WATER RATE HIKE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 5, 2015

WATER RATE HIKE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 5, 2015

It is not only the MRT, LRT 1, 2 that will have a price increase next year.  Water rates will also increase effective January 5, 2015.  Consumers will see it on their February billing next year.

Sad but true. We will all experience the price increase in the coming new year. Consumers of Manila Water and Maynilad will be met with an increase in water prices at the beginning of 2015, in line with change in peso value.

Manila Water will be posting a price hike of 0.36 per cubic meter by January, while Maynilad will increase its price by 0.38 per cubic meter.

This means an additional P1.19 in the bill of Maynilad's lifeline rate consumers, or those that consume 10 cubic meters and below per month.

The hike will add P4.45 to the bill of those that consume 20 cubic meters a month, and P9.12 for 30 cubic meters.

According to Manila Water and Maynilad, the increase comes in line with foreign currency differential adjustment, or the change of the value of the peso against other currencies.

Source: GMA TV

MRT, LRT Lines 1, 2 New Fares On January 4, 2015

MRT, LRT Lines 1, 2 New Fares On January 4, 2015

Fares on the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 are set to increase effective on January 4, 2015 according to the Department of Transportation and Communication.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the increase, which he called “a tough decision” had to be made. Metro Manila's rail lines, particularly the MRT-3, have been the subject of complaints from commuters because of congestion and frequent delays caused by glitches and breakdowns

The new base fare will be P11.00 from the current P10.00 with P1.00 charged per additional kilometer. I think this price increase is long overdue. So a one peso additional fare will be okay.

According to Abaya, the increased rates will bring improved services on the MRT and LRT lines.

The last fare increase for the LRT-1 was in 2003 while the LRT-2's rates have never been increased. MRT-3, on the other hand, lowered from P17 - P34 in 1999 to P12 - P20 in 2000. Fares were decreased further to the current P10 - P15.

“It's been several years since an increase was proposed. We delayed it's implementation one last time until after the Christmas season,” Abaya said.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM Exodus: Gods and Kings

LESSONS LEARNED FROM Exodus: Gods and Kings

Year 2014 is about to wrap-up. And Exodus: Gods and Kings is one of the movies that got inculcated on my mind. From the Bible we learn much about Moses’ motivations, misunderstanding, meekness, and faith in the New Testament books of Acts and Hebrews. 

In the movie, most members of our society still has idea of over a hundred if not a thousand gods. But religion is such a controversial topic that is why a lot of producers veer away from making this type of movie. 

While sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions, according to some critics "Exodus: Gods and Kings" can't quite live up to its classic source material. I think otherwise, because for me this movie was able to tell the tale in a more realistic manner.

Tablets of Stone

People should not hesitate to give God some credits for providing and preserving His own words.

In the movie, Moses went to a Mount Sinai cave to literally chisel the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. I think that is more realistic than having lightning bolts carve the 10 commandments as depicted in other movies.

The dialogue does point out that the Law comes from God, not man. Scripture is clear, however, that God Himself not only inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) the Ten Commandments but actually wrote them on both sets of tablets—the first set that He presented to Moses on the mountain (Exodus 24:12, 32:16) and the second set that Moses cut out (Exodus 34:1) after he broke the first ones upon seeing the golden calf being worshipped in the camp (Exodus 32:8,19).

The scene does make the point that God’s written Word is the foundation on which we base our faith, not the vicissitudes of fallible human leaders. The God-character in the movie tells Moses that the written word—the Law—would endure and guide the people in Moses’ stead. Thus, whether the writers of the movie intended to or not, they have here declared the importance of standing on the authority of God’s written Word, the Bible. The fact that we can trust the Bible from the very first verse is indeed the message of the bible and God. You can recall the importance Jesus Christ placed on all the words God recorded through Moses.

Ninth commandment of God: Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor

It simply means you should not tell lies nor believe in lies that were told to you. 

We, humans, are judgmental beings, and we judge fast.

Sometimes, human as we are, we tend to add or sometimes omit a sentence or two resulting to a confused collection of impression thus leading to a tale or, hell yeah, tales from the dragons.

If you are really good inside and out, then don't believe on painted impressions cast by devils against other human beings. Always be good no matter what.

Share the Feast, Not the Fat this Holiday Season

Share the Feast, Not the Fat this Holiday Season

Whether you realized it already or not, health is wealth.  We Pinoys tend to overeat and enjoy the holiday season to the hilt. Filipinos celebrate the longest Christmas season in the world. Decorations are already up on the first day of the "ber" month- September. Yes, pulis! The first day of September marks the start of the Christmas season in the Philippines. 

Parties and reunions are everywhere every week if not everyday leading up to Christmas Day and are usually extended till New Year’s Eve. And parties only mean one thing: Good food.

Everybody looks forward to this time of the year when we can splurge on a leg of ham or a jamon de bola. If budgets are tight, Pinoys still feast on Lechon Kawali or Crispy Pata. For well-off families, lechon never ceases to appear on the table. The same with bigger families, since it is considered de rigueur for parties. 

With all these holiday delicacies, it is a real challenge to keep track of the calories you consume and stay on that diet you’ve been trying so hard to follow all year. You convince yourself that this is just a once-in-a-year event and a slice of that tasty ham or a bite of that crispy, succulent lechon skin won’t do any harm. 

Before you know it, you'll realize you’ve had too much and all that’s left is the taste of guilt plus those extra pounds. It is a good thing that Fisher Farm came up with delicious products good enough for our traditional salo-salo (get-together).

This holiday season, Fisher Farms Inc., a world-class aquaculture food processor and the largest supplier of farm-raised milkfish in the country, lets you indulge without the guilt with its Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus. Created by celebrity chef and food expert Reggie Aspiras, this delicious creation is a healthy alternative to the fatty dishes often served during the Noche Buena (Christmas eve).

The whole bangus (milkfish) is stuffed with a savory filling of fish, sweet potato, bangus belly, shrimp and other premium and special ingredients that give a holiday twist to this traditional dish. 

Juicy and flavorful but not cloying like its fried counterparts, the Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus makes any celebration merry and healthy. 

Unlike the traditional rellenong bangus, this is baked and not fried, which cuts down considerably on the fat content without sacrificing flavor. The relleno comes in three generous sizes to suit the Filipino family: 800-grams, 1.1 kilos, and 1.3 kilos. With bangus this big, you can definitely share the feast but not the fat.

As the country’s leading aquaculture processor and exporter, Fisher Farms grows its milkfish in the pristine seawaters of Pangasinan in fish cages, resulting to sweeter, more flavorful, firmer and cleaner fish. Only high-protein feeds are given to farmed fish to produce high-quality fish meat. Fisher Farms’ Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus is available in select supermarkets in Metro Manila and in select provinces around the country.

For more details about Fisher Farms, visit fisherfarms.ph. Visit its Facebook (fisherfarmsinc), Twitter(@fisherfarmsph) and Instagram (@fisherfarmsph) for updates.

GOING GREEN WITH THE MISS EARTH 2014 CANDIDATES

GOING GREEN WITH THE MISS EARTH 2014 CANDIDATES

AN INVITE COMES ALONG AND IT MAKES ME FEEL GREEN TO THE GILLS

When I first got invited by my best friend and blogger extra-ordinaire Cha Sy to the Media Bloggers Event with the 2014 Ms. Earth candidates, I did not immediately sent out a reply. Others would have grabbed the opportunity with greedy hands, yes, but moi? No, not I. I don’t have anything against the beauty queens so please don’t try and read something else into this statement. It is just that a 5’ 1” me isn’t too comfortable being in the same room as these towering exquisiteness. I just always feel like I’m a basketball when I am surrounded by tall people, that’s all. Haha!

But I knew I had to to answer Cha. Surprisingly, I said to myself, “yeah, why not?”

D’ DAY: GREEN MEANS ALL SYSTEMS GO!

So off I went to the meet and greet with The Exquisites. Haha! It seemed apt to call them that. So I started calling them The Exquisites in my mind. I even brought my highest-heeled shoes so I won’t feel too David-ish (of the biblical story dear readers) when I finally see them. The generous luncheon host was Yoshinoya at the 2nd Floor of SM North EDSA. 

We were a bit early and somehow seeing the venue empty, saved for some earlybird bloggers like me and Cha, helped calmed me. 

Then the placed soon filled up, both inside and outside and the arrival of only 29 out of the 35 Ms. Earth Candidates were announced and suddenly everything were a blur.

I started taking pictures of the candidates. Not posed. Not studied. Why? Because I want to elaborate on the commonality between them and us (you readers and myself included). Often they are placed on a pedestal, revered, admired for just their obvious beauty and charm. But these girls all have something else to offer. It is not saying that they shouldn’t be admired for their beauty alone. But what I am pointing out is that these girls are here for a very beautiful cause and I refused to concentrate on just their overtly media-magnified charms and not focused on the “why”. Why they are here last November 29th representing their countries, in the first place, via this pageantry of Ms. Earth 2014. 

Like the very sweet and obviously very charming Ms. Fiji, she is espousing eco-tourism. To quote her, “back at home, I helped educate and bring awareness to the young people like me that there are many beautiful places in our country and we should all go hand-in-hand in taking care of them because it is a legacy of Mother Nature to us all”.

I also approached Ms. Italy. This time not to specifically asked about her Ms. Earth advocacy but to ask if she has any Filipino origin. And I was so right! She said she was born and raised til the age of 9 here in the Philippines until her parents finally decided to go back to Italy. Her mom is the Filipina. 

Ms. Northern Ireland and Ms. US Virgin Island were also both into teaching the young to do all that they can contribute towards taking care of the what are obviously a gift no one can ever generate by their own hands. They also said more and more countries should cultivate eco-tourism tours as that is truly a good way to promote sincere conciousness and efforts to help save Mother Earth. 

I did not anymore interview the current winner of the 2014 Ms. Earth winner who is our very own Ms. Earth Philippines, because I always believe in giving others the chance. She is ours and Filipinos know how to take care of what is ours.

GREEN MEANS NATURALLY GREAT CAUSES

Yoshinoya YCPI. Phils. also has its own advocacy. They have Friends of Hope, Inc. which is a non-stock, non-profit organization that sell purified water in 350ml and 500ml at all Rustan’s Supermarket, some committed-to-help retailers like our usual favorites Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, Seattle’s Best and The Coffe Bean and Tea Leaf and of course, at all Yoshinoya branches and they use 100% of their profits to build public school classrooms all over the country.  They seek to empower consumers to make choices in their purchases so we can all have a part, however minor, in changing our country for the better, through education. So when you next grab a bottled purified water, look for HOPE. Cause drinking water not only is good for your own health, it’s good for our country too because drinking HOPE water now build public school classrooms. 

And once again as I bid you goodbye, I leave you with these words:  “give it your best so you’d worry less!”

Ciao!

By Blogger SophieTee7

SYKES ends a great year with a POPTASTIC Celebration with ELY BUENDIA

SYKES ends a great year with a POPTASTIC Celebration with ELY BUENDIA 

Ely Buendia and his band Pupil rocked 9,000 Sykes employees in Metro Manila at the recently concluded Poptastic Celebration held at the ground floor of SMX halls 1, 2, 3 &4.

It was a great year for Sykes so it ended the year with a joyous celebration for all of its employees both in Metro Manila and in Cebu.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I set foot at SMX because there's literally thousands of people there. And they all work for Sykes- who incidentally pioneered the business process outsourcing (BPO) in the Philippines.  

Imagine how huge the company is. It has about 9,000 employees in Metro Manila alone plus 3,000 more employees in Cebu and other various locations in the Philippines.  The highlight of the event is the vibrant performances of the Sykes employees sporting pop-inspired outfits, raffle with big prizes, the song and dance performance of its country head plus, of course, Ely Buendia and his band who got a standing ovation from start to finish.

Jolly Jolly Joy Joy Christmas Special With Sarah Geronimo

Jolly Jolly Joy Joy Christmas Special With Sarah Geronimo

Jollibee presented Sarah Geronimo in a grand musical entitled Jolly Jolly Joy Joy Christmas Special at Trinoma Activity Center last Sunday, December 14, 2014.

My fellow bloggers and I got to enjoy not only the grand presentation but also Jollibee treats compose of its pasarap ng pasarap nang pasarap nang pasarap family size spaghetti, a bucket of chicken joy plus drinks.  

I can say that my co-bloggers and I really enjoyed that wonderful day with I was one of the Jollibee fanatics that was bowled over by Sarah's wonderful performance. 

  

FRATINI'S RESTAURANT: Do-It-Yourself Italian Pizza

FRATINI'S RESTAURANT: Do-It-Yourself Italian Pizza 

In this time and age of instant coffee and instant noodles comes Fratini’s- an authentic Italian restaurant that has Halal-Certification. Fratini’s restaurant started in Brunei and is owned by a Muslim Filipino. It was founded in the year 1996. 

I am very lucky to be invited and to experience first hand Fratini's Restaurant "Make your own pizza" party at its very first branch in the Philippines located at the ground floor of SM Jazz mall in Nicanor Garcia St. (Reposo St.) cor. Metropolitan Ave., Bel-Air, Makati City.

The author putting some cheese toppings with groupmate Pepe. Photo by Nicole Paler of Pichjelly Photograph

Learning the art of making a perfect Italian pizza no longer involves a plane ticket, expensive authentic Italian pizza class and a hotel room in Italy. Yes, dearest! Not anymore! Because for only Php225.00 per head you can now learn how to make that perfect pizza you've been dreaming of. 

You can now host a Do-It-Yourself pizza party for your family and friends in the comforts of our beloved country--the Philippines. A very good bonding exercise for both adults and kids alike especially this Christmas.

Fratini's chef took us on a step-by-step journey of pizza making from the dough, to the sauce, to the toppings, and a lot of other tasty tidbits and facts along the way as we master making the perfect pizza.

THE SECRET IS IN THE DOUGH

We learned from the chef that pizza perfection starts with the crust and Fratini's cooking staff thought us the most comprehensive dough guide.  From mixing, to stretching, and all the way through to cutting and nibbling the leftovers, you'll know your dough like the back of your hand,  backwards and forwards by the time all is said and done.

Fratini's opened up its recipe files for us and at the same time gave us the liberty to do our own favorite pizza styles. 

My groupmates Ace, Kisty and Misha Photo by Nicole Paler of Pichjelly Photography

In Fratini's DIY Pizza party, its staff will guide you to a simple step-by-step pizza -making from the classic Hawaian to the marvelous Margherita, a legit Del Macellaio, a killer Calzone, and stupendous Suprema. And what you'll bake in its oven will be as good and maybe even better than that in your local pizzeria!

Suprema Pizza

It’s not dinner, it’s a party. That’s what you should keep in mind at this casual get-together, where guests get to work–and love it.

Fratini's Italian Pizza is amazing. Fresh garlic mmmmmmm. I added a lot of pepperoni to it because I love pepperoni. It is very colorful and why not, you are not watching calories if you are eating this pizza.

The crust is perfect - somewhere between traditional and pan without retaining a lot of grease. The ingredients are high quality and delicious. Think real Italian sausage, not that fake crap you get from popular pizza chains.

While thick crust pies are their specialty, you can also choose a thinner, crispier crust.

Fratini's restaurant offers a wide selection of teas and coffees for your morning breakfast, and savory Italian fare at night. Their tasty menu can be shared by two to four person and is very reasonably priced.

Fratini's manager is frequently in the dining area making the rounds and is available to answer your culinary questions.

Do-It-Yourself pizza is a quick, tasty and fun dinner solution. In the time that it takes to have pizza delivered, you can actually make your own! The nice thing about DIY pizza is that you can have fun personalizing it. You can incorporate your favorite flavors and textures.

It's not easy finding a place that makes everyone happy. Try to sign up for Fratini's pizza making class together with your kids.  I am sure they'll loved it. Fratini's has an open kitchen and friendly staff.

Making your own pizza, choosing your own toppings is a real fun experience for everyone plus the pizza was awesome! 

Dine in entrees:

Of course, if you hate cooking and just love eating like my Kuya. Then, voila you can order any of these:

For starters, you can have the delicious creamy Ravioli Prawn in Parsley sauce. Don't miss this!

We also had Sicilian salad and pasta, all of which were amazing. If you go, try to have a little bit of everything. Yum!  

 Fratini's restaurant uses only the freshest ingredients and everything is made from scratch. 

Awesome Ambiance

Fratini's two-floors dining area is spectacularly elegant and modern. 

Service

We had a wonderful dinner with very knowledgeable, helpful staff. Great job, boys and girls! Thank you for being such gracious hosts.

Verdict: 

A wonderful hands-on pizza making and eating experience. Yes, you can make your own restaurant quality pizza in no time. You’ll start by mixing up the most workable dough you’ve ever made (or never made— beginners are welcome) and then proceed to the step-by-step process of how to stretch, top and bake your pizzas to perfection. Come with your appetite and be prepared to eat some spectacular pizza of your own creation! In addition to all the pizza you'll enjoy as it emerges fresh from the oven you can choose to take home the pizza that YOU made to show off to your family and friends! Highly recommend

PROMO:

Photo by Nicole Paler

Fratini's have a promo where you get 30% off for deliveries on pizza and pasta, and 50% off for its signature cocktails for dine in customers who are paying in cash. Cool eh?

What are you waiting for? Go and visit:

Fratini’s Restaurant
SM Jazz Mall, Nicanor Garcia Corner Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati City
Open Monday to Sunday, 10AM to 11 PM
Phone: (02)891 5555
Facebook Page: Fratini’s Restaurant Makati

Enjoy and buon appetito!
#fratinisph