I was in the mood of getting accessories for my iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S so this arrived in the mail today. Right from the get go, I've always liked things that is a little fashion forward. When I held the box in my hand, I knew the MONOCLE by Native Union was right for me. It functions as a Speaker, Handset and Speakerphone all in one. I had to do an un-boxing of course. I immediately tested it out and see if it fits my phone.
At first, I was a little skeptical that it might not be appropriate to carry it around like this guy in the package. Then again, maybe I might think of it differently when I try it on.
Concept wise, I think I know why this is a little different. It's not meant to be worn like head phones, although it can function as one. Put it on your bag or pocket, it'll still be a good thing to show off to friends if you are the type of person who wants envy to flourish in your hood LOL! The body itself is made of spun aluminum whilst the inner grill is scored copper and plus a black aluminum casing. It's pretty sturdy and solid build makes it a tough cookie for travel purposes.
When I opened the box, it had a few brochures inside of it. The manual was also simple and available in different languages. The cords that came with it were all in Nylon reinforced covers. This make it literally hard to ruin or get damaged on normal occasions. Unlike the power cable of my iPhone5 that's about to say goodbye to this world soon LOL!
The cute MONOCLE also has this button on the side that can function to answer calls or drop them. It'll be handy answering calls so you get to do it hands free on speaker mode which I'll tell you about in a bit. Otherwise, you can just stick it to your hand while you hold your phone on the other. Private conversations on this gadget is a breeze but probably would need the help of your hand since it can't be hung around your ear. It is cozy though because it's softly padded by a cushion in the earpiece. You can opt to also put it on top of a table so you can share it with your friends or if you are in a conference call.
A record breaking 25 Million peso opening day plus a premier night that sent thousands of moviegoers flocking to theaters the next day just spelled the success of "Starting Over Again". This film stars Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga. They will be flying a few thousand miles to go to San Francisco Bay Area to meet their fans and launch a US premier of the same movie. Sounds amazing? Oh they probably are!
This is a Valentine’s Day offering from well loved network ABS-CBN, Star Cinema and TFC@TheMovies. The US Premier is set on February 15, Saturday with two screenings at 1:00pm and 6:30pm. It will be held at the historic Fox Theatre in Redwood City.
For more information about the event, please visit tfc-usa.com/AtTheMovies.
These ladies were keeping something in their back. I could see it slightly peeking on the middle but they didn't let me check it out. For whatever reason, they asked me to go back when it's a little around 3PM because something big is happening. Something GOLD is appearing for the first time in Philippine shores; and no less than SM Supermarket is giving us a peek at what seems to be something luxurious and decadent... I was tempted to push these girls away but I'm a gentleman.. I had to find out later on.
I went in SM Supermarket to buy a few things for my personal consumption. I forgot to buy stuff for myself when I went to the grocery the day before so I went ahead and splurged on chips, plus Vanilla Coke and Cherry Coke. Oh I know what you are going to say! Don't judge! :P
The kind ladies on the counter helped me sort out stuff and I paid for it.
Then a person from their Customer Service desk approached me and said STOP! She handed me a golden ticket and said CONGRATULATIONS because I'm one of the few who would be able to get to taste tentenenen!!!
MAGNUM GOLD!
Imagine rich thick Vanilla Ice Cream with a salted caramel swirl then coated two layers of mouthwatering, sweet, sinful and addicting Belgian chocolate. I already surrendered whilst listening to the ingredients being mentioned LOL!
Aside from getting that Ice Cream bar, I was also told that if I could open the vault using the secret code, I could win a brand new spanking iPod Shuffle or an iPad Mini (in the day's raffle)! Since it starts at 3PM, I did the next best thing to kill time.
I asked my blogger friends to come along and eat MAGNUM GOLD with me.
There's definitely more where that came from and we all enjoyed this new MAGNUM GOLD flavor since it retails at Php 55.00 only! Now, there's no reason not to enjoy it this summer when the heat comes back right? Aside from that, we went ahead and lined up to get our chance opening the vault to win the iPod Shuffle!
A commotion ensued when it was already 3PM and I even saw customer Erdy Tumapon win the MAGNUM Gold Ice Cream MP3 Player! Funny thing is... when it was my turn.... I entered some numbers on the vault and pressed the enter button.... and you know what happened?:D
I am now a proud owner of this iPod Shuffle! =) I couldn't believe I guessed right. The number was XXXXXX hahah of course I won't tell you! :) I haven't won anything for a long time and opening this great prize was just the icing on the ice cream. I too struck GOLD in MAGNUM GOLD! This wouldn't be possible if I didn't go to SM Supermarket in Megamall! =) Thanks guys!
As you can probably tell by my name, I have Spanish lineage. I've attempted to trace our family tree and the last bit I got is that we hail from Valencia. It's a long story. Valencia is the third largest city after Madrid and Barcelona. A few days ago, we were invited to a dinner party over at Manila Peninsula and see product updates about Spain. I didn't know countries could come like a product but when I listened to their people a couple of nights ago, it all made sense. I've got to go to España!
Arturo Ortiz, Director of Spain Tourism Board side by side with Ms. Vien Cortes, Market Analyst from the Spain Tourism Board.
The National Tourism Office of Spain and Embassy representatives provided information that would highlight the best from their country. It all boils down to our affinity to culture and our historical ties. We could not just throw away what's common between the Philippines and Spain so they are really banking on that.
There must be a hundred of these concoctions that are similarly called in Filipino and Spanish cooking but yes, Spain does have their own gustatory pleasures in and around Madrid. Their Paella no matter what way or form it goes just looks so good. Each region much like ours have their own version. Meaning that goes the same with Ensaymada, Adobo, etc. I also envy their wine and olive oil sources especially when they treat EVOO with such regalness since they never would want to put it elsewhere (not even on a pan) but on a plate!
Ms. Lisa Dinh, Business Development Manager for International Marketing & Tourism,
El Corte Ingles
Then this gorgeous lady right here also told us something husbands would never appreciate. Spain is actually lethal for shopaholics! They've got hundreds of shopping malls and arcades in Spain that would be the perfect venue to swipe your cards. They've got one of the biggest tax exempted shopping venues in the world. They've got a system to get refunds for most retail shops and all you have to do is fill up the appropriate forms for it. If you're looking for original labeled bags, they bet you can even get it cheaper in Spain than in other European countries since it is duty free! Now that's a shopping haven you wouldn't want to miss!
The Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq
Ambassador Jorge Domecq proudly says that there are around 54,000 Filipinos who visited Spain last year and they are gunning to increase that this 2014. Spain has it all and all you have to do is take a look at this bright spot in Europe once more. I've always wanted to go and see if there's a Bueno clan in that part of the world, who know's I might just get the chance to do that this year!
Since we needed to immerse ourselves further with what Spain has to offer, we got our dancing shoes ready for a spirited Flamenco dance!
I did actually get to experience Flamenco when I was a kid (I kid you not!) and it's one of the most exhilarating dances I've ever done. If you wish to see more of Spain, watch this!
Viva España!
P.S. Oh if you're looking for flights, go with Qatar Airways. I've seen their lounges and it's like a five star hotel. You've got to stay there a bit if I were you! LOL
Chinese New Year was a tad nicer when we celebrated it in Sofitel Manila. Aside from the scrumptious food served on their restaurant Spiral, Manila's best buffet, they went ahead and got it up a notch to put in a whole fashion show courtesy of world renowned royalty designer Albert Andrada. His collection called "Shanghai Nights" sashayed as onlookers were struck in awe of this 15 piece collection. Let's take a look at the scenes a few days ago!
Present during the occasion was Sofitel Manila's GM Adam Laker with Philippine Social Butterfly Tessa Prieto Valdez and ANTM World renowned designer (personal friend of Albert Andrada) Michael Cinco.
Ice sculptures, arrangements, calligraphic artists made their own Year of the Wooden Horse impressions. Everything was exquisite at Spiral.
Spiral's own Chefs created a special menu for the occasion and the Chinese host also serenaded the crowd with music in Mandarin if I'm not mistaken.
Albert Andrada opens up the show with black numbers, skirts in different lengths with gold accents here and there. He pulls this off without looking tacky, I am not surprised. This is why he's making raves in the middle east scene. The drapery, the placement of the gold would not take away the elegance he wanted to exude in these black dresses.
Maybe, just maybe, I might have just found your favorite hangout.
This place has been legendary to Ateneans and Katipunan based crowds. With real Southern Cooking as their stalwart, you can't just let this spot pass you by. They left Katipunan Avenue since the property was sold; and found a bright new spot in the 2nd level of POS Building. This is in Scout Madrinan corner Tomas Morato, Quezon City (right in front of IL TERRAZO).
This area as you may know is swarming with restaurants; and there are only a few who serve specialized menus that could battle the huge commercial ones. I already find the offerings in BIG D's quite awesome, but when I tasted their food... it's freakishly perfect for sitting down and having a pint of beer. You'll feel it's so good and comforting. It's amazingly done and cooked right. Let's check out the place shall we?!
The place can seat around 30-50 people on a regular day. They can accommodate more guests on the top floor if you wish to have events or special occasions done here. The interiors is more on an industrial - meat packing region feel (see the red bricks?). There's an area on the right that's got air conditioning but this place would probably be better visited in the evening for that al fresco dining - good for sub zero frozen beer bottle feel LOL.
The kitchen is tucked away on the left side but they can always use the outdoor grill for your favorite steaks and show. The building also has an elevator so it is handicapped friendly. The nice thing about it is that the place is conducive for groups/barkadas. They also have special screenings when there are Pacquiao fights and things like that. Then we got ourselves busy with the food, here we go!
Just a few hours away from the Philippines is GUAM - they're also set to reveal great packages this coming February 14 - 16, 2014 at the PTTA Travel and Tour Expo at the Mall of Asia SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
If you haven't seen the island yet, this is a great time to get in touch with the representatives from GUAM Visitors Bureau and get a taste of what its like to be in their pristine beaches, rich culture and flavorful cuisine; all of which you can do on a whim even on weekends.
This place is also a shopping haven for tourists since they enjoy tax free privileges. There's even more discounts from November to January where the SHOP GUAM FESTIVAL happens each year. It's the biggest one in the Western Pacific and thousands of shopaholics use this as an excuse to stay longer in Guam, I couldn't blame them though :)
On April 13, they will hold the Guam International Marathon then the annual Ko Ko Road Race in October. You can also stay there for the Guam Music Festival which happens in June. These are just the recommended dates but you can always go there all the time so you can see for yourself what Guam + its Chamorro people are all about.
Make sure you check out the official Guam Visitors Bureau booth at the PTTA Travel and Tour Expo (booth 386-389) at the 3rd Hall of the SMX Convention Center at the dates mentioned above. There will be special shows performed by Guam's very own Cultural Chamorro Dancers to give you a glimpse of what it feels like to visit GUAM!
