Gel Jose

Tips for a fresh and clean-smelling home that sparks good vibes and great productivity

Did you know that exposure to scents can affect your mood and productivity?

With many of us working or learning from home, we have seen the need to make our homes more comfortable and conducive to optimal work performance.

Odors do affect how we feel and how we work, primarily through how we associate events and experiences with them. Scents that we associate with good experiences (such as the aroma of freshly baked bread) tend to make us feel good, while scents that we associate with unpleasant experiences (such as the sterile smell of a hospital operating room) tend to make us feel bad.

Odors can also affect how we think and how we behave. For example, people exposed to pleasant odors tend to exhibit higher levels of prosociality, self-efficacy and work efficiency.

With these findings, it is important to ensure that all rooms in the house are clean and sweet-smelling so we can function as we should.

Living Room

The living room is where we hang out with our household members to relax and unwind. It is also the place where we receive guests and make an impression on them.

To keep your living room smelling good, be sure to check the carpet from time to time. Carpets and rugs tend to trap odors from pet dander, sweat, smoke or mildew. Make sure these are cleaned and deodorized regularly.

It also helps to keep this room ventilated. Open a window to let fresh air in. Avoid overcrowding furniture to give the air some space to circulate. Using fans or air circulators also help to keep the air moving and dissipate most unpleasant smells.

Kitchen

The kitchen is where food preparation and post-dining clean-up occurs, both of which produce food waste which could contribute to foul smells in this area.

Make sure that food waste is properly put away in sealed trash cans and take them out of the house as soon as you can.

Ensure that your cleaning materials themselves – such as kitchen towels, sponges and brushes – are clean. Dry them after use as they will develop odors if they stay damp.

All kitchen surfaces should be cleaned and wiped dry after use as moisture can cause unpleasant smells.

Clean under heavy furniture or appliances such as the range hood, stove or refrigerator regularly as well. These can accumulate dust and grease which can trap bad odors.

Also, make sure that air can circulate when you cook by using fans or opening a window.

Wipe down drawers and shelves in your food storage areas and refrigerator at least once a week. Throw out any food item that may have gone bad or past its expiry date.

Dining Room

As the place where the family converge to share meals and converse during breakfast, lunch and dinner, the dining room should also have an atmosphere conducive to a good appetite and happy conversation.

Before and after every use, the dining room should be swept and wiped clean and all surfaces disinfected to minimize any possible contamination or possible sources of unappetizing smells.

Bathroom

As the place where we spend a lot of our personal time, the bathroom should have a relaxing and revitalizing atmosphere.

It tends to be a humid room, so keeping damp towels here is not a good idea. It would be best to dry your towels outside in the sun after use, and store them in another, drier part of the house when not in use.

Ventilation is also key to keeping your bathroom smelling fresh and clean. Open the door and windows to let the air circulate for at least 15 minutes everyday.

Bedroom

As our haven for rest and recharging ourselves at the end of the day, the bedroom has no room for dank or musty smells.

To ensure a good night’s sleep and the restful tranquility that make the bedroom your place of respite, banish unpleasant odors by changing your bedsheets and linens to freshly washed ones at least once every week and ensuring that your bedroom rugs are vacuumed and deodorized.

As with all parts of the house, proper ventilation and air circulation greatly help in keeping the bedroom smelling wonderful. Allowing some spaces in between furniture and opening the window from time to time to let fresh air in will surely help.

With these tips in mind, you will find it easy to maintain a sweet-smelling home you and your family members can comfortably live, work and study in.

Aside from these practical steps, we also have tool that help us in keeping our home smelling clean and fresh

Albatross deodorizer blocks and scented gels help in eliminating any home malodor in any part of the house. They also come in various scents and colors that suit our preferences and home decor. Shop now at Lazada through the links below to stock up on these for your home.

Albatross Deodorizer Blocks.

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Albatross Scented Gels.

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Venue for home interior photos courtesy of Alyssa Tuangco.

HBO releases new trailers of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and other titles to premiere exclusively on HBO GO

Four new trailers from upcoming series – House Of The Dragon, And Just Like That…, Peacemaker and Succession Season 3, were released by HBO today. All these series will be available exclusively on HBO GO when they premiere.

House Of The Dragon

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, which is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen. The teaser featured the first official footage from the highly anticipated series, which contained several previously announced cast members in addition to the following newly revealed cast:

Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon – Younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy
John Macmillan as Ser Laenor Velaryon – Son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen
Savannah Steyn as Lady Laena Velayron – Daughter of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.
Theo Nate as Ser Laenor Velaryon – Son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen

Catch up on all eight seasons of Game Of Thrones and watch the behind the scenes documentary Game Of Thrones: The Last Watch which chronicles the series on HBO GO before House Of The Dragon premieres.

And Just Like That…

Premiering this December on HBO GO, And Just Like That…, the new chapter of the groundbreaking HBO series “Sex and the City” from executive producer Michael Patrick King, follows “Carrie” (Sarah Jessica Parker), “Miranda” (Cynthia Nixon) and “Charlotte” (Kristin Davis) as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. The series is currently filming in New York and includes previously announced cast members Sara Ramírez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Karen Pittman, Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Willie Garson, and Evan Handler. Binge watch the entire six seasons of Sex And The City series as well as Sex And The City: The Movie on HBO GO before And Just Like That… premieres.

Peacemaker

Peacemaker will explore the origins of the character that John Cena first portrayed in James Gunn’s 2021 film, The Suicide Squad – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it. Watch John Cena as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad on HBO GO.

Succession Season 3

The Emmy® award-wining HBO about wealth, power and family in the ruthless world of the uber-rich returns for a third season same time as the U.S on Monday, October 18 at 9am exclusively on HBO GO and HBO, with a same day encore at 10pm on HBO. New episodes will premiere every Monday at the same time. Stream or download the first two seasons on HBO GO.

HBO Original Series as well as live channels are also available for streaming to SKYcable subscribers on HBO GO for as low as Php99/month.

SKYcable subscribers can activate HBO GO via Lazada

CLICK HERE

Not yet on SKYcable? Subscribe now. Get your priority pass.

CLICK HERE

Image and details provided by Warner Media in a recent press release.

Heroes for Children: Step up and deliver hope

UNICEF Philippines partners with RUNRIO Events to bring Filipinos together for a virtual move-a-thon for a cause: “Heroes for Children.”

Amidst a raging pandemic, many Filipinos feel trapped and anxious. This is especially true for children who, because of the nationwide lockdowns, face even greater difficulties in continuing their education and declining access to life-saving immunization and proper health and nutrition services.

Hope is needed now more than ever—and it begins with people who are willing to get up and move to make a difference in this year’s Heroes for Children campaign.

Delivering hope starts with one step

First launched in 2015 by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Anne Curtis, “Heroes for Children” is a fundraising initiative that supports and gives hope to vulnerable Filipino children.

This beloved fundraiser returns this year as a virtual move-a-thon where anyone can bike, run, walk, dance, or exercise at their own pace—and help children in need get a better chance at life.

Everyone is invited to be a hero

“Heroes for Children” is open to all individuals, friends, families, PWDs, and even fur babies here and abroad. It’s a chance for everyone of every fitness level to practice self-care and do good for Filipino children—in the safety of their own homes and communities.

Participants can choose a category and activity, and complete their distance goals within the whole duration of the virtual move-a-thon from October 1 to 31, 2021.

Registration is ongoing! Sign up for yourself, your friends, or family through the Race Roster website or visit bit.ly/UNICEFHeroes2021.

Hope comes in many forms, be part of UNICEF’s 75th anniversary

This year, UNICEF is commemorating its 75th anniversary by inviting everyone to help build a better world for children.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the many issues facing children today that put their rights at risk. This crisis is a pivotal moment to not only respond to most crucial needs of children now, but also to continue building a better world for them.

When you sign up and move through “Heroes for Children,” you contribute to improve vulnerable children’s access to quality education, routine immunization, and health and nutrition services. Every step you make in the virtual move-a-thon is a step towards making this better world a reality for every child.

The Basket of Hope and Heroes for Children virtual move-a-thon are among the many initiatives and projects that enable individuals to help and join UNICEF in its mission to protect children’s rights and ensure a better future for them. With your participation and support, we can make it possible for every child to grow up in a world where they can enjoy all of their rights.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children visit www.unicef.org

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in the Philippines, visit www.unicef.ph. Follow UNICEF Philippines on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Jelly List: Desserts for delivery that will sate your sweet cravings

How’s your sweet tooth these days, foodies?

The quarantine has hampered our ability to go out for our sweet fix. Thanks to the internet, however, we can easily find dessert sellers, ready to supply us with goodies so we won’t have to leave home to sate our sweet cravings.

If you’ve been missing your favorite dessert stops during your life before the pandemic, it may be high time to get tapping on your phone and have your sweet cravings delivered to your doorstep.

Being a sweet tooth myself (and egged on by my equally sweet fanatic kids), I decided to give some of these sweets a try over the past few months. Others have been sent by friends and relatives to celebrate special occasions. Whatever the reason, being treated to new desserts is always a good idea.

Check out my picks and see if they can become your favorites too!

Triple Cheese Donuts from Lola Nena’s

The social media star for many months into the quarantine is Lola Nena’s Triple Cheese Donuts. It’s the offshoot of the old-fashioned donuts inspired by the sugary bicho-bicho but now overloaded with cheese.

These are best served when heated so that the cheese gets all melty and yummy!

Get a box of eight for just Php216.

Order online at Lola Nena’s website or via GrabFood.

Remilly’s Yema Cakes

Remember that sticky and milky-sweet candy we loved as kids? Well, the yema has long been turned into a cakes.

Check out Remilly’s Yema Cake single- serve creations the Yema Cake – vanilla chiffon cake covered with yema frosting topped with grated cheese – and Yema Caramel – vanilla chiffon cake covered with caramel frosting and topped with dark chocolate shavings.

Get these single-serve cakes at Php70 each.

Order online at Remilly’s Yema Cake Facebook Page or via GrabFood.

Flavored Ensaymada from Bread for EveryJuan

Ensaymadas are another childhood favorite of mine. I prefer these pastries to be fluffy and topped with lots of sugar and cheese for that sweet-and-salty dynamic.

Bread for EveryJuan, however, ups the ante on my favorite kind of ensaymada with the addition of Ube and Caramel flavors.

Get a box of 5 mixed special ensaymadas for just Php250.

Order now by sliding in to BFE’s DMs on Facebook.

Flavored Cream Puffs from The Puff Dough

Biting into a cream puff is such a decadent experience: just imagine the flaky pastry studded with caramelized sugar gives in to a creamy custard filling, producing different textures and kinds of sweetness in your mouth.

Now, imagine discovering another dimension to this French-inspired dessert through the addition of flavors such as Chocolate, Ube, Cheesecake, Milo and Matcha, thanks to The Puff Dough.

Well, you won’t have to imagine for long if you order through TPD’s jot form, especially since you can get a box of twelve assorted cream puffs for just Php500.

Snickers Bomb from Pufft Doughnuts

Want your favorite chocolate bar in doughnut form?

Check out Pufft Doughnuts’ Snickers Bomb, a dessert inspired by the Snickers bar, from crunchy and chewy Snickers bits and peanut butter chips drizzled with caramel sauce on top to the rich and creamy peanut butter filling inside the soft and fluffy doughnut.

At Php140 per piece, it’s an explosive piece of pastry for any dessert lover.

Order now at Pufft Doughnuts website.

Mango Torte from I Khan Bake

For a showstopping finish to a meal, check out I Khan Bake’s Mango Torte.

From its crunchy and meringue base to its cream topping studded with mango balls, every piece is a masterpiece. It’s best to keep it refrigerated, though.

You can order this cake for Php1,050.

Order now by sending a message over Facebook.

Signature Moist Chocolate from Amante’s Decadent Moist Cakes

The gold standard for any chocolate cake is the moistness (read: non-dryness) of its chocolate cake base. (Speaking as a home baker myself, it’s actually hard to achieve!)

That’s why it’s best to let the pros handle it, like Amante’s Decadent Moist Cakes. It’s Signature Moist Cake has that moist cake base, and a decadent chocolate frosting topped with chocolate chips. It is not too sweet, so you can savor more of its richchocolate goodness.

A nine-inch cake sells for Php570, while its tin-can version is available for Php520.

Send a message over Facebook to order.

So, foodies, you can always indulge your sweet tooth during quarantine. Just choose which dessert you’re craving for and order away!

Photo Credit: Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Kimchi Musubi with Bibimbud, the original kimchi sauce

The sheer amount of time we’ve spent watching K-dramas have surely developed our craving for Korean flavors. Admittedly, the sight of our favorite idols feasting on Korean food got us craving for it too.

Korean cuisine is known for the layering of tastes and textures such that there’s an explosion of flavors in every mouthful.

One of K-cuisine’s hallmark dishes is kimchi. This traditional side dish is made with salted and fermented vegetables and flavored with a variety of seasonings and aromatics such as chili powder, spring onions, garlic and salted seafood, resulting in complex blend of sour, spicy and umami.

Kimchi is ever-present in Korean food culture that you would be hard-pressed to find a Korean meal without it.

That certainly held true for Koreans Steve Song and David Seo, two buddies living abroad who embraced local cuisines but found something missing in their foodie adventures. Deciding to add a taste of home to their meals, they developed a kimchi-style condiment that’s uniquely blended to complement and add that crave-worthy kimchi flavor to practically any dish.

They named their creation Bibimbud, the Original Kimchi Sauce.

Made by people who absolutely love kimchi, Bibimbud is packed full with the flavor and goodness of kimchi with no preservatives. The product underwent a natural fermentation process just like real kimchi which allows it to get better with age and keep for a longer period.

It also comes with the health benefits brought by real kimchi such as boosting and metabolism and improving blood circulation and gut health.

With these in mind, why not incorporate Bibimbud to any meal?

Check out this fusion of Korean and Japanese flavors in my version of Kimchi Spam Musubi, made possible by Bibimbud.

Spam Musubi is said to have originated in Hawaii during and post-World War II, when the Japanese-American locals incorporated the canned meat into their own cuisines.

The addition of Bibimbud to Spam Musubi gives a new dimension of flavor to this popular snack.

Ingredients:

3 cups steamed rice, kept warm
1 can Spam cut into eight slices
Teriyaki sauce made with 1 tbsp sugar dissolved in 2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 eggs, whisked until homogenous
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2 nori sheets, each sheet cut into 4 strips of equal width
2 tbsp Bibimbud, The Original Kimchi Sauce

Procedure:

Mix one tablespoon of the teriyaki sauce to the eggs.
Place a lightly oiled frying pan over medium to low heat. Add the eggs, cover and let cook for five minutes. When the top is set, slide the eggs onto a cutting board, the two sides into the middle making three layers then cut into eight strips of equal width.
Fry the Spam in a non-stick pan over high heat for five to seven minutes until crispy on both sides. When cooked, place the Spam pieces on a paper towel to drain off excess oil. Using the same pan, cook the remaining teriyaki sauce over medium heat. When it begins to thicken, add back the Spam to coat both sides of pieces with sauce.
Mix the Bibimbud, sesame seeds and rice vinegar into the rice and divide the mixture into eight equal portions. Press one portion into your musubi mold. (You can use the empty Spam can as a musubi mold by lining the bottom and inner sides with plastic wrap.)
Layer an egg strip on top of the rice then top with a piece of Spam. Press the layers against the mold until firm.
Wrap the molded musubi in a strip of nori. Seal the end of the nori strip with a bit of water.
Serve and enjoy!

Bibimbud may also be used in flavoring Kimchi Fried Rice, Kimchi Pasta, Bibimbap, Korean-style Fried Chicken and more. For more details about Bibimbud and to check out recipes, visit bibimbud.com.

Given that Bibimbud is in a sauce form, it is easy to adjust the kimchi taste in the food, whether mild to suit newbies, or more intense to suit connoisseurs of Korean cuisine.

So the next time we go on a K-drama binge, we know we can easily have a taste of the flavors our K-idols are enjoying, thanks to Bibimbud!

Bibimbud is available at Lazada in 250-gram packs for Php175/pack.

SHOP NOW

Disclosure: A product sample was by Bibimbud.

Send love despite the distance with Ben’s Cookies

It sometimes seems that this time of being separated from our loved ones will never end.

While we look back on the days when we can venture out of our homes to spend time with our friends and family and look forward to the days when we can do so again, the fact remains that, for the time being, our best expression of love is to protect them by keeping to a safe distance.

That doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t bridge the distance to our loved ones with some sweet thoughts and sweet gestures.

For instance, how about sending a box of Ben’s Cookies?

This cookie brand itself was borne out of a mother’s love. Cookbook writer Helge Rubinstein set up a business baking and selling cookies in a stall at UK’s Covered Court in 1983 and named it after her son. Today, it has branched out beyond the UK and even reached our shores when it opened its first store at the Podium Mall in 2019.

Each palm-sized cookie creation is moist and chewy, made with chunks – not chips – of premium chocolate, unsalted butter, wheat flour, fresh eggs, cane sugar and nuts, all freshly baked everyday.

Ben’s Cookies come in crave-worthy variants such as:

Other variants include: Fruit & Nut, Peanut & Milk Chocolate, Oatmeal & Raisin, Cranberry & White Chocolate Chunk, Lemon, Triple Chocolate Chunk and Speculoos.

At Php90 per cookie, Ben’s Cookies are sure to deliver sweet joy to whoever will receive them.

Gift them to your special someone in prettily packaged in lovely tin cans (Php545 for 4 pieces | Php945 for 8 pieces).

You may also get an even sweeter deal by getting a Small Ben’s Box (Php495 for 5 pieces + 2 free) or Large Ben’s Box (Php990 for 10 pieces + 5 free).

With the holiday season coming, now is the perfect time to send your love with Ben’s Cookies.

Order now for your loved ones at Ben’s Cookies website. You may also drop by any of these branches:

Ground Floor, Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Ground Floor, The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Second Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City

Why Rizal is the perfect setting for your dream home

If you’re tired of the constant traffic, heat and pollution of the metro, but still want to have the option to venture into its cities every once in a while, then investing in your own house and lot in Rizal may be your best option.

Removed from the chaos of the metro but still highly accessible

Being located just outside Metro Manila, the province of Rizal offers you an alternative way of life compared to the busier conditions of living in the metro.

However, with new developing infrastructure such as the Metro Manila Expressway, as well as established public transport systems between Metro Manila and Rizal, you’re only a short ride away from where you want to go.

The site for sights, culture and leisure

With its location at the foot of Sierra Madre, with Laguna de Bay to the south, the province of Rizal also affords easy access to incredible sights. These include the awesome views from atop limestone formations at the Masungi Georeserve, waterfalls surrounded by lush forests such as Daranak Falls and Batlag Falls, and the dramatic sight of giant windmills against the azure sky at the Pililla Wind Farm.

Pililla Wind Farm 1 — Pililla Wind Farm, Pililla

Pililla Wind Farm 2 — Pililla Wind Farm, Pililla

Known as “The Cradle of Philippine Art,” Rizal houses notable museums such as Pinto Art Museum, which showcases contemporary artworks, and Casa Santa, which houses what is considered to be the most extensive private collection of Santa Claus items in the world.

Pinto Art Museum 2 — Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo

Pinto Art Museum 1 — Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo

Many leisure resorts capitalize on Rizal’s relaxing atmosphere. Aside from scenic vistas and refreshing swimming pools, resorts like Bahay Bakasyunan also provide adventure-themed activities that make the most of its natural surroundings such as ziplining, wall-climbing, ATV rides and more.

bahay bakasyunan 1 — Bahay Bakasyunan, Tanay

bahay bakasyunan 2 — Bahay Bakasyunan, Tanay

Gastronomic pleasures in beautiful surroundings

Taking advantage of the province’s rich culinary heritage, abundance of fresh ingredients and naturally stunning environments, restaurateurs are setting up their destination eateries in Rizal.

Sammy’s in Cainta serves Indonesian-inspired food in a cozy and intimate setting, while the Burrow Cafe in Taytay features a seasonal menu made with locally sourced ingredients in a underground cafe surrounded by a verdant forest. Tahanan Bistro in Antipolo, on the other hand, showcases Filipino food served against a breathtaking view of Metro Manila cityscape.

A progressive province

Being so near Metro Manila, Rizal is among the most progressive provinces in the country.

In an April 2013 study, the National Statistics Coordination Board (NCSB) reported that Rizal is the third least poor province in poverty incidence after Cavite and Laguna, indicating its thriving economy that makes it a desirable place to live.

Affordable housing within easy reach

The province also offers affordable house options, particularly in Lumina Baras.

Located in Brgy. Concepcion in Baras, Rizal this newest housing development is just three minutes away from the National Road. Its location affords its residents with easy access to these establishments:

Marketplaces and Malls: Baras New Market, Savemore Tanay, Puregold Tanay
School, Colleges & Universities: Baras Elementary School, URS Morong, STI College
Hospitals and Clinic: Rizal Provincial Hospital System Tanay Annex, Ospital ng Baras, Tanay General Hospital
Places of Worship: St. Joseph Parish Church, Inglesia Ni Cristo Baras, St. Jerome Parish Church

Lumina Baras has an array of house models to suit the different needs of homeowners.

Anna Rowhouse. A single-storey dwelling with a 24 square meter floor area and a 36 square meter lot area. Its features include a living area, dining and kitchen with provisions for one bedroom, a service area and toilet and bath, quite suitable as a starter home. Price starts at Php583,000.

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Angelique Duplex. A two-storey duplex home with a 35 square meter floor area and a 54 square meter lot area. Its features include a living area, dining and kitchen with provisions for two bedrooms, a service area, toilet and bath, and a carport. It’s quite well-suited for a small family. Price starts at Php1,450,000.

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Angeli Single Firewall. A two-storey single firewall home with a 42 square meter floor area and a 54 square meter lot area. Its features include a living area, dining and kitchen with provisions for three bedrooms, a service area, toilet and bath, and a carport, perfect for a growing household. Price starts at Php1,704,000.

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Armina Single Firewall. A two-storey home with a 42 square meter floor area and a 54 square meter lot area. Its features include a living area, dining and kitchen with provisions for three bedrooms, a service area, toilet and bath, and a carport. It also comes with additional features such as a free ceiling and tiles on the ground floor. Price starts at Php1,900,000.

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Athena Single Firewall. A two-storey single firewall home with a 53 square meter floor area and a 63 square meter lot area. It comes complete with one living area, one dining and kitchen, one toilet and bath, three bedrooms, one family area, a service area and a parking space. It will appeal to families who already want a complete home upon move-in. Price starts at Php2,000,000.

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These Lumina homes are well-built, made from high-quality materials and designed with modern conveniences in mind.

Within these walls, you and your family can rest and recharge, spend time with each other and pursue your various passions from from art, to cooking and more, even setting-up a home gym!

A lot of fun and adventure also await when you venture outside your home into your master-planned Lumina Baras community. You will find a basketball court and a play area where young and old alike can enjoy physical activity, as well as a multi-purpose hall and a gazebo where neighbors can gather for events and celebrations.

Investing in your own Lumina house and lot is made even easier, thanks to various financing options, such as:

Pag-Ibig Financing: offers the lowest possible interest rate with a 14-month downpayment term and a 30-year maximum loan term
Bank Financing: has faster loan processing with a 16-month downpayment term and a 20-year maximum loan term
Deferred Financing: involves straight payment of total contract price over 24 month at 0% interest
Spot Cash: involves full payment of total contract price applying a 6% discount if made within 30 days from payment of reservation fee, 8% if made within the reservation month, and 10% if made within 10 days of reservation date

So explore the possibilities of living so close to Metro Manila but removed from much of its hustle and bustle by residing in Baras, Rizal. Contact Lumina Baras by calling +63 956 6252026 or +63 916 5641903.

For its latest updates, visit the Lumina Homes website, or follow it on Facebook.

The Manila Hotel reopens dining outlets

The Manila Hotel’s two restaurants, Lobby Lounge and the famed Café Ilang-Ilang, are now open to serve dine-in guests under Metro Manila’s current community quarantine restrictions. The reopening of both outlets will enable guests to enjoy great food, their well-loved dishes, connect and meet with their colleagues and friends while maintaining social distancing in spacious dining areas.

The Manila Hotel is equipped with fresh air dampers that circulate fresh outdoor air sanitized by air micro filters into the outlets, so guests are assured that cleaner and better air quality is circulated within the indoor dining set-up. Social distancing is also strictly implemented, with enhanced cleaning, regular disinfection, and safety protocols also in place.

The Lobby Lounge is the perfect spacious venue for meetings and meet-ups offering free Wi-Fi for diners. Already dressed in festive décor to bring some much-needed joy and a spirit of hope in these trying times, the lounge is also a great place to have a filling meal from breakfast to dinner. It has also adopted the bestselling items from the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant, Red Jade. Guests can enjoy Local Delights like Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, and Sinigang na Salmon, among others, and feast on chow mien, dim sum basket, and the crispy Lechon Macau paired with Yang chow fried rice. Drinks, cocktail of the month, and snack staples including the Filipino High Tea, Merienda Especial, are also featured in the menu.

For people who have missed the plethora of international and local food selections at Café Ilang-Ilang, the beloved restaurant brings together Italian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even certified Halal dishes under one roof for an Eat-All-You-Can feast. Add to that the popular carving station that normally features Lechon and the US Roast Beef; the Churrasco station where you can have choice meats and seafood grilled for you while you wait; and the Cold Station with seafoods, cold cuts, and salads galore. The Dessert Station is always the sweet last stop where guests can delight in the artisanal ice cream in various flavors; Puto Bumbong and Bibingka; fresh fruits and cakes; and so much more.

Cafe Ilang Ilang's Roast US Beef — Roast Beef

Cafe Ilang-Ilang Japanese station — Japanese Station

Although sitting capacity is still limited for now, both The Manila Hotel’s Lobby Lounge and Café Ilang-Ilang are eager to welcome guests. Under the IATF guidelines for GCQ Alert Level 4 for Metro Manila, The Manila Hotel is only allowed to accept fully vaccinated guests between 18 to 65 years old until further notice; it continues to implement standard safety protocols in line with the DOH and IATF guidelines.

The Lobby Lounge operates from 9am to 9pm, weekdays and 9am to 3pm on weekends. Café Ilang-Ilang serves lunch at 11:30AM and dinner at 5:30PM.

For more information regarding reservation and buffet rates, please call our hotline numbers at (02) 85270011 or 0998-9501912. You may also email restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com or check and book online via www.manila-hotel.com.ph.

For updates and promos, please follow The Manila Hotel on Facebook and Instagram.

#YouDoYou with Yellow Cab’s sloppy wedges and party trays

We’re down to the last quarter of the year and you know what that means: celebrations!

Yes, ‘tis the season for merrymaking and central to every shindig is the abundance of food to enjoy with friends.

You can have this merriest of times anyway you like but it’s always best to experience it with good food!

Starting this October, Yellow Cab brings good eats fit how you want to celebrate the holiday season.

Sloppy Wedges. We all love potatoes; it’s a very versatile vegetable. However, we’ve only just scratched the surface of its many possibilities.

Yellow Cab levels up its potato game with its Sloppy Wedges (Php129). These chunky potato wedges are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, a delight to the bite! Each order comes in your choice of sauce – Spicy Cheese, Garlic Ranch or Smoky BBQ – but if you can’t choose among the three, you can always go for the Ultimate option, which has all of them!

Feel like entertaining some friends to some snacks while watching a movie at home? Yellow Cab’s Sloppy Wedges are the perfect foil to Yellow Cab’s bestselling pizzas, pastas or wings so your little house party will have a wonderful time nibbling in between breathtaking scenes.

Sloppy Wedges will be available in all Yellow Cab outlets nationwide for delivery, takeout, curbside pickup, drive-thru and dine-in starting October 4.

Party Trays. I personally can’t get enough of Yellow Cab’s Charlie Chan pasta. Actually its a pasta dish that comes across as an Asian noodle dish with al dente spaghetti stir-fried along with mushrooms, chicken, peanuts and spring onions in a sweet, tangy and spicy Oriental sauce. Its complex flavors will have people going for multiple servings.

Now, it’s available as a Party Tray which is a great way to share good food with family and friends!

Other Party Tray variants include Chicken Alfredo – an old favorite with chicken strips, olives and basil chiffonade tossed in a creamy sauce – and Spaghetti and Meatballs – wherein giant meatballs are baked and simmered in a chunky red wine tomato sauce.

Pasta dishes go so well with wings so you can always pair your pasta party tray with the Yellow Cab’s Wings Party Box. This limited-time offer gives you your choice of four different flavors of chicken wing flavors – Yellow Cab’s original Hot Chix, buttery Garlic Parmesan, lip-smacking sweet soy and sweet and tangy Sriracha – all in a 1.75-pound box that’s good for sharing.

Pasta Tray prices start at Php900 while Wings Part Box start at Php1,000, which give you more than enough as your potluck contribution to an family gathering or an office party.

Both Pasta Party Trays and Wings Party Boxes will be available for delivery, takeout, curbside pickup and drive-thru from October 4 to January 9, just in time for the holidays.

Make this holiday season your own. Celebrate it the way you want with your old and newfound faves from Yellow Cab.

Yellow Cab delivers through its website.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.

New HBO Asia Original GENSAN PUNCH premieres and nominated at Busan Int’l Film Festival

A brand-new HBO Asia Original film GENSAN PUNCH will have its world premiere in “A Window on Asian Cinema” section (Competition) at the upcoming 26^th edition of Busan International Film Festival, before premiering exclusively on HBO GO and HBO in the next few months. The Filipino-Japanese title in English, Japanese and Tagalog, is also one of seven Asian films nominated for the Kim Jiseok Award in Busan. In addition, the film will screen in the “Gala Selection” (non-Competition) at this year’s 34^th Tokyo International Film Festival.

Inspired by the true story of Naozumi Tsuchiyama, GENSAN PUNCH is about a Japanese man with a prosthetic leg who goes to the Philippines to train and pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer. The so-called Gensan Quarter of General Santos City has long been known for producing athletes including presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao. The film tackles the issue of discrimination towards the disabled, especially in competitive sport.

Filmed in both the Philippines and Japan, GENSAN PUNCH is produced and directed by Brillante Ma. Mendoza (Mindanao; Alpha: The Right To Kill;) and stars Shogen (Death Note; Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist), Ronnie Lazaro (Affliction; Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story), Kaho Minami (Dream Street; Hotaru), Beauty Gonzales (The Heiress; Angelito: Batang Ama) and Vince Rillon (3pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon!; Ang Probinsyano).

Created and written by Honee Alipio, , GENSAN PUNCH is produced by Takahiro Yamashita and Krisma Maclang Fajardo and executive produced by Brillante Mendoza, Simon Crowe and Fumie Suzuki Lancaster.

The announcement comes shortly after the debut of On the Job, another HBO Asia Original from the Philippines. Now streaming on HBO GO, the series stars John Arcilla who won the Coppa Volti at the Venice Film Festival on September 11. Stream or download GENSAN PUNCH when it premieres on HBO GO in the next few months. Enjoy other martial arts shows such as the six movie Rocky franchise, Tom-Yum-Goong, Ong-Bak, and the HBO series Warrior now on HBO GO.

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