently forward a litmus test of a single issue like death penalty or gay marriage or even tact innpublic speaking. (Corruption, however, should be examined in its legal sense. Our laws already defines it and provides for its penalty.) The truth is, a single issue cannot possibly be a good measure of morality. Simple single issue litmus test is a poor measure because we all have failings. A person could be very moral and very good in so many ways, and yet has a failing on a single issue.
Martin Luther King, for example, is very much committed to non-violence in the pursuit of social justice, he remains to this day an outstanding model of man of virtues. His commitment to God and Jesus was unassailable. However, it is also a fact that he carried on multiple affairs. This is a serious moral failing. Any person who betrays the marriage commitment is a sad disappointment of the institution of marriage. Yet, Dr. King is an example of a man with good moral character. 

When you evaluate any candidate don’t expect him/her to be perfect but expect them to try, to deliver only the best for the constituents. You may also forget about the values and morals to which of their respective party adheres. In the Philippines, the party system is not really working. 

Look at the candidate’s expertise and dedication, their lifestyle and compassion, and their integrity and credibility as a person and as a leader. 

Please post as comment who will you vote for this 2016. 

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Apr 20 2016
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Awesomeness Break, Events, NKRecommendation

Make Your Own Havaianas 2016 – Cebu

It’s the beach season once again and everyone is scrambling to different islands and water destinations like a heated atom—there is really something in the heat that excites our core.

Before hitting to the beach check out the most an anticipated customization event in the country, Make Your Own Havaianas (MYOH). What better accessories to go with that white sand than a mighty and trendy glammed-up  flip-flop? From April 22 to May 1, celebrate your uniqueness, self-expression  and creativity as you customize your own pair of Havaianas inside All Flip Flops SM Seaside City at the lower ground floor of the mall’s Mountain Wing.

  

This year MYOH highlights the heritage of Japan, a country very known to Havaianas, with the limited edition commemorative sole inspired by Shibori, a Japanese fabric-dyeing technique, to its selection of kawaii pins. The very first pair of Havaianas in 1962 was actually inspired by the Zori, a type of Japanese sandal made of fabric straps and rice straw roles.

Japan is one of the most fascinating countries to visit regardless of season. Most filipinos especially Cebuanos, including me, aspire to have a grand vacation in the land of the rising sun. I even have a postponed Sakura trip to Japan this year.  Sad.

  
 
The Sakura, Ramen, The Japanese Fan, The Empress, The Zori and Ninja are some of Japan’s iconic symbols of culture and heritage. MYOH offers these icons to  celebrate the love for travel and the Japanese’ unique lifestyle and influence on today’s pop culture.

   

Get your own customized pair and don’t forget to celebrate your design by sharing it on your social media accounts with the official hashtag #MYOHCEBU2016 and #MYOH2016.

  
Contact Details:

FB: Havaianas Philippines
Instagram: @Havaianasphils
Twitter.  @Havaianasphils

You may also register online and try out the many ways you can personalize your flip-flops at http://myoh.havaianasphilippines.com/.

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