World Class Education at Enderun Colleges

Quality education, like quality graduates, to me these days has become rare. It’s ironic really that at this day and age when schools have been sprouting everywhere, yet you can’t find good ones.

I know this because in the company that I work for, I interview applicants and many of them lack the skills—even the basic yet important communications skills—to help them get the job.

That is why when I heard about schools that offer world class quality education, I am happy. Enderun Colleges is one of them. The college is run like an  Ivy League university where faculty members are leaders in their fields and learning doesn’t stop in the classroom, but extends to internships in international hotels, restaurants, and business organizations.

Personally, I have confidence in Enderun Colleges because one of those who put up the school was a good friend of mine.

You may know more about Enderun Colleges by calling the Admissions Office at 856 5000 or logging on to www.enderuncolleges.com.

Typhoon Bebeng, a Spoiler!

Just when the country was rejoicing Pacquiao’s victory over Mosley, and perhaps some families were ready to celebrate Mother’s Day, Typhoon Bebeng released a downpour.

If you are like us who planned to go out after the Pacquiao Mosley fight, then perhaps your plan was spoiled like ours. We were about to prepare to leave for Resorts World at Newport City when the  heavy rains came. Children in the neighborhood started running under the rain calling my kids out.

The kids then wanted to go and play in the rain and didn’t want to go out with us. On my part, I didn’t feel like dressing up so we decided to stay. The decision turned out to be a good decision. It was not a good time to go out. News started coming in that many streets in Metro Manila have been flooded.

In fact, water was started to rise at the back part of our compound. Good thing, the rain stopped just in time. That was when we found out that Metro Manila had been placed under Signal No. 1.

Typhoon Bebeng is such a spoiler!  Look!

Summer Means RoadTrip

I love taking roadtrips. Who doesn’t? During roadtrips, you can do two things that you love doing at one time: travel and  eat.

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I went to Boracay via Kalibo. Naturally, from Kalibo we had to take a van to Caticlan. We were all excited about the roadtrip ahead. We already had food with us from chips to McDonald’s burgers, anyway.

These are a few of the shots I was able to take during the trip from Kalibo to Caticlan:

My nephew shared that when you cross a bridge, at the foot of the bridge, you hold your breath and make a wish. Then you breathe out at the end of the bridge. We passed by a couple of bridges after so we did just that.

We had fun during that roadtrip. You, too, can do the roadtrip this summer and make it more fun by bringing along your favorite McDonad’s fare.

Spanish and Chocolate at Tapella on Mother’s Day

From simple to exquisite, light to delectable–foodie mom deserves to be amused nothing but a palate-pleasing Mother’s Day fare. On May 8, that’s tomorrow, take the whole family to Tapella where everyone is in to be treated a rare line up of glorious Spanish food selections.

Experience a gastronomic melody with one of the most celebrated cuisines in the world. Showing off Spain’s most distinctive cuisines from the certified Executive Chef-mom Alexandra Cacho, expect that the menu line up are meant to take moms to a dining experience with style.

A perfect starter for a great summer meal, try the white garlic and almond cold soup (P70). Fittingly served in a shot glass filled with grains of almonds, it features a pleasurable contrast of sweetness from the grapes, lightly smacked with garlic. The result? A refreshing tickle that’s surely a unique delicacy mom will love.

The calamari el bulli (P255), another fancy starter will painstakingly make anyone forget the old-style impression with Spanish food. Made from the squid’s black ink stains, the soft mollusk is covered into a batter resulting to a crispy and tasty dark finished, served with aioli dip and fennel leaves. For a family of bread lovers, the camembert and caramelized onions on flueted bread (180) is filling yet makes anyone wonder what’s in for the next equally scrumptious hot selection. Considered a top-notch for its simple preparations filled with semi-sweet onions, this bread creates a noble distinction when combined with the soft and creamy camembert without the unwanted guilt. And what’s a Spanish cuisine without the traditional chorizo? Another Tapella’s certified favourite, the chorizo in red wine (P245), are sure to delight any meat-lover moms not only for the taste but for its less oily preparation.  Deliciously tender and flavourful, each cut is made special by the complementing combination of red wine and rich red oil.

Moving on to the heavier and more popular Spanish meal, Tapella incorporates a modern and alluring twist to paella with its manchego cheese, chicken, and shrimp paella (P500).  Don’t wonder why Tapella’s contemporary version of this most-loved paella is a major hit. The robust rice, meat, and seafood fillings are made special by the pleasing taste of manchego (Spanish cheese made from ewe’s milk), perfectly melted on top of the hefty serving that can satisfy up to 3 persons per order.

A certified signature favorite, the Tapella indulgence is not complete without sampling its simple and meek version of the certified Angus beef steak (P2750 per kg). Slowly cooked on the hot plate right in front of the diners, the cooking process makes it an appetite-inducing experience. The secret remains to the prime choice of the freshest meat, plainly seasoned with salt which naturally allows the flavors to come out. While other steaks are complemented with sauce, Tapella’s steak is known for its potatoes and pimiento for a more palatable Spanish twist.

To sweeten up the great meal, Tapella is treating moms with one of its sinfully good desserts fresh from its pastry oven—the choco lava cake! Exploding with the rich and gooey molten chocolate center, this dessert will make everything memorable from start to finish.

Reminisce and enjoy longer Mother’s Day meal at Tapella where the experience is revelry of Spain’s time-honored cuisines. Make this day a breezy blow out for the whole folk; plus, mom will surely remind her forever the fabulous Mother’s Day affair prepared in a cinch. 

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Located at Ground Level of cosmopolitan Greenbelt 5, Tapella is surrounded by top Bussiness Offices, eight theatres and high end shops, making it the ideal spot for a quiet coffee, a fashionable business lunch or a romantic dinner.

TAPELLA offers a wide variety of Spanish cuisine served in an informal and relaxed ambience. Headed by Executive Chef Alexandra Cacho, the restaurant specializes in tapas and paellas plus a wider range of salads, pastas and desserts served the Spanish way that will surely perk up the gustatory spree. The wine selection is from around the world valued well for money. The ambiance gives a modern and relaxed atmosphere with interiors designed with plush of red and beige accent. For more information or reservations, call 7572710 and 7572711.

MY PET Pet Show and Contest at SM Center Muntinlupa

Click here to know more about the contest.

Planning the Ultimate East Coast Road Trip

Planning a road trip is a great way to explore the country and the road trip along the east coast is one of the best and most traveled road trip pathways Australia has to offer. Here, we’ve listed our top tips for planning the ultimate east coast road trip. From choosing the best apartments Brisbane has to offer when enjoying your time in Queensland’s capital, to the best times to travel to make sure you have the best holiday possible.

• Plan ahead- This seems obvious, but really it is important to take the time out and find out what is going on in the places you are visiting along the coastline. There are festivals held in many coastal towns throughout the year some of which you may want to make sure you can attend. Other areas you may want to be informed about so you can avoid the traffic. Either way, make sure you have a plan with driving targets to reach each day to make sure you cover the right amount of ground in the allocated time.
• Caring for your vehicle-Make sure that your vehicle has been serviced before you leave and that your spare tire and car jack are both in working order. It may also be a good idea to carry some oil, loads of water and even jumper cables to keep your car driving smoothly and in case of any mishaps.
• Bring drinks and snacks that don’t need to be refrigerated- It’s a good idea to have a stash of snacks in the car that don’t need to be in the fridge. This means that you don’t have to stop frequently when your hungry and it also means that there’s no rush to eat them all in one day or throw out after a short amount of time.
• Accommodation in the right location- Because your holiday consists of quite a bit of driving, the last thing you will want to be doing when you stop for a few nights is drive around. For instance when you stay in some of the main areas make sure you can walk to the major places you want to visit. There are many serviced apartments Brisbane has to offer that are a short stroll to the cities major attractions, restaurants and bars. Driving is fun, but you don’t want to overdo it, so make sure you book in the right accommodation along the way.

Planning a road trip is a wonderful way to spend a holiday. Whether it’s a romantic getaway, a family holiday or a trip with friends the east coast has some wonderful places to explore perfect for every type of traveler.

I hope you’ve found our tips on how to get the most out of your east coast road trip useful, helping you to ensure that your road trip is not only a memorable experience, but a safe and hassle free one too.

More Recent Debt Collection and Related Scams

Not all debt collection agencies are thugs harassing for money, but the reality is they do exist. Some scams are not really scams in their own right. The company could be making a mistake. Make sure you understand your rights in your state and country. Sometimes a debt collection agency that is contacting you is not even real, and the perpetrator is looking to steal your identity for future credit card fraud. Here are some things you should be on the lookout for.

• Mistakes. These happen all the time. Someone has a similar name to you, and you start getting harassed by debt recovery services company. Understand if you do not have the debt, you do not have to do anything. Check your own credit report and see if anything exists. If you know you do not have this debt, you should write a letter to the company and threaten them with legal action. Harassment is a very serious crime, and it could cost the agency dearly.
• Harassing your family members. Some agencies will try to tell your family members, they are responsible for your debt. Your debt is explicitly your own. It cannot be transferred to someone else, unless they signed as a guarantee to your loan. Again, your family members should warn the agency that they are breaking the law.
• Fake collection companies. Believe it or not, they do exist. Someone collects money and knows you have a loan or debt, and then they proceed to act like they are a debt collection agency. Whenever you are contacted by a debt collection agency, get full details of their company and do some research. Some of these companies may also try to imitate your utilities company. They will use an account for you to pay outstanding utilities bills, which actually don’t exist. Some of these companies will even issue a range of fake documents such as court orders.
• Phishing. This is a common practice among those looking for your personal details. They may have collected part of your details and need more to complete the whole identity for fraud. They then contact you and you call back and try to explain you do not have this debt. During this process, you give out information about yourself, and they tell you it is someone of the same name and not to worry about it. Now they have everything to abuse your credit card or other details. Phishing is getting more sophisticated, as there are more barriers of protection against this. Those who do this may come at you from a number of angles. Pretending to be debt collection services is one of the strategies used.
• Internet Hosting Scam. This is another way some people will attempt to scam money out of you. They will imitate your ISP, and as they have your details from a simple ‘WHOIS’ lookup online, and then will tell you monies are owed on your account. If you ever get approached by anyone you should always contact your direct supplier and also check for the details of the debt collection agency.

If you are ever contacted by a debt collections company, think twice, and be very careful about giving any information out.

Bringing Water Nature at Home

In recent years, homes have been embracing Zen interior design. Incorporating Zen in your interiors frees up your home from clutter and achieves a calm, clear, and pure atmosphere. And it can really be relaxing.

That is what I’m planning to do with the interiors of my house soon. I want it to become a haven where I can relax after a long day’s work. As I was researching, I found out that these are some of the things that I need to achieve that Zen.

• pebbles
• a piece of driftwood
• a flower
• a picture of a waterfall
• a seascape

I always find water to be relaxing and refreshing like most of you, I’m sure. And good thing, I can get fountains and set them up at home, and not just pictures of a waterfall. I am pleasantly surprised that there are even ready-to-install water walls, and an assortment of water fountain designs that I can choose from. Or I can also get wall fountain showcase which already include pebbles and sycamore springs.

I have also seen other homes with outdoor fountains, and they also achieve the same effect. It gives your whole house that close-to-nature effect.

I’m excited already to get on with this project actually.

Love Those Twinings Tea

Are you a tea drinker? Did you know that more than a thousand tea drinkers have already taken the personali-tea test in Facebook?

Find out your personality type by taking our Twinings Personali-Tea test. You’ll also find out the Twinings tea that’s perfect for your personality. Take the TWININGS Personali-Tea test now!

Visit  http://www.facebook.com/TwiningsPhilippines?sk=app_4949752878

It’s not just that!  Just by sharing the application (via the “share with friends” button) and having 5 of your friends take the Personali-Tea Test, you’ll get 1 out of 10 chances to win a box of White Tea weekly.

And if you share the application to 20 of your friends and they participate in the Personali-Tea Test, you’ll get 1 out of 5 chances to win a 4 compartment caddy with Twinings products weekly.

What’s more, all of you will get a chance to win an Apple iPad!

Promo duration is from Feb 27- May 20 (12 weeks).

No need to worry about picking up the prizes since all these prizes will be sent directly to your doorstep!*

What are you waiting for? Take the Twinings Personali-Tea test now and share with your friends on Facebook!

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Medical Uniforms Can Be Helpful

Two weekends ago, I brought my kids to their regular dental checkup. My older son had no problems because he is the braver one. But my younger son still has to outgrow his fear of dentists.

What I like about dental clinics for children is that the place is decorated with kids stuff. I remember when I was younger, the dental clinics of adults and children didn’t look any different. They all looked scary with all the metals around me.

But dental clinics these days are far more friendly looking. Even dental office uniforms are more fun and kid friendly. I commend these hospital uniform suppliers for coming up with such uniforms.

Actually, even if you visit hospitals these days, you will also see medical people wearing fashion seal cotton scrubs.

On hindsight, medical uniforms that are fun and easy on the eyes, and comfortable to wear for medical people are a great help. For toxic places to work, any ray of sunshine is really useful.