Daiso lets you prepare your kids nutritious and delicious "baon" everyday!

It’s the parent’s responsibility to provide a reliable family meal time and a balanced meal with foods from all the food groups. It’s the child’s responsibility to decide what, and how much, to eat. Now, preparing baon for your kids at school could be tricky too, you have to cook and prepare a variety of nutritious and "fun" to look at food for a week. Now, fret no more for Daiso Japan would let you prepare with their cute tools for them. Yummy eats Baon Blowout presents Daiso Japan and food stalls last June 4 at Glorietta Activity Center. Daiso Japan presents Bento Making to the public using cute tiny tools such as  cookie cutters, animals and heart shaped

Nikki Garcia, mom, bento enthusiast and loyal Daiso Japan shopper; Kokeshi doll cosplayer Sloveene; and Bernice Jayne Chioa-Bunoan, Daiso Japan Marketing Services  Manager


"I wanted to empower my kids to eat independently, I wanted to encourage them to try new food, and widen their palate as well" told Nikki Garcia, Mom Bento

Preparing baon every day in the next 10 months often poses a big challenge for any mom. ‘Are they eating healthy?’ ‘Is their baon enough?’ and ‘What do I pack tomorrow?’ are the usual worries running inside mom’s thought bubble.

Avoid falling into your old routine of packing the same food for your kids with these helpful tips from Daiso Japan, the only authorized and exclusive retailer of Daiso Industries Ltd. Japan that sells clever, useful and cute items priced from P88.

Plan ahead and create a weekly baon schedule. The list may contain variations of items that your kids love like cookies and muffins as well as healthy options such as fruit slices and veggie sticks. Prepare everything you need the night before so you do not scramble every morning putting together a filling snack or lunch.  Daiso Japan has cute insulated lunch totes and thermal bags, which you can use to neatly assemble the day’s treat. Throw in a refrigerant pad, also available at Daiso Japan, to keep packed food fresh longer.

Keep things interesting. The last thing a child look forwards to during recess is a sad-looking sandwich. Brighten things up by creating cute sandwiches using Daiso Japan’s Toast Deco Stamp, which you can use to stamp a piece of toast before putting in the oven. You can also assign a different design for each school day along with a different filling (i.e. peanut butter, strawberry jelly, and chicken spread) to make things more exciting.

Kids eat with their eyes; hence, you can stimulate their appetite by putting their baon in fun and colorful food containers. Choose from Daiso Japan’s wide assortment of containers in vibrant shades, playful designs and fun shapes. Some of the things you can pick up from the stores are animal-shaped egg molders that can be used to shape eggs into hearts and animal faces among others. There are lunch sets with cute 3-piece cutlery which kids love.

To ensure that they get enough energy and nutrition to fuel them through all their activities, kids’ baon must contain healthy items from the different food groups such as rice, cereals, bread, fish, chicken, pork, vegetables, fruits and cheese. A bento box, some food dividers and sauce containers available at Daiso Japan come in handy when separating food items and preserving the flavors of each food.

Make your own fruit juices by blending a combination of fruits like peaches and strawberries, melon and banana, pineapple and oranges to create nutritious beverages. Store your homemade fruit juice in cute and practical Daiso Japan Cooling Tumblers with cooling stick that keeps drinks ice-cold without watering them down.

These are just a few tips you can use in the following days to make your kid’s break time more enjoyable and preparing baon a lot less stressful. For more great ideas, visit Daiso Japan stores with 53 locations nationwide through Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. which holds the exclusive sub-license to sell authentic Daiso merchandise from Japan and operates the legitimate Daiso Japan store concept in the Philippines.

To know more about Daiso Japan Philippines, check out: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaisoJapanPH?ref=hl or @DaisoJapanPH Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaisoJapanPH or @DaisoJapanPH Instagram: http://instagram.com/daisophilippines.

Chef Miko Aspiras and his California Raisins winning cookie recipe

When I went on a diet a decade ago, I incorporated raisins in my diet for some carbohydrates to get me the energy I needed for the gym. I weighed around 142 during those years and I had a hard time moving around, that's why raisins played a role in my diet during those years. And who would have said no to raisins, Id love putting them in my bread, salads and oatmeals.

One of the biggest benefits of eating raisins is that they’re a quick, easy and tasty way to get some of your daily recommended fruit servings. Women should eat at least 1.5 cups of fruit daily and men should have 2 cups. One small box of raisins, which is 1.5 ounces and holds about 90 raisins, fills one-half cup of your daily fruit requirement, plus it only has 129 calories and no fat. The same portion has 1.3 grams of protein, which gives men 2 percent and women 3 percent of their recommended daily intake.

Chef Miko Aspiras

I recently attended a California Raisins event at Enderrun Colleges, McKinley. The baking event was graced by Chef Miko Aspiras, pastry chef of Scout’s Honor and Le Petite Souffle and California Raisins executives. There was a baking cookie contest. We all participated in putting toppings of our choice for our cookies, and our team "California Raisinettes"  emerged as winners. Aint that sweet? My teammate Ms. Analyn Jusay's "cookie: was selected as the best cookie of the night.


California Raisins, in collaboration with Chef Miko Aspiras, have come up with an easy-to-prepare snack recipe for the back-to-school season

California Raisins are naturally sweet and contain no added sugar, preservatives and colorants. They are fat- and cholesterol-free and provide a source of fiber, potassium, vitamins and minerals.  Also, California Raisins blend well with both sweet and savory dishes.

“California Raisins recipes are very easy to prepare, so parents won’t have a hard time making snacks for their children,” said Richard Lieu, Trade Promotions Director (Southeast Asia) of the Raisin Administrative Committee. “Parents and kids can also snack on California Raisins straight out of the box which makes them a healthy snack alternative for people on the go,” he added.

California Raisins are carefully harvested, naturally sun-dried and backed by strict USDA inspection standards to ensure they are the cleanest and highest quality raisins in the world.

“I love using California Raisins in my dessert because they are naturally sweet, consistent in size, texture, and chewiness,” Miko Aspiras, pastry chef of Scout’s Honor and Le Petite Souffle. “Try out my new California Raisins cookie recipe and personalize it with the topping of your choice:”

Ingredients
170g California Raisins
85g brown sugar
85g white sugar
112 g unsalted butter (softened but not melted)
2 pcs egg whole
195g All purpose flour
2g baking soda
2 g iodized salt
1 g baking powder
2 g vanilla extract

Procedure:
1. Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer or a standing mixer, cream the butter, white and brown sugars using a paddle attachment until mixture is light and airy.
3. Add in eggs one at a time, add in vanilla extract.
4. Using a rubber scraper or spatula, fold in dry ingredients lightly and evenly.
5. Lastly fold in raisins.
6. Spread mixture in a flat baking tray and chill until dough is firm.
7. Scoop cookie mixture (30g each) on a non-stick baking tray
8. Bake at 170°C for 6 minutes.

California Raisins are available in leading supermarkets nationwide. To know more about California Raisins, visit http://calraisins.org/ and www.caraisins.com or like them at Facebook at  www.facebook.com/RACASEAN/.

The British School Manila continues partnership with One Million Lights, and CAS Week

On Monday 23rd May 2016, The British School Manila’s Year 4 students went on a visit to a rural community in Tagaytay to distribute 75 solar powered lights to 75 families. The visit had a notable effect on the students and staff who spent time with the community, donating one light each to a family.

The solar panel lights donated by BSM make a real difference to the lives of people living without electricity. The amazing fundraising efforts of our Year 4 students, parents and staff throughout the year should be congratulated. The students raised funds from a stall they ran during the BSM Fete in May, as well as designing, making and selling Mother's Day cards. It is wonderful to see all of the hard work result in such a life-changing contribution.

Year 4’s activity is part of the BSM Service Learning programme and happens in the same week our International Baccalaureate students set out for Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) Week with the highlight on Bayanihan. The common aim of all of BSM Service Learning projects is to let our students engage with an issue of global importance and to plan and initiate a project to tackle this at a local level. Our students collaborated with a range of NGOs and charities, as well as community members; these were all committed and equal partners in the various endeavours. The range and diversity of the projects that our students were involved in last week was remarkable: building chicken coops, refurbishing computers, certificating adult education, modelling and developing interview techniques, engaging in art and drama workshops with elementary children and refurbishing a tired playroom for young children in hospital. The locations ranged from Alabang to Quezon City, from Tagaytay to La Union in the Ilocos Region, to BSM.
   
Results from the various projects underscore how the BSM student’s service learning goals are highly achievable and the truly life changing impact this can have on local communities. However it is not only the practical outcomes that we consider valuable, but also the partnerships and sense of community engendered by this BSM Service Learning initiative. The smiles, hugs and handshakes at the farewell moments were powerful; this experience will remain in the minds of many, for a long time.

It was indeed a privilege to see our students reach out to the local communities and work with external providers, seeking to understand local needs and empower local stakeholders to develop their own solutions.

Read about BSM Bayanihan initiative
Read about BSM partnership with One Million Lights
Read more of BSM community service activities
Read more about curriculum
Read more about The British School Manila

The 2016 Converse Pride Collection Celebrates LGBTA global pride

New rainbow design Chuck Taylor sneakers are inspired by the LGBTA Community's global pride movement.

Converse proudly unveils the 2016 Converse Pride Collection – two colorful new Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers designed to be worn at pride parades, concerts, jubilations and beyond. Inspired by all the LGBTA communities around the world, the collection serves as a passionate reminder for universal tolerance, diversity and equality — encouraging the creative community to be their most authentic selves.

Launching this spring on the classic Converse Chuck Taylor hi and ox silhouettes, the sneakers have rainbow license plate and aglets. The collection will be available in both woven canvas and an all-over rainbow splattered canvas design and boldly shows Converse’s support of the global pride movement.

Rallying the world to unleash their creativity and support universal tolerance and equality, the new 2016 Converse Pride Collection is now available at Converse stores for Php 3,990. For more Converse designs and style, visit www.converse.com.ph or www.facebook.com/ConversePhilippines. #ReadyForMore

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte won at 7-Election presidential poll

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the hearts of the GULP Generation, garnering 53% of the GULP votes in the unofficial and unscientific 7-Election presidential poll. 

“Although the sales-based and unscientific 7-Election presidential poll predicted the winner, the real winners here are the Filipino people. They were able to support and promote their candidates in a fun and positive way,” said Lee Esguerra, Marketing Communications Division Head of Philippine Seven Corporation.

The 7-Election was a way for Filipinos to show their support for their presidential candidates in a fun way. People posted photos of the definitely Instagram-worthy Gulp cups – some incorporated in selfies and groufies with family and friends, some with long and passionate captions on why they support the candidates, and others with short witty remarks. In spite of the divisive nature of the campaign, the spirit of unity was present online as some barkadas stayed true to their convictions by buying their candidates’ Gulp cups and posing for a photo together. These posts stood out in the midst of mudslinging and social media “unfriending”.

“Duterte led in all regions all throughout the campaign. The Undecided Cup was also consistent in the second rank until the end, which may mean that people have been carefully weighing their options until the final week,” said Esguerra.

The 7-Election campaign ran from March 24 to May 2, and involved not vote counting machines but GULP machines and cups. It upheld a clean and transparent process based on sales data, and results are posted online weekly.

7-Eleven Philippines pioneered this fun and unofficial poll in 2010 when it successfully predicted the win of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. The campaign was patterned after the 7-Election campaign in the US which, through the help of 7-Eleven Coffee, accurately predicted the wins of George W. Bush over John Kerry in the 2004 Election and Barack Obama over John McCain in the 2008 Election.

Calcium Ascorbate with Zinc offers the benefits of Vitamin C with Rhea Generics

Lab tests show that taking vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate with Zinc offers the benefits of vitamin C without the high acid levels

Vitamin C has many known benefits such as protection from immune system deficiencies, prenatal health problems, eye diseases and cardiovascular diseases. It is a known antioxidant that blocks damage caused by free radicals. It also plays a role in the proper functioning of our bodies. Needless to say, vitamin C is good for everyone’s health, and taking the recommended dose every day helps the immune system function well.

However, stomach irritation or hyperacidity is one of the main complaints of those who take regular forms of vitamin C. This happens when stomach acid interacts with high acid levels found in regular vitamin C. Good thing there are vitamin C variants that address this problem such as RHEA Generics’ Calcium Ascorbate with Zinc, a vitamin C supplement that has the advantage of being non-acidic.

“Calcium Ascorbate is already powerful in boosting the immune system, but with Zinc, it becomes even more effective in battling diseases. Zinc and Calcium Ascorbate complement each other,” said Dr. Miguel Geronimo.

Vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate is also much more readily absorbed in the blood stream and is better than the regular sodium ascorbate as sodium often raises blood pressure.

In addition, RHEA Generics is the first in the market to offer vitamin C with Zinc for adults. Zinc is a mineral that is vital to many biological functions as it helps strengthen the immune system, heal wounds and control diabetes.

RHEA Generics’ Vitamin C with Zinc is now available in boxes of 30s and 100s in all leading drugstores nationwide.

The Outcast: Meant to drive your nerves up the wall

If you are a fan of The Walking Dead like me, surely you'll fall in love to Robert Kirkman's new horror series The Outcast. Kirkman creates character that grows into you as soon as the episodes unfold. Patrick Fugit of  (Almost Famous), who plays the lead character of Kyle Barnes is a young man fighting manifestations of demonic possession. The horror drama series premiered last June 4 on FOX in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, with a simulcast on FOX Filipino and STARWorld.

Outcast, is based on the comic book of the same name by Kirkman and co-creator and illustrator Paul Azaceta,

We had a chance of seeing the first screening prior to its regular showing. The first three minutes was intense and disturbing enough that I nearly fell off my seat.  All the more I anticipated for the second episode.  This is the kind of horror drama series that get me hooked, I downloaded the comic version, and now Im ready for the next TV episode. Bring it on, Kyle!

New Horror Series From Creator Of The Walking Dead Premieres On FOX On June 4
FOX Networks Group (FNG), Asia’s leading pay-TV network, has announced that a new horrordrama series from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman will be thrilling audiences all over the world when it premieres in June on FOX.



Outcast is set to be FOX’s next global hit series, and is FNG’s first original scripted drama. The
series features an award-winning production team and cast, including Patrick Fugit (Almost
Famous), who plays the lead character of Kyle Barnes, Philip Glenister as Rev. Anderson, Reg
E. Cathey as Chief Giles, showrunner Chris Black, director Adam Wingard, and composer
Atticus Ross. The cinematic treatment of a genre previously unexplored on TV makes Outcast
required viewing for fans of horror and stories about exorcism.

The premiere episode introduces the lead character of Kyle Barnes, a young man from the
small town of Rome in West Virginia who returns home after a long absence. What marks Kyle
is his dark history of having witnessed his loved ones undergo demonic possession—and it’s
the reason why he left Rome in the first place. He returns years later to find the answers behind
his family’s suffering, in the hopes that he can help Joshua Austin, an 8-year-old who lives in
front of the Barnes house and is believed to be possessed by a demon that seems mysteriously
connected to Kyle. Together with Rev. Anderson, a West Virginia evangelist who believes he is
a soldier in God’s holy war against the forces of evil on Earth, Kyle revisits Rome to face his
past, discover his fate, and possibly change the world forever.

To drum up excitement for Outcast, a series of huge wall murals was unveiled in locations with
high foot traffic in 13 countries around the world including the Philippines from May 28 to June 3
to reveal a scene from Outcast’s first episode. Each city’s mural was painted by a local artist
based on illustrations provided by Azuceta to depict one panel from the scene’s storyboard,
similar to panels in a comic book. Renowned graphic design team Team Manila was assigned
to create the Outcast mural in Manila, coloring in Azuceta’s black-and-white sketches and
adding their own flourishes of Filipino culture to the art.

Every few hours, one mural in one city was unveiled online at https://outcastart.tv/ and on social
media until all murals could be arranged by fans in the correct sequence to see a sneak preview
of Outcast’s premiere episode. This global rollout of Outcast that includes countries in Europe
and Latin America as well as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia was kicked off on May 28 at the
London Comic Con, where stars of Outcast were present.


FNG also took promotions of Outcast to the digital realm in order to encourage fans to interact
with the murals. The interactive and immersive website has become a hub for images and video
content created during production of the murals and allows fans to follow them online and
through social media. Those who can visit a mural in person could also unlock previously
unavailable content on their personal devices using geolocation, and if enough visitors log in to
this they will be given access to a longer clip from the first episode of Outcast for an exclusive,
more-detailed preview. More information on how fans can interact with the murals can be found
on the website.

“FOX is excited to be featuring another show that pushes the envelope for the horror genre on TV, and an original scripted drama by FNG at that. We’re confident that Filipino fans who have loyally been tuning in to Kirkman’s previous work on The Walking Dead will embrace Outcast as another fine example of edgy storytelling, relatable characters, and excellent production,” said Charo Espedido, Director and Head of Marketing at FNG Philippines. “Our collaboration with Team Manila for Outcast was also another great opportunity to showcase local artistic talent on an international platform.”

Catch Outcast every Saturdays at 8:55pm beginning June 4, exclusively on FOX

Chill Bar: Chillin' all-day, all-night!

The last time I checked, the best bars and restaurant in Manila was at the Malate proper.  I used to frequent Malate during my college years and yes if you do your Math that would make me your "titas or worst, lolas of Manila"  today.  Malate/Ermita was a popular place for its food and bars during the 80s. Whenever I feel like eating or chilling with friends my age now, Malate was our go-to gimmick place. I was glad,  I accepted an invite to visit Manila last month together with selected bloggers to try out Chill Bar. Why not, its about time to peek and visit the place that was once became a part of my teenage years and to check out what's happening around the Ermita vicinity area.

As our van plied the long streets coming from Vito Cruz to Ermita. The feel and vibe belongs to the millenials today, as the stretch of Ermita was full of glaring lights, high tech signages, students crossing the streets and cars parked in front of restaurants and bars. I feel old. Chill Bar is situated right across Robinsons Manila. Chill Bar is this cool establishment with a homey vibe, that suggests chill, it is indeed the best bar to chill out with friends.

Chill Bar is the newest, the hippest 24-hour hang-out, which opened its doors on July of 2015 at its EDSA branch (across Megamall), has now expanded to 3 branches with the addition of Chill Bar Bocobo (near Robinson’s Place Manila) and Chill Bar Nova Stop (beside Robinson’s Nova Market).

The food and drinks are affordable, delicious and has a unique crazy name to it, try Barbecute! We tried out everything, and yes I love the pica food and the Hi-5 sets! The verdict is I will bring the whole family and friends to try out everything.

High-5 php539

Hi- 5 sets are comprised of 2 of your favorite cocktail drinks plus 3 of your favorite pulutan.  High-5 A consists of Prench Pries, Inside Job, Perfect Kropeck, 1L Pink Slush and 1L Choco Slush.

Nachos

Pata Q

Adobol

Hickory Dickory Pork

Barbecute

From affordable classic “Silogs” and “Sizzlings” dubbed as Selfie Meals that are available at anytime of the day, to Groupie Packages that start at P550 for sharing by the whole crew. 

Furthermore, signature offers such as Alcoholic Slushes (Chocolate, Mango, Lemonade and Melon
flavors), cleverly-named Bombshells (alcoholic drinks with flavored ice balls) and even non-alcoholic favorites such as Coffee (Fraps, Lattes etc.), show that there is truly something for every member of the family or barkada to enjoy!

Mojito

Get some Chow, raise your glass to Cheers as we are Chillin’ all-day, all-night!

With an ambiance conducive for great conversations in either an Alfresco or Garden-setting, cool and
feel-good music via live Acoustic performances or simply piped-in to complement, and offering a wide variety of affordable food and drinks, the place is perfect for those who simply want to relax or as its’name implies---CHILL.

Chill Bar accepts reservations for private functions. For inquiries, you may contact Chill EDSA Shaw at 997-1922(2nd Floor, Polar Center Bldg. EDSA Mandaluyong), Chill Nova Stop at 372-4030(Robinsons Nova Stop in Fairview) and Chill Bar Bocobo at 521-8166(Jorge Bocobo St. Malate, Manila). You may like us on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/chill-bar-official