Some Good Duru Bulgur from The Goodwill Market

Going to the market is a little arduous these days but I had to do it during the most difficult times in our lives, the pandemic. One of the few discoveries I've had during that time was a welcome treat, it's called Bulgur. It is cracked wheat grain that's known to be more nutritious than white rice. It's got twice more fiber content which makes it also better for diabetics (like me) who want to control our blood sugar levels.

I've had the chance to eat this quite a lot in hotels but it wasn't that conveniently available in Philippine markets. I also don't know how to cook it other than just mixing veggies and protein (and a bouillon cube on some occasion). It's very filling and satisfying, plus it tastes great. I was wondering what other recipes could be cooked with it, but here goes the good people from The Goodwill Market showing me how it's done. 

In Ilocos, there's a very little known noodle dish called Pansit Lusay. I'm quite familiar with it as I've spend quite a while in the region. The Goodwill Market is sharing this recipe with Bulgur to show how easy it is to make dishes out of it.

 Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of Duru Bulgur (Coarse Bulgur)
½ cup of tomatoes chopeed and seeds taken out
½ cup of onions thinly sliced
1 can Tuna
2-4 tbsp Bagoong Ilocano
Pinch of Black pepper
Salt to taste

Put Duru Bulgur in a rice cooker and wash it first. Cook til it gets fluffy or according to package instructions. Take it out of cooker and scrape with fork onto a tray then put in the fridge to chill. In another container, put tomatoes and onions together, drain the tuna from the can and mix together. Combine it with the Bulgur and treat this like a cold salad. Pour Bagoong Ilocano, salt and pepper to taste. 

This is certainly full of vitamins, minerals, Omega 3, and is an excellent alternative to rice, noodles or pasta. Think about the things you could do with this in soups, salads, Filipino or international dishes that would usually include rice or noodles, using Duru Bulgur was really an eye opener for me and it's been something that I add to any dish if I want to make it a little more healthy. Plus even if you put a little, it's already filling. Plus it can be sent to your home via The Goodwill Market. You can visit their website at https://goodwill.market/. They also have different healthy organic products you should try if you're into healthy stuff. They also have cleaning products, some for the skin, even coffee for those who are choosy. You don't have to travel to other countries to get it, it's all at The Goodwill Market.

 Don't take my word for it, you got to try if it fits your taste!

 

Xiaomi Launches First Service Center in the Country

There's no stopping a growing brand as Xiaomi officially opens their first Mi Service Center in the country. Now there's going to be a one stop shop for all your Mi Smartphone servicing needs and support will be more accessible for Filipinos in the south. This particular branch is located at the ground floor of Ayala Mall's Market!Market!

It's very spacious, much of the space was dedicated to tables wherein you could try out the different handset models they currently have released. Aside from that, they've got the various Mi AIoT line like the Mi Scooter Pro, Mi Vacuum Cleaners, Mi Electric Kettles, Mi Smart Wifi LED Lamps, Mi Motion Sensors, Mi Wifi Routers, accessories and more. Check out this video we made of our short tour of the Service Center last week.

 

 

Holiday promos are available so if you plan to get the Xiaomi 11T Series, Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, Mi 11 Lite or the Xiaomi Pad 5, you can get the free Mi Bunny plushie which you can exclusively get just for this instance. This will only me available from November 13 up to January 14 next year.

 

 Now if you're having trouble getting support for your device, simply call the Xiaomi toll-free number (for Smart/PLDT) 1-800-1312-0048 or (Globe) 1-800-8386-5529. You may also email them at service.ph@xiaomi.com or mi-phfeedback@xiaomi.com for your concerns. If you want to know their services, you can check out their official website at mi.com/ph/service/repair as everything is also going to be listed there, at least have an idea before rushing to their service center. This is of course just the start and they plan to put up more of these so you can reach them in major cities because they promised that if there's great demand for their products in certain areas, they'll put one up for it. That's assuring.

 

ACER Leads in PH

The title alone is a mouthful and yes, a market research firm just confirmed that ACER is the number 1 consumer and gaming laptop brand in the country. This still happened even if we are under GCQ and experiencing the pandemic.

Acer was able to hold the top spot as there was a huge demand for notebook laptops in the Philippine market. This happened as students and employees went into a digital shift this third quarter of 2020. Acer held a 32%-unit share brand performance in August alone and recorded the highest sales units in more than a year. Acer led value shares at 31% of the market and reached the highest brand value seen in a 13 month duration. This was based on the firms research. Acer officially holds the number 1 position in the notebook laptops market in 14 consecutive years.

Acer also strengthened its hold of the Gaming notebooks market. They got a whopping 42%-unit share in August. Predator Helios 300 holds the bestselling Gaming notebook for Acer.

Aside from that, Acer dominated the Education market by introducing the Acer Academy program designed to provide an educational environment promoting interaction. It has a dedicated team that works closely with schools and academic institutions to develop IT solutions which can accelerate the learning process and possibly set new educational standards. The is open to all private and public schools, colleges and universities in the Philippines.

Acer also included product discounts thru the Acer Academy Faculty Student Purchase Program and Learn from Home Campaign. This is a product bundle which they instituted with Smart for a Department of Education (DepEd) compliant online learning setup. They also have an Acer and Intel Scholar program wherein they offer free laptops for scholars. They have continued operations to serve essential and frontline workers. It was important for industries such as healthcare, banks, telecommunications and BPOs who needed to still operate and employ work from home arrangements during the lockdown period. This also has increased demand for laptops putting Acer products at Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise market.

They also enhanced their existing e-commerce channels to sell laptops, desktops, projectors, monitors, and accessories in their website.

Meanwhile, Predator recently concluded Predacast which is a series of online workshops conducted by their brand ambassadors Alodia & Ashley Gosiengfiao, CongTV & Team Payaman, Akosi Dogie, TNC Predator Dota 2 Pro Team, ArkAngel Predator PUBG Pro Team, Nexplay Predator, VladFX, Kuya Nic & Lupon WxC, Kang Dupet, Een Mercado, Kuku Palad, Marlon Marcelo including the hottest Ivana Alawi... And more celebrities and influencers. They also offered Home Credit for their units with 18 months installment at 0% interest plus free foldable work desks bundled with select Acer laptops so they can work right at the comforts of their home. They also made their after-sales servive low-touch and employef warranty extension for products. This includes 24/7 phone/chat support, and door-to-door pick-up and delivery service so people didn't have to go out just to get an Acer laptop.

They also made their after-sales service low-touch and employed warranty extension for products. This includes 24/7 phone/chat support, and door-to-door pick-up and delivery service so people didn't have to go out just to get an Acer laptop.

If you need more information about how to get one, check their social pages on Facebook and IG @acerph, their Twitter account @acerphils and their official website www.acer.com as it is all there!

A Lovely Afternoon at Market Basket in Alabang

Dropped by Market Basket this afternoon. It's a restaurant located just outside Festival Mall's River Park area in Alabang Muntinlupa. I was in the mood for sophisticated European dishes or modern Filipino food which the place prides itself with. It's like a modern day "Dampa" dining place with an interior that would remind you of a country home or what is called shabby chic. 

The place can sit about 100-120 people including the seating outside with a view of a fancy fountain. They also have a private room upstairs which you could use for small gatherings or meetings, just let them know ahead of time to reserve.

The concept of a modern day "Dampa" must be amusing, but do know they get the freshest produce around Manila and turn them into delectable dishes in just a few minutes. All you need to do is choose - and tell them what you would like to do with it. The price is accorded to the weight of the produce but their minimum is 200 grams, and you only pay once unlike regular "Dampa" that's got separate bills for the market and for the cooking.

I was with a couple of other people having lunch so it was a nice way to see what they could whip out for us. It was hot so I ordered Iced Tea which they hand in these lovely mason jars. 

Pomelo Salad

Fruits and Nuts Salad

Crispy Parmesan Tacos

Sinigang na Salmon

Eggplant and Mango Salad (my personal favorite)

Fish Ceviche

Chili Crab

Mussels Mariniere

Lapu Lapu Escabeche (Sweet and Sour)

Seafood Hotpot

Sizzling Lechon Kawali Sisig (maygahd!)

Shrimp and Steak

Seafood Thermidore (a great hit!)

We also had Sinigang Na Ulo and Belly of Salmon, Pomelo Salad, Fish Ceviche, Crispy Parmesan Tacos, Sizzling Lechon Kawali Sisig (I know! Lol) for appetizers. Then for our main course we had Seafood Hotpot, Prawn Thermidore, Chili Crab, Steak and Shrimp, Mussels Mariniere and Sweet and Sour Lapu Lapu.

For Dessert, we had Skillet Smores, Nilupak Roulade, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, Sizzling Fruit and Ice Cream, but I was really interested with the various Flavored Pastillas they had in the counter. It looked so yummy!

Thanks Chef Jinelle Juson and Chef Arnel Arjona for preparing great food!

You may check out Market Basket at the River Park section of Festival Mall. They're open from 10am to 11pm or as long as there are customers. Market Basket is also part of the Chef's Quarter Group that owns Chef's Quarter, Old Vine, Uncle Cheffy, Chef's Barrel and Kusé. No wonder it's good! Visit https://www.facebook.com/marketbasketalabang/ for more information about their restaurant. 

KUMAGCOW

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Divisoria and Binondo After Christmas

Today was great! I had time to spare so I went to Divisoria and Binondo today and see if I could actually do a short photowalk in Manila's streets after Christmas. The last time I did this was during my D60Krew days back when we had time to do photowalks and didn't have jobs to bother. Anyway, I've been very discreet and careful about doing this because I don't know the place that much and it's been notorious for crimes (as seen on TV) so instead of lugging around my huge DSLR I just used my phone. It's been here since the dark ages, a part of Philippine history, where commerce brewed between the Tagalogs, the provinces and the Chinese. It's also the oldest Chinatown in the world and I couldn't have gone in an opportune time since the crowd has thinned out a bit. Let's start shall we?!

Betty Go - Belmonte Station

Recto Terminal Station

Recto Terminal Station stairway to exit

The short trek required me to take the MRT2 and go to the Recto station. Even if you're fresh, perfumed and all, you're going to smell like shawarma after passing this joint LOL. I took a jeep to Divisoria after that.

You won't really need to be dressed and all, so it'll be better if you're in rags so you kinda blend in and be incognito. I went to different malls like 999, 168 and a couple more just outside the buildings. It's like a complex, some are airconditioned and some are just out in the sun. I've seen a couple of foreigners carrying bags for their Filipina wives, and they looked like they were having fun. I was trying to look for a couple of things to shop for and ended up just people watching. I tried to shop but some of the things just looked cheap. I lowered my expectations of course, but if you think about it I'm the one who's going to wear the clothes and giving the gifts, the wrong grammar on the mugs and prints on the shirt were just too obvious and I might have to go there some other day and do the buying again if I find something good. I mean, I like the stuff in Greenhills and most of them come from Divisoria right? I might probably am looking at the wrong place, so that needs another visit.

I also got lost and ended up walking back from the wet market of Divisoria. I didn't know that was actually Recto too that the vendors are on. I looked at google maps and they were actual roads there. On the ground it was like Balintawak Market but only bigger, most were outside too.

So when I didn't get to buy anything, I got hungry. I went to Wai Ying, a hole in the wall Chinese fastfood restaurant in the district of Binondo. I didn't hold back ordering, as it was cheap and very good. I think it's my third time here.

This is their kitchen, there's a fryer back there and a huge steamer on the front counter. Most of their customers are Filipino Chinese which would probably vouch for their authenticity. 

Like in Hong Kong, they serve you hot tea for free before a meal. I wanted a glass of ice cold water but this will do lol.

I ordered the Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea. They have this in hot versions but I was already hot BOOM and it wouldn't make sense LOL.

I ordered these Beef Balls and should have ordered more. This was so good rather than just having Siu Mai no?

They had chili and soy sauce so ordering sharks fin (without sharks harmed on this meal) was but a good idea. It's pork and a few veggies, it was hot and amazing to have before having my main course.

There's like a 15 minute wait time for this and the shrimp dumpling, but it was so worth it. This is the Kuchai Dumpling (pork and spring onions I think?) and it was probably because of the glass like skin on them that actually deteriorates if steamed too much. Hence the wait time.

I was craving for Siopao since Christmas eve and since I was already here I said "what the heck!" so I ordered Bola Bola and Asado Siopao (2 pcs.) too. It was barbecuey, sweet and savory so I was already full even before my Mami came out of the kitchen.

For my main course (fine dining? Lol) I ordered Dumpling Mami. I know, I've been ordering too much of it but hey I like it. I don't like the gamey smell of carabeef  so I opted for the lighter more neutral Mami instead. I ate it all, yes! It's not impossible, you just have to put your mind into it. I'll be going back to Divisoria very soon and I'll be eating at some more Binondo restaurants, I'll post more as Kumagcow eats more of the streets next year. This was just fun not to repeat!

Merry Christmas by the way and ciao! Thanks to Smart's 3G and LTE connection I was posting non stop from there today!

KUMAGCOW

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Decisions On Saving, Investments, Land and Property

My short stay last week down south made me think a lot about getting my own place. I could afford it but I'm thinking about some other priorities; and second guessing if it's a worthwhile investment. A condo? A house? It still really bugs me, because the last thing I want to happen is to throw away cash that I've worked hard for. 

This goes the same for you guys who are just starting off at work. If you think you live paycheck to paycheck and still couldn't afford saving up for high ticket items such as a car or your own property, think of the things you've purchased that you don't really need. For example, you already have an iPhone but you go ahead and buy an iPad when in fact, you already have the same functions available on both your Apple gadgets. If you go out too much and party after a hard day’s work, think of the amount of money you could have saved than buying a few thousand pesos worth of beer because you think you deserve it every once in a while. You'll come to realize that hangovers and going bankrupt was not in the picture. Then you go to work late the next day and don't perform at par with your workplace standards. Not that I'm making you guilty about it, but I think my point stands. I learned that through the years and I think I did a pretty good job at it. It's a lifestyle change.

When we stop small things like these and save a lot, then we have to decide where to put the money. I got the chance to read an article at Lamudi which already lists down the pros and cons of owning a house versus an apartment. It saved me a lot of time. Then I figured, a condominium unit in a business district like Makati will probably be a better option if things wouldn't materialize. I have so many options to choose from but I thought about the pets, the lawn, the garage and the whole house to manage aside from the property I'd like to buy. I need to simplify my life if I want this to happen. I hope my investments in the stock market and money market yield more than what I hoped for.

What about you guys? Have you thought about where you want your money goes? Let me know!

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Amazing Kota Kinabalu! (Part 3) : The City, Shopping and More Food!

1 Philippine Peso is equal to 0.07 Malaysian Ringgit. That means, a single Malaysian Ringgit is equal to around 13-14 Philippine Pesos. I was counting the cash I had on hand and would definitely not leave this place without finding a bargain. We didn't waste time so as soon as we got settled, we went ahead and got our money exchanged; then went to malls like Suriah Sabah, Karamunsing Complex and 1 Borneo. There were a lot of things on sale like clothes, electronic gadgets, food, accessories, cosmetics, souvenirs and small trinkets. I saw some really good buys. I couldn't make up my mind what to take home so I only bought a few things (and thought I'll probably buy more the next day). Then we went to one of the best places for a sweet tooth like me. The Cocoa Boutique in Tanjung Aru. =)

Tanjung Aru's Cocoa Boutique

I don't know if you've realized it, but you're actually looking at two life like statues made of pure chocolate. Just look at the intricate details on these works of art! We proceeded inside and saw some more stuff made of the same chocolate. :)

The map of Sabah and schools of fish, then this cute Green Turtle (which is brown now LOL) was there to sat hi to everyone coming into the store. :)

Then the hallway was like chocolate heaven!

They have different flavors available, different fruits, nuts and spices in each chocolate masterpiece. Rumor says, there's a specific postal code for each piece on the shelves, I could live there. =)

Chocolate with Espresso Coffee, Dark Almond (obviously dark chocolate with Almonds), Milk Assortment (Milk Chocolate covered Hazel Nuts + Almonds), Milk Hazelnut (Milk Chocolate covered Hazel nuts).

White Chocolate with Strawberry, Dark Chocolate with Chili and White Chocolate with Coconut.

Milk Chocolate with real Hot Chili, or Mint

Hazel Nut with Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate and Milk Chocolate. =)

I took a ton of these for Mom and Dad who's got diabetes because it's Sugar Free! =) I guess they can still have this in moderation. 

Plus, they've got a lot of the same chocolate put on smaller packs, and they have them on sale. This is perfect for those who want to bring a little something home after their trip. =) I especially love the white chocolate covered almonds because I ate almost a whole pound of it. Don't tell anyone haha!

We had dinner a couple of kilometers away from this place. It was hosted by the wonderful, warm and welcoming people of the Sabah Tourism Board.

Kampung Nelayan Floating Seafood Market Restaurant

It was raining when we arrived at the restaurant. This is in the Bukit Padang district which is almost at the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu. It's part of a Botanical Park that has got a lake and the structures are built on its shores. From the spacious parking lot where we alighted from our bus, you'll have to climb a few steps up to a Malaysian inspired house that's got seating for a couple hundred people. The place was packed, and we somehow figured a few minutes after that there was a show happening on the adjacent platform of across where we were at.