Let's support: The Voice Kids' Gaea Salipot with her first virtual concert!

The much-awaited concert of The Voice Kids Season 4 finalist and World Championships of the Performing Arts (WCOPA) Champion Gaea Mischa Salipot will happen online this June 27. 

Titled “I Believe: A Virtual Concert for a Cause,” the virtual concert aims to raise funds for the benefit of St. Rita Orphanage in Parañaque, a small sanctuary for children who have been left abandoned by their parents.

“I’m thankful that God has now given me the opportunity to share my talent and be an instrument to help others,” said Gaea. “This pandemic has taught us kids to be more caring to our family and to others in our community. I believe that all of us can do something for each other in our own little ways. I want to be of help to fellow children especially those who need extra care and support. And I hope that more people can join in to help.” Great job to this girl!

Produced by Ditse Productions, Inc and Rose Sheane TV Finland in collaboration with CyberPinoy Radio Canada, “I Believe” will be held online via Gaea’s official Facebook Page and YouTube Channel on June 27 (Sunday) at 7PM PH Time. Under the musical direction of ECHO MUSIC, Gaea’s special guests include YouTube celebrity and singer-songwriter Mikey Bustos and the OLPGV Choir. 

Gaea Mischa is a multi-award-winning performer who is best known for being The Voice Kids Philippines Season 4 finalist from Team Sarah of Sarah Geronimo and Team Lea of Lea Salonga. Gaea has also been named the WCOPA 2018 Champion and SM Little Stars 2017 Girl Grand Winner.

Latest Scoop: The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang opens doors to diners!

Are you excited to visit your favorite hotel restaurant again? Which food station will you be making a beeline for? Which favorite dish will you be asking for first? Well, we have good news for you!

The Manila Hotel’s famed Café Ilang-Ilang has once again opened its doors to valued clients. Yay!

The hotel has been responding to queries about the outlet’s reopening. After reviewing the guidelines, as well as heightening health and hygiene protocols, the decision to open Café Ilang-Ilang is an answer to persistent inquiries from its loyal guests and those who have yet to experience it.

The food stations will once again be teeming with exciting dishes, and the aroma of your favorites will surely call out to you as you approach them.

As the world-class chefs are busy behind glass enclosures, diners can go around the restaurant in their face masks and face shields to check various food stations. Because of existing guidelines for dining establishments, Café Ilang-Ilang has implemented the Order & Eat-All-You-Can System, where guests can point to what they want from the spread, and it will be plated for them.

Café Ilang-Ilang serves international selections from Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Korean to everything in between; even Halal.

Mouthwatering!

Fresh and yummy!

You can get your grilled meats at the popular Churrasco station or the beloved Lechon at the Filipino station. You will surely be spoiled in this gourmand’s haven.

US Roast Beef you can't resist!

See if you can resist the selection of desserts, or the local fave and Halo-Halo—the perfect treat to beat the heat!

A gastronomic feast also awaits guests with an amazing gift voucher deal, giving you more reasons to come and visit us. For just P3,000 nett (lunch) and P3,500 nett (dinner), diners can indulge in our vast array of culinary creations. These non-expiring dining vouchers for two are available for purchase until June 20, 2021. They can be redeemed anytime at Café Ilang-Ilang but prior reservation is recommended.  

Café Ilang-Ilang still implements physical distancing and reduced capacity measures that are compliant with the IATF and DOT guidelines for restaurants, so you can be sure that #YouAreSafeHere when you come and visit.

The outlet opens for lunch at 11:30am, and dinner at 5:30pm with last call for orders at 8pm. For more information and reservations, please call 8527-0011 or 0998-9501912 or email to restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com. You may also book via https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/dining/cafe-ilang-ilang/.

Book one now for you and your family!

My 30 Days Low Carb Journey

Up to the last minute on April 30, I wanted to back out with the Eat Fit Challenge. 

Honestly, I joined Just Go Low Carb's Instagram contest because I really wanted to try their products. What I didn't expect was I would be one of the winners chosen by Miss Angel Jones and the prize was not only trying out their box of goodies but doing the biggest and most challenging task in relation to being healthy.

At the top of my mind, can I do it? Surviving without rice, pizza, pasta, and sweets for a whole month? I was not sure yet I pushed myself, no one is backing out from us (ten ladies) then why should I?

Here is the Eat Fit Starter Pack contents and some of the dishes I made with them:

Seasoned Seeded Crisps with Egg 

Low Carb Porridge ala Arroz Caldo

Tortilla Wrap with tuna, cucumber, and tomatoes

Avocado with Berry Granola and Cream Cheese

What did I discover and learn from the 30 Days Low Carb Challenge?

~Cook. I do not usually prepare my meals. But having a Keto diet, I was required to cook for most of my meals. The kitchen had been my best friend and I was awesome in experimenting with dishes!

~New Found Veggies. Gosh! I did not know Zucchini is a vegetable and I'm really over the moon finding this gem! Plus Cauliflower is a great alternative for potatoes if you like Corned Beef. And Broccolli is amazing to add to your dish.

~Alternative Products. Do not use Iodized Salt but instead Himalayan Salt. If you are Soy Sauce dependent, you should switch to Coconut Aminos which is a way tastier and healthier! You need to be hydrated so G Active is good.

~Check the Nutrition Facts. I'm very guilty of not reading the labels with the Tuna and Corned Beef, thanks to this challenge, I know to check the Carbohydrates and Protein contents of anything that I buy.

~Be mentally and physically prepared. Yes, I have to eat healthily but there was a lot of temptation from the supermarket to the office. One day, someone brought Muffins to our workplace and the other day, it was a birthday celebration of my colleague and the Ube Cheesecake looked delicious. Yet, I didn't have a bite. I gave my part to them and surprisingly, I was okay. The exercise was very important but I wasn't able to perform the routine because my body was aching. 

The Eat Fit Challenge changed me in a way that I no longer scared of hearing the Keto Diet that I fully embrace and accept that it had been good to my body.  More than losing five pounds from my body weight, I'm more disciplined with what I eat and drink and I feel more confident with my body. I enjoyed the journey!

I'm very grateful to accept the challenge that totally changes my perspective of being healthy. I thought I was doing okay back then but I was wrong. Thank you to Jeannie of Just Go Low Carb for this wonderful challenge and creating healthier products, Miss Sally for being the best nutrition Coach for checking and explaining the foods that we should eat and remind us about the food contents, and Miss Tin for the incredible exercises that I would definitely practice. To the nine hardworking women, congratulations to us! It was nice seeing the food photos that inspired me more and for all the incredulous support and cheers.

And to you who is doing the Keto diet or who wants to start the Low Carb journey, you are on the right track! Keep up the good work! Fighting! I hope that my 28th-day picture motivates you more. 

The Manila Hotel Café Ilang-Ilang offers halal-certified food for Takeout and Delivery

Muslims around the world celebrate the end of the fasting period of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast this May 12, 2021. It is celebrated through prayer, gifts, and lavish feast. While the country is predominantly Catholic, Islam is the second-largest religion in the country. No wonder, Filipinos have become fond of Halal foods.

Halal food is prepared following a set of Islamic dietary laws and regulations that determine what is permissible, lawful, and clean. Any dish can be halal, as long as the meat used is religiously slaughtered and no pork or alcohol is involved.

The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang Ilang has a Halal kitchen certified by the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board. This kitchen dedicated to Halal food preparation serves Indian and Middle Eastern-inspired halal dishes that will whet your appetite and pay homage to its traditional roots.

Designed for proper breaking of the fast, The Manila Hotel’s Ramadan Special Halal Home Buffet set comes with dried dates and juice, chickpeas hummus, Fatoush mixed salad, roti and naan bread, vegetable biryani, tandoori chicken, lamb rogan josh, vegetable samosa, and baklava. The set is just one of the three choices for the Halal Certified Home Buffet.

Vegetable Samosa and Baklava

Vegetable Biryani

“Our Lamb Rogan Josh is a must-try. It’s imported from Australia and it has the spices and sharpness that will surely be enjoyed by everyone. We can also customize the food according to our customer’s requests. Say you don’t like chili, we can make it milder. We can tweak a dish to please your palate while still being true to its authentic taste,” says Chef Kiran Singh, the hotel’s Halal-trained chef.

Celebrate Eid Al Fitr by ordering any of The Manila Hotel’s Halal Home Buffet sets or dishes, available for Takeout and delivery. Visit https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/takeout/ for the full menu, or call 8527-0011 or 0998-9501912.

Penny for my Thought: Judging Time

For this month's personal entry, I decided to share with you my thoughts and experiences being a judge for a writing contest. You may or might not be one someday yet I included some pieces of advice that hopefully inspire you.

Last year, I was invited to be one of the judges of Jahric Lago Presents: Misty Moon. The JLP series is a yearly event under TBC Publications that caters to newbie writers and seasonal authors to be part of an anthology. There is a common theme, word counts, and other requirements that need to be followed.

It was my first time being a judge of a writing contest. It was a wonderful experience reading incredible stories from the imaginative minds of my colleagues. I gave insights to the writers because I know being rejected and in a small way, I hope I have given them something to be inspired of. It was heartbreaking cutting them to fit for the 20. But I needed to do the task. 

A few months after a friend who is also a professor of Pamantasan Lungsod ng Muntinlupa sent me a PM. He asked if I can judge his students' essays. I was hesitant because I'm not really good with essays but he convinced me that I could do it. He told me that I should think of it as a project. I agreed when I saw that theme was how the students define leadership during the pandemic. A very relevant topic especially nowadays. Reading through the entries, I really learned how youth thinks and most of them tackled mental health which is good.

And recently, a fellow author and a bibliophile dropped me a message asking if I can be part of the judging panel for the Short Story writing contest of their school. Rizal Technological University is celebrating its National Literature Month and I'm very honored to be invited to this amazing celebration. I'm actually finishing reading entries and so far, I am having fun.

If one of these days, you are given a chance to be a judge for an online contest, here is my simple advice.

*Be humble enough to accept the responsibility.

*In giving critics, make them see that they are opportunities to improve and end it by motivating them.

*Be more open-minded.

*Don't be so hard with yourself and meet the deadline. 

*Enjoy the moment.

That's it. I'm going back with checking the short stories and hopefully will finish judging them in time.

Thank you to Jahric, Jeff, and Zandro for the marvelous chance of being a judge!

Perk's New Discovery: Supporting Local

I'm very supportive of local products and I like promoting them because it is a way of helping them also. For my personal post this month, I'm featuring two different brands that you are familiar with or you heard it.

Linya-Linya Mask Masaya.

Wearing a face mask has been essential to us since the pandemic started. Whether it is a surgical mask or cloth mask, we cannot leave the house without one. 

When I saw an email from Linya Linya about their discounted face masks, I immediately checked it out. They have four designs but I only bought two which really caught my attention. One face mask was 88 php because it was a Chinese New Year sale. 

They are properly packed!

The statement written in the front face masks is so adorable! 

My only concern was the black face mask. The words and the dots printed were erased when I hand-washed it after using it once.

Human Nature Natural Shampoos

I'm a huge fan of Human Nature's Sunflower Oil. I've tried their shampoo back then when I had curly hair and it was good. 

I'm back trying these two variants because I decided to use all-natural ingredients shampoo again. 

Aloe Vera is 149 php. Apple is 159 php.

The Aloe Vera really smells like one. There was this tinkling sensation when the shampoo touched my scalp. It felt like it was working its way. I believed they chose green apple because it has a subtle smell, unlike the red one.  I'm still waiting on how effective Apple with my crowning glory. 

Spread 'Easter Joy' with The Manila Hotel's Mystery Egg!

When I was young, I always looking forward to Easter because of egg painting. But nowadays, children seldom do this tradition. 

Good thing The Manila Hotel has this magnificent idea of celebrating Easter! 

This is the second year that we would be celebrating Easter without events featuring fun and games for kids, or even their much-awaited Easter egg hunt. 

While we are all advised to stay at home and keep safe, parents can still bring joy into their homes with a simple activity they can do with their kids. 

Putting a spin on the popular Mystery Boxes that are being sold online, The Manila Hotel offers the “Easter Joy! Mystery Egg,”—a giant egg hand-made from Belgian chocolates that kids and adults alike can enjoy cracking open to discovering what’s inside. 

You have to find this!

Add to that, the Mystery Egg is also the highlight of The Manila Hotel’s “Easter Joy! Raffle” that will be held on April 5, 2021 at 2pm via Facebook Live (@TheManilaHotel). 

Every purchase of the Mystery Egg for only P2,500 nett from now to April 4, 2021 gives guests a stub for the raffle, wherein they can win the major prize of a Chromebook laptop—a perfect gadget for online classes and workshops kids can enjoy. 

They can also win one set of The Manila Hotel Gelatos, and The Manila Hotel’s Willy The Bear. The Manila Hotel also partnered with several groups to help make the Easter celebration a little more special for kids. 

Mystery Egg buyers also get the chance to win passes to online kiddie workshops from Make Believe Productions, like Superhero Art, Groovebeats Dance Workshop, Imaginart: Drawing and Painting for Kids, and Make Believe N’ Yoga for Kids; Activity Kits for kids from Kits For Kids by RC Lab like My Body Care Lab Kit, 25-in-1 Science Bear Experiment Kit, and Fizzy Easter Activity Kits; and also Introductory Visit to The Little Gym online classes.  Wow! The prizes are awesome!

The Easter Joy! Mystery Egg is available from now until April 4 (Easter Sunday), 6pm, and may be ordered for pick-up or delivery by calling 85270011 or 0998-9501912. 

Bulk orders must be done in advance. The Manila Hotel’s Deli is also selling various Easter-related chocolates and goodies that can be ordered for pickup or delivery.