Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016 Coronation Night

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 23, 2016 | Events

Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016 will be crowned tonight! For the last couple of weeks I’ve posted a couple of things about Mrs. Globe. The first for Mrs. Bacolod Globe and then later the article that introduces the finalists for tonight’s event.

I had the pleasure of attending the media event where these 17 lovely women were introduced. Along with the former winners they are a beautiful sight to behold.

Meeting the candidates for Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016

During the event (where candidate number 1, Darlene Conde was not present) we were able to see them walk, pose, dance a little bit, and get to know the candidates a little better. It was clear from the start that the media had favorites. These were the candidates that were asked the most questions. To be fair they mostly answered very well. There may have been a fumble or two, but mostly they were forgivable.

Describe yourself in ONE WORD

At some point in the evening this lovely lady (Mrs. Globe 2013, Sheryl Lynn Baas, according to the Philippine Star) asked a question and addressed it to all the other candidates who were not addressed by the media. This was her question … “if there was ONE WORD that would describe you, what word would that be and why?”

This took some thought. Even I, though not a contestant, had to stop and think … what if I had been asked that question? Many of the candidates answered well enough but the one that almost made me choke on my spit was the one that said she could not come up with one word but rather a phrase and the phrase she gave was (drum roll, please) … BREAST FEEDER.

Jaw hit table. Breast feeder? Seriously?!? And, her reason … because she was literally just breast feeding just before stepping into the venue for the event. So, of course, my next action was to look down at her chest and I noticed she was small breasted which made me wonder if she had enough milk for her baby.

Ok, ok … That might have been mean. And maybe she just couldn’t think of anything else by the time it was her turn to speak. But, it also displayed to me that this lady was not good at following instructions … neither was she graceful under pressure … because if I were a judge (which I’m not) that was a big misstep.

Nova Christine dela Cruz

Dr. Nova Christine dela Cruz, Dermatologist

The candidate I am rooting for is number 15, Dr. Nova Christine dela Cruz. I have known Chris for about 17 years. She was my gym buddy, was and is my dermatologist, but more importantly, she is my friend. I am very picky about my friends so for me to call her that means that she has a wonderful heart … and is truly beautiful inside and out.

She told me months ago that she was joining the competition but it completely slipped my mind until I saw her step out in that lovely blue dress.

Genevieve Uy

Another candidate who I thought was beautiful and was able to answer the questions properly was number 12, Genevieve Uy. If my memory serves me correctly she is a “plain” housewife with a doting husband.

I wanted to interject at that point that there is nothing “plain” about being a housewife because it is the most difficult job of all. 🙂

Pageant Night

Tonight the audience will be witness to our lovely ladies in swimsuits, dancing, beautiful gowns, dancing, intelligent answers to thought-provoking questions, dancing … and did I say dancing already? 😀

Who will take home the crown of Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016 and will go on to represent the country in Hainan, China for the Mrs. Globe 2016 competition? Your guess is as good as mine and in just a few hours we will know.

Special Awards

Aside from the coveted Mrs. Philippines Globe title, candidates will also vie for the coveted Woman of Substance title alongside other special awards such as:

Achievement of the Year
Best Talent of the Year
Career Woman of the Year
Charity or Advocacy of the Year
Darling of the Press
Entrepreneur of the Year
Husband of the Year – which, I suppose, will be awarded to the most loving husband of one of the candidates 🙂
Most Beautiful Face
Mrs. Body Beautiful
Mrs. Philippines Globe Classic 2018 – the latest addition to the special awards to be given to the chosen contestant between 45 to 55 years old
Most Elegant Woman
Personality of the Year
Solane Mother of the Year

Criteria for Judging

Candidates will be judged based on the following criteria:

35% beauty charm and poise
35% personality intelligence conduct
30% figure

About the Mrs. Globe Pageant

Founded in 1996, Mrs. Globe is one of the biggest international beauty pageants for married women and single mothers. It celebrates beauty and culture goodwill, tourism awareness, and charitable acts through pageantry and competition.

Mrs. Philippines Globe is presented by: Samsung Hall, Lucky Rainbow Makati, SM Tickets, Solane, and Bio-Oil. This pageant is organized by EVI Marketing Communications.

Nxled introduces the Emergency Light Bulb

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 21, 2016 | Business

Thomas Edison is credited as the inventor of the light bulb in 1879. Since then the light bulb has become a necessity in every home and business and has evolved not just in appearance but also in performance.

Homes and establishments rely on emergency lights as their main arsenal against power outages, being that they light up as soon as the power trips.

Our usual solution to power outages

Whenever the power is down most people end up doing one or all of the following:

bring out some candles
if they have gas lamps, they bring those out, too
or they bring out/turn on emergency lights, especially along stairwells.

Emergency lights that are available commercially usually come in 2 forms … industrial and portable. Industrial emergency lights are often wall-mounted while portable, as the term suggests, is something that you can carry around.

In both cases they are essentially battery packs with light bulbs attached. In both cases the entire unit is heavy and cumbersome.

Wall-mounted emergency lights are often left plugged the entire time and are equipped with a sensor so that as soon as it gets dark the light will turn on. Portable emergency lights are charged for a few hours then stored and only brought out when needed.

The Nxled Emergency Light Bulb is the solution

Tessa Prieto-Valdes endorses the Nxled Emergency Bulb

Nxled, Next Generation Lighting, offers an innovative solution to power failures with the new Nxled 6 Watts Emergency Bulb. This revolutionary bulb works like a normal bulb but better: it can be attached to a regular socket in any part of the house and charges while it’s being used. When a power failure occurs, it will automatically light up, thus switching into emergency lighting!

The Nxled Emergency Bulb, powered by a 3.7V 3000mAh lithium battery, can remain lit for up to 6 hours. It also has the option to be used as a carry-around bulb. It comes with a portable mother socket so you can simply carry it indoors or outdoors.

And because it’s LED, you can save energy and costs by up to 90% compared to a 50 Watt incandescent bulb with the same brightness. It also does not contain mercury and is environment friendly, with an average lamp life of 30,000 hours.

The Nxled emergency bulb comes with a two-year warranty and is now available in leading hardware stores nationwide at an introductory price of PHP 495.

That’s 495 pesos! This is less expensive than other emergency lights found in the market today.

Mothers and married women compete in Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 16, 2016 | Awards and Competitions

Carla Cabrera Quimpo, Mrs. Globe Philippines 2011.

From hundreds of applicants all over the country, seventeen single mothers and married women have been chosen to compete for this year’s Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016 title, a national competition for married women and single mothers.

“Mrs. Philippines Globe promotes women as symbols of inspiration through their achievements, charitable acts, and life stories” said national pageant director Carla Cabrera-Quimpo.

“We want them to be movers of society by bringing out their strengths and encouraging them to be the best versions of themselves.”

The Candidates for Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016

For this year, the candidates vying for the crown are:

Ranging from 25 to 55 years old, this year’s finalists are composed of women from diverse fields of expertise: banking, dermatology, aviation, human resource, online business, beauty, engineering, events, and business process outsourcing.

Mrs. Philippines Globe 2016 Pageant Night

The 17 finalists will compete on October 23, 2016 at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, Taguig City. The winner of Mrs. Philippines Globe will receive P150, 000 worth of prizes. She will also represent the Philippines in the prestigious Mrs. Globe 2016 World Finals in Hainan, China in December 2016.

Aside from the coveted Mrs. Philippines Globe title, candidates will also vie for the coveted Woman of Substance title alongside other special awards such as:

Achievement of the Year
Charity or Advocacy of the Year
Best Talent of the Year
Career Woman of the Year
Most Beautiful Face
Darling of the Press
Entrepreneur of the Year
Solane Mother of the Year
Mrs. Body Beautiful
Most Elegant Woman
Personality of the Year
Husband of the Year
and a new addition to the roster of special awards — the Mrs. Philippines Globe Classic 2018.

Candidates will be judged based on the following criteria:

35% beauty charm and poise
35% personality intelligence conduct
30% figure

Mrs. Philippines Globe is presented by: Samsung Hall, Lucky Rainbow Makati, SM Tickets, Solane, and Bio-Oil. This pageant is organized by EVI Marketing Communications.

Why should you book your trips with Travelbook.ph?

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 15, 2016 | Travel

Take a trip to your idea of paradise with Travelbook.ph!

With so many companies online that offer the same (or similar) services, it begs the question … why book with Travelbook.ph?

In 2012, TravelBook.ph, under the management of Summit Media, started as an online catalog catering to more than 4,000 hotels and resorts in the Philippines. The company was established by Recruit Holdings Company, one of the biggest media conglomerates in Japan, and specializes in classified advertisements, publications, and human resources.

To date, TravelBook.ph is the fastest growing Online Travel Agency (OTA) in the Philippines and boasts more than 2,700 hotel listings all over the country. Over the past three years, the company has achieved a record-breaking 200% growth rate and an average of 3,900 paid bookings per month.

With various offline and online marketing efforts, TravelBook.ph has gained exposure through media partners such as TV stations GMA NewsTV through programs like PopTalk and Biyahe ni Drew, CinemaOne, and radio stations Love Radio, Monster Radio, and Barangay LS.

TravelBook.ph also boasts increasing 1.6 million monthly page views, with 455,000 monthly unique visits, 52,000 registered members, and 299,000 newsletter subscribers.

Its social media presence also continues to grow: it has more than 540,000 likes in Facebook, while its Twitter and Instagram accounts have about 2,900 and 10,300 followers respectively.

Why Book with TravelBook.ph?

TravelBook.ph aims to cater to the needs of the ever-growing market, which is why it continuously develops and expands its strengths through various customer-driven initiatives.

Here are six good reasons to book with Travelbook.ph.

1. Convenient Booking

TravelBook.ph focuses on improving its offline bookings through 24/7 Customer Care that offers competitive room rates, promo plans, rewards points, membership promos, and GetGo promos.

TravelBook.ph also has a user-friendly mobile app that offers double rewards for bookings to make the service available for the growing number of smartphone users in the Philippines.

2. Multiple Payment Options

Since only about 5% of the whole Philippine population are credit card holders, TravelBook.ph has made sure that it has various online and offline payment methods to make booking hotels for every customer convenient.

Aside from using their credit cards, customers can pay via online and offline bank deposits or over-the-counter payments. They can also pay at 7-Eleven branches, Robinsons Department Store and SM Department Store branches, Bitcoin, and the newly launched Pay At Hotel, which allows the customer to pay upon check-in.

3. Corporate Partnerships and Alliances

TravelBook.ph has also partnered with top brands and companies in the Philippines, including Cebu Pacific, Robinsons Bank, Sun Cellular, Toys R Us, JG Summit, Robinsons Land, Robinsons Department Store, and Universal Robina to strengthen its presence in the business through various campaigns.

The company also has special partnerships with GetGo, BDO, Union Bank, Eastwest Bank, and Security Bank.

4. Tours

TravelBook.ph will soon launch its 359 Tour Package Plans to cater to the travel needs of its customers.

What vacation do you have in mind? Adventure, romance, educational, spiritual — so many options and Travelbook.ph is up for the challenge of creating a tour package to cater to your needs.

5. Affiliate Program

The recently launched Affiliate Program now has over 600 partner bloggers. Through this program, both seasoned and new bloggers are able earn income from the hotel bookings made in their websites.

6. Promotion of Philippine Tourism

More than just being an e-commerce company, TravelBook.ph aims to Philippine tourism by encouraging everyone to travel more in the country. The company believes that traveling should become a lifestyle as it promotes education, quality time, and bonding with families and friends.

TravelBook.ph also comes up with various creative campaigns to promote local tourism such as the recently concluded #Juanderlust, an international competition where travelers all over the world participated to be the lucky “Chosen Juan” who will embark on an 80-day adventure to 80 places in the Philippines. The winner, Mr. Dave Agbayani, traveled around the country to explore and experience the best things that the country has to offer.

A Yuletide feast fit for a king at Guevarra’s

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 15, 2016 | Food & Beverage, Yummy Reviews

‘Tis the season to be eating and Guevarra’s serves up a Yuletide feast fit for a king starting today! You read it right, TODAY, October 15!

A feast fit for a king! #guevarrasyuletidemenu thank you @chefjaclaudico and @cheflau

A photo posted by Penny Tan (@slvrdlphn) on Sep 29, 2016 at 1:25am PDT

Christmas comes early at Guevarra’s. For those who have sampled Chef Lau’s popular buffet you already know that a regular 3-hour reservation for lunch, merienda, or dinner is not enough to taste all 80 dishes they regularly serve. For the Yuletide season, they’ve added 11 new dishes.

This means we can enjoy 99. OMG, NINETY-NINE DISHES! How can we taste/eat them all?

When bloggers were asked what their favorite dish was most mentioned the Angus beef. Having tried it myself, I would have to agree but, personally, I found it difficult to single out one dish specifically. 😀

Appetizer, salad, rice, fish, fowl, red meat, vegetable, dessert, beverages — so much to choose from, how can I pick just one, right? My answer, don’t limit yourself. With so much to choose from (and all of them delicious) each one deserves a trip on your tongue and down to your belly. 😀

The Yuletide offerings at Guevarra’s

Chef Lau and Chef Jac sat down one day and thought about what dishes are traditionally served at Filipino get togethers like Christmas gatherings and reunions. In a previous post I featured the eleven Yuletide dishes they added to the menu.

For Starters

Guevarra’s Christmas Chicken Liver Parfait

I’m not a big fan of liver but I did try this pate and it was good. Smooth and creamy. The name, though, was a tad confusing. It’s a pate but it’s called a parfait? Like the ice cream?

Guevarra’s Christmas Macaroni Salad

Macaroni salad is so simple to make that we usually ask the kids to make it. 🙂 All we need are cooked macaroni, cream or mayonnaise, cheese, raisins, and gelatin. The kids like to cut the gelatin into different shapes but cubes will suffice. The red and green gelatin cubes makes this favorite holiday salad colorfully beautiful.

The Main Course

Guevarra’s Christmas Embotido Lasagna Roll

Two dishes in one! Lasagna noodles are just perfect for this dish as it acts as both the wrapper and the pasta dish. 😀 During the blogger event Chef Lau shows us how they made this dish. Lucky us! Watch the video as he demonstrates how to make it step by step.

And for those of us who like to cook this means I could try to make this myself for noche buena. Actually, I definitely will make this for noche buena. 🙂 I hope I can do it justice.

Guevarra’s Christmas Beef Morcon

Beef morcon is also a staple fiesta dish at home. Our Yuletide festivities is just not complete if there is no beef morcon on the table.

I’m glad they made it because this dish takes too long to cook and oftentimes I’m too tired after to even appreciate the dish. Since they serve it at Guevarra’s I now have another reason to bring my family here for a meal. 🙂

Guevarra’s Christmas Fish Mayonesa

I remember my mom making this when we were kids … but she called it fish en blanco. Not to diss my mom but I prefer this version because Guevarra’s uses fish fillet. No fishbones to deal with. Yey! It gave me an idea, though, on how to serve fish en blanco next time. 🙂

Guevarra’s Christmas Paella

It almost isn’t a good idea to eat paella at a buffet. Why? because paella is a mix of rice and viand all cooked at the same time — meaning, it is already a buffet in itself!

Having said that, you should still try it anyway. It is really, really good! I placed a spoonful or two on my plate just to taste it and ended up finishing it before the white rice. 😀

The stuffed turkey is so good! Moist and flavorful. Great with the cranberry sauce. #guevarrasyuletidemenu @chefjaclaudico @cheflau

A photo posted by Penny Tan (@slvrdlphn) on Sep 29, 2016 at 1:57am PDT

Guevarra’s Christmas Roasted Stuffed Turkey

Some people say that turkey is just a big chicken but one taste will prove otherwise. Paired with gravy or cranberry sauce, my favorite part is the thigh. Cooked improperly turkey could become dry and tasteless. But never at Guevarra’s. This stuffed turkey is just delicious!

My personal favorite when it comes to sauces is the cranberry sauce. Somehow gravy just seems so ordinary but the cranberry sauce screams Christmas. 😀

Happy Endings and Great Coffee Pairings

Guevarra’s Christmas Pudding

Pudding is HEAVY. I mean physically heavy, not just heavy in the stomach. It is a very English treat. If I am not mistaken this baked goodie is infused with rum and smothered in honey. Perfect to pair with black coffee. Also great to have as a late night snack.

Christmas Suman Fruitcake

Suman is a traditional Filipino rice cake usually wrapped in a leaf and then steamed until cooked. We then eat it by dunking it in sugar. I personally like it paired with mango and topped with tablea chocolate.

Guevarra’s combined the traditional suman with the a fruitcake by topping the suman with candied fruits. The end product is a sweet confection. Diabetics beware! As with the pudding this goes well with coffee.

Guevarra’s Bibingka

Bibingka is served in so many ways now — topped with cheese, egg, cheese and egg, filled with chocolate or any syrup. Seriously, the skies the limit! I personally like eating bibingka while drinking hot chocolate or coffee.

Guevarra’s Puto Bumbong

Simbang Gabi is not complete without buying puto bumbong after hearing mass. But at Guevarra’s we don’t have to wait until December. We can have it now! Puto bumbong is served in single serve (big bite size) soup spoons.

Not only is it delicious, it is also very beautifully presented it is almost a sin to eat!

Should you go to Guevarra’s and sample their buffet?

If I haven’t convinced you yet, I don’t know what will. Lol! But maybe you have a few more questions. Let me see if I can come up with some of the answers a they were given to us during the Q&A.

Are there desserts made that are safe for diabetics?

Chef Jac says they don’t have any at the moment but they’ve been discussing it and they intend to bring out dishes safe for diabetics soon. Those dishes will, of course, be specially labelled so that customers who suffer from it know that they could safely consume it.

Is it necessary to call ahead for reservations?

Yes, absolutely! Reservations are necessary. Guevarra’s does not like turning people away and the only way to ensure that is if reservations are made ahead of time.

Do they accept walk-ins?

Like I mentioned, they don’t like turning people away. However, in the event that a party with no reservation arrives, they will be informed that they will have to wait in case someone who made a reservation (for the same number of people) fails to arrive within 30 minutes of their booking, then the walk-in party will be accommodated.

What meals do they serve?

No ala carte. It’s all buffet, buffet, buffet — lunch, “maagang salu-salo”, and dinner.

Meals are prepared by world famous Chef Lau, it must be expensive.

Au contraire, mon ami! It is anything but! Check out this price list:

	LUNCH	MAAGANG SALU-SALO	DINNER
MON	P399+12%VAT	P499+12% VAT	P499+12% VAT
TUE	P399+12%VAT	P499+12% VAT	P499+12% VAT
WED	P399+12%VAT	P499+12% VAT	P499+12% VAT
THU	P399+12%VAT	P499+12% VAT	P499+12% VAT
FRI	P399+12%VAT	P549+12% VAT	P599+12% VAT
SAT	P599+12% VAT	P549+12% VAT	P599+12% VAT
SUN	P599+12% VAT	P549+12% VAT	P599+12% VAT
HOL	P599+12% VAT	P549+12% VAT	P599+12% VAT

What time should we be there?

Meals are served at the timeframes below. Make sure to come early.

Lunch is from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Maagang Salu-Salo 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Dinner is from 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM.

Can we make reservations for private functions like company parties?

Since they encourage reservations it is safe to say that customers will not be surprised to arrive to find the venue closed for private functions. Guevarra’s will just inform us whether or not the day and time we stated is available or not.

A photo posted by Penny Tan (@slvrdlphn) on Sep 29, 2016 at 3:19am PDT

For Inquiries and reservations you may contact: 705 1811; 705 1874; 0917 311 2222. Follow them on Facebook: Guevarra’s ; Instagram: @Guevarras_ ; Twitter: @Guevarras_ .

See you at Guevarra’s!