Starbucks Macchiato Promos and new Merchandise

Starbucks lovers and fans, great news! New things, new drinks, new promos, new cakes, and new cards are about to be released.

1. From February 23 to March 4,2016, Starbucks Philippines will run an online poll to ask fans which of the two (2) featured Macchiato beverages is their favorite. Fans can vote on what team they’re on: Team Roasted Caramel or Team Chocolate Hazelnut. Voting will be per region (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao).

2. Voting will be done through www.starbuckspromotions.ph and fans will be required to register through their e-mail address or through their Facebook account. 3. The winning Macchiato beverage per region (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) will be celebrated with a special “Buy One, Get One” offer on March 7, 2016 in all Starbucks stores nationwide. 4. The Macchiato Buy One, Get One event is valid only for the winning Macchiato beverage (hot and iced, of any size) for each region. 5. Promotion will run in all Starbucks stores nationwide.  

SPRING STAR DASH  

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 

1. The Spring 2016 Star Dash Promo will run from February 23 to 29, 2016. Starbucks Cardholders will earn double Stars when they purchase any handcrafted beverage, 250g bag of whole bean coffee or 12-pack Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew or 4-pack Starbucks VIA® Latte using their Starbucks Card.      

2. The additional Star(s) will be loaded on the same Starbucks Card upon purchase.  This promotion applies to both new and existing Starbucks Cards.  There is no limit to the number of handcrafted beverage, 250g bag of whole bean coffee or 12pack Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew or 4-pack Starbucks VIA® Latte that a customer can purchase to earn double Stars during the promotional period. This promotion is only valid for all Starbucks Cards issued in the Philippines.

Great news to all Starbucks fans is the release of the new card, food, and drinks. 

Caramel Macchiato Frappuccino 

Chocolate Hazelnut Macchiato

Roasted Caramel Macchiato 

They also have new CARDS coming out. I personally love the Siren and the purple egg. These are available starting February 23. Purchase limits are being implemented. One egg design per customer per day and 5 Siren cards per customer per day. The egg requires an initial load of Php500 and the Siren only Php300 but note that the siren is a special edition card. 

Isn't the Siren just overwhelmingly pretty? I seriously love this card. Now there are new food choices as well because Starbucks love their customers and want to provide new options all the time.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Php60

Belgian Chocolate Chip Cookie Php130/slice

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Php50

And the most amazing part of all, new coffee. Eeekkk! 

Starbucks Ethiopia Reserve Drink 

Starbucks Tribute Blend Php425

Starbucks 3 Region Blend Php375

I can say that I look forward to trying out these new drinks and buying that super pretty mug paired with the the 3 region blend. My Mom would flip. 

These will all be out by February 23, 2016. 

CREMA at the Grand Ballroom of Marriott Hotel

I've heard so much about this place that when I finally booked another staycation at Marriott Hotel, I knew that I had to try out Crema which was located the Grand Ballroom of Marriott Hotel and the delicious pastries they have. After all, a cup of hot coffee and a couple of dishes of sweets should do the trick in relaxing myself after a crazy, stressful but very wonderful day yesterday.

When I got to Crema, I fell in love with the feel of the place. It was classy and cozy. It felt like a place I could spend an entire afternoon on and not be bored. There were high seats and couches. There were areas for families, friends, couples, and even those just getting to know each other.

As you can see from the photo, the place is very spacious for a cafe. They serve coffee, cakes, and pastries. They have a pretty big selection but nothing overwhelming. I liked it. Sometimes, you just want to have options but not have too many options if you get what I mean.

I really liked this wall writing because it was so colorful and would definitely attract attention.

My son saw that there was a yogurt station and immediately asked if he could have one. I had to say yes because how can you say no to that smile right? Besides, it was yogurt and its healthy so it's all good.

I had a couple of pastries and I'm not kidding when I say that almost everything tasted good. The Cream Cheese Danish was really tasty especially when paired with Hot White Chocolate Mocha which I had.

The ensaymada was a real treat for me. The cheese on top was overflowing and when you bite into it, it had ube inside which just made the taste so much better.

The Mushroom Mozarella Sandwich was also another treat. I loved that when I opened the sandwich to have a look, I wasn't disappointed with the layers of melted mozarella inside. The tomato complimented everything.

Now for the cakes ... ooohhh the cakes! They were such a sight for sore eyes. This strawberry piece was good because all the strawberries were sweet. I'm one of those weird persons who like strawberry flavored stuff but is not a real fan of the actual fruit. However, this one passed the test.

The pistachio sansrival was also another classic that people need to order in here. It was very tasty and definitely not lacking in the much needed ingredients. I don't know about you but I have had sansrival before where it just felt dry or like they scrimped on the things that was needed to make it sansrival.

The chocolate cake though was the real winner of the night. It was just heaven on earth. For chocolate lovers like myself, this was the real deal. They definitely delivered on this and for this little round thing alone, I would definitely recommend Crema.

The pastries here are not over the top expensive. Truth be told, the price is just the same as in other fancier coffee shops since it ranges from 160 to 280. The location, the grandeur, and the taste of Crema makes the price justifiable.

They also serve tablea or tsokolate de batirol which is not common in a lot of coffee shops. This is a definite plus since my Mom loves it. I get my coffee, she gets her Philippine Hot Chocolate.

When they say they are the cream of the crop of all coffee shops, I guarantee you that they really are. Crema is located at the Grand Ballroom of Marriott Hotel. Definitely, this is a place worth visiting. For those interested in going here, they open at 8am and close by 6pm.

thoughts of a first time iron curling hair user ...

I received this as a token months ago but never got around to using it. I never saw myself as the type to curl my hair just to go somewhere. However, I have become bored lately with how I look so I decided to test it out.

Initial thoughts: What the heck am I doing? Am I doing this right? Oh no, was I supposed to let that blue light thing go steady for. Oh, I better read the manual.

So there. Ladies, read the manual first. Don't assume that you can just work on these things because when you go wrong with it, you really go wrong with it. Trust me, you don't wanna go wrong with this I've read horror stories of hair just falling off because apparently, the person managed to burn her hair off her head. YIKES!

Thankfully, this did not happen to me though there was a moment where I smelled a little burnt hair but nothing damaging. So this was me on my 3rd attempt at curling my hair on my own. I did not dare to take photos the 1st and 2nd time because I was too scared that I would burn my hair off. On the 3rd time though, I felt pretty confident about using the product because it was actually fairly easy to use.

It was actually at this point that I decided to write about this because I wanted to share with you guys how easy it is to use. Mind you, this is not a product review or a paid review. I was just really happy about the compliments I would get whenever I used this thing.

So this is how it all turned out. My 3 attempts on 3 different occasions of using the Remington Spiral Curl Iron.

I think I'm getting pretty good at it now. Earlier this morning, I was actually able to do my hair in less than 10 minutes. Yey me. So for those who may be like me and don't want to use those curling things because you worry that it may be too complicated. this one isn't. It really isn't I promise. :)

Final thoughts: Why did I only learn to do this just now?!?!?!

Matters of the Heart with Doc Pao

It is the month of love and of course everyone would like to talk about heart matters but one heart matter that is almost always forgotten is the health of our hearts. Doc Pao noticed this and because of that, he thought that to help lessen the high rate of heart attacks in the country, we need to discuss the real matter of the heart.

The 3 most common heart ailments are coronary artery disease, stenosis of valves, and cardiac insufficiency that manifests itself through hypertension and diabetes. What is alarming about these diseases is that most of it does not make its presence known until it’s too late. This is why a lot of families and friends feel quite shocked when someone has a heart attack. There are almost always no signs.

Most likely you are now thinking, “So how can I prevent this from happening to me?” Well one of the things that you can do is to be more mindful of the food you take in, the medicines you ingest, the supplements you dose yourself with daily because all of this affects your heart. Yes, even the supplements taken and medicines that are meant to fix other things. You also need to review your exercise regimen or most likely, lack thereof. You don’t need to run a marathon or take Zumba classes or enrol in Yawyan classes but you do need to have some moderate cardio either through walking, jogging, swimming, or biking. Keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar in check.


Another thing to remember in preventing heart diseases is that you need to drink adequate amounts of mineral and alkaline water. Reducing stress where possible is also strongly recommended. Having a positive attitude also helps and ensuring you have 7 – 9 hours of sleep daily works. Of course we know that it is almost impossible to get this daily but try to get more than 5 hours at least.

There are also foods that can help strengthen the heart such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, ginger, apple, berries, goji, lemon, and spinach. You can either eat it or juice the fruits and vegetables. Preserved food and junk food needs to be lessened.

For those who want to ensure that they have no initial signs of a heart problem, they can get a stress test as well as 2D echo to check the status of their heart. You can discuss with an integrative doctor such as Dr. Paolo Bellosillo for any necessary adjustments that need to be undertaken. They can also monitor blood pressure daily to make sure that everything is in check. You don’t need to have invasive checkups when you can discuss things with a nonsurgical doctor who can help monitor and bring your heart condition to a healthy level.

Get organized, and decide to live a legacy by providing friendly solutions to cardiac anomalies that can be prevented by you, and not knives or scissors.  This should be the last resort. Wouldn’t you want to just live a healthy lifestyle and live life to the fullest without ever having to go under the knife? I know I would.

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goodbye love

Hello Love,

It's been a while since you and I last talked. Truth be told, you have turned your back on me almost 3 years ago and I was just too stubborn to accept it. I held on for far too long to the idea of you. In fact, when I met Y, I thought you were back and so against better judgement, I jumped in without looking and of course, I fell flat on my face again.

I'm not sure if its you knocking on my door this time around but if it is, I have something I want to tell you love. I need you to listen carefully and I need you to believe every single word that I write in here.

I'M NOT READY FOR YOU! 

I have looked for you for the last 20 years of my life and for the first time in my life, I really am no longer looking for you. I do not want you in my life right now love. I do not have the time or the space required to nurture you into growing into something beautiful. Too many things are happening and right now, there is just no space for you. 

Please respect this love. I beg you. I chased you for 20 years. I think its time you wait for me now to be ready. For now ... 

GOODBYE LOVE. 

Mati's Meat and Bread

I recently had merienda at Mati's. I was initially apprehensive because I thought they were one of those places that close at noon so I was pleasantly surprised to know that they were an all day kind of place.

They offer burgers and pizza as well as different kinds of pasta. It goes well with coffee if you're there for the afternoon and beer if you're there after dinner.

The Pizza Gambheretti was definitely different. I think the anchovies gave that zing and for me, I loved it. It was really interesting and unique. I've never had anchovies on my pizza before and so this was something new.

Now I was informed by the staff that their best sellers were the Truffle Bone Marrow and the Balut Aligue so I had to try it. I wasn't really into the bone marrow because I was never a fan of it. My family would always try to steal it from each other but I'd be like, go ahead. However, this bone marrow was sooooooooooo different.

Confession: I ate this all by myself. I finished this by my lonesome self. It was not oily nor icky. It was just so tasty and delicious. Seriously, you need to try this.

As for the balut aligue, I gotta say that I am a bit biased. I like balut and so I liked this one. For those who may hate balut, I still suggest that you try this. It doesn't have that icky chick thing. Promise.

Overall, I would say that Mati's is definitely a place worth going back to. They had so much to offer that I would definitely want to discover how their other dishes taste like.

Sandbox launches Aqtiv Archery in Pampanga

My sister and I got to experience Aqtiv Archery at Sandbox last Saturday. What makes it different from other archery places is that this has moving targets. Yes, you read that right. Moving targets. Eeeeppp!

We were initially worried that we wouldn't hit anything at all but thankfully, they actually have a small tutorial at the beginning before they release you to the wild. I kid. Haha.

The first thing you always need to remember is to face sideways. You cannot hit the target if you are facing the target with your body. Your body needs to go to the right if you are right handed and left if you are left handed. Then you turn your head (just your head) to face the target.

Next is that when you hold the string, it has to be under the circular metal thing and with only three fingers.

This is also the proper way to hold the bow.

Now as you can see, there is a different color for every arrow. The different one (look at the first arrow and see that it is blue, red, red) in this case the blue one will face you when you lock the arrow to the circular metallic thing located on the string. Yes, the one above your three fingers.

Do you see it now? This is how your arrow should be. It needs to lock in to the metal thing. You will hear a snap. If you don't lock it, then you attempt to release it, it will simply bounce off straight into the ground. I know because it happened to me.

After prepping, you are now ready to release it. You just have to make sure the arm holding the bow is straight and then pull the string near to your cheek and release it.

AQTIV Archery requires endurance, determination, practice, and the will to hit the mark. I personally thought it was impossible for me to hit one but I actually did. You can take the Maze and Live Targets on but know that there is a time limit of 2 minutes which makes it even better because it gives you that adrenaline rush you need to hit the targets immediately.

Aqtiv Archery is located in Sanbdbox, Porac, Pampanga. It is the newest attraction that Sandbox has along with Free Fall and Roller Coaster Zipline which K also tried.

Starbucks Media Appreciation Night

It was a night that started with writing down our coffee resolution for 2016. My original thought was to drink more coffee but seeing as I already down 6 to 8 cups a day, I figured that I should probably come up with something better and this was what I thought of.

Afterwards, we were asked to take a seat and I was very thankful to have ended up in a table with friends.

In the photo above, I'm on stage and they included me in the groufie so I'm happy haha. I was singing with the acoustic band. It seems that every time there is a Rockeoke thing, I always end up singing on stage.

The rest of the night saw a lot of food, alcohol, and drinks free flowing. There were also games that tested our knowledge about coffee and it verified that I was indeed a true Starbucks Lover. I could have easily won each contest if I had joined every single one. I joined only one and got lucky coz I won a towel, a bag, and a PILIPINAS card. I also won in the raffle so I got another towel. They also gave us Chocolate Wafers as tokens at the end of the night.

Starbucks was one of those brands I coveted to be partners with and I am so happy that after years of writing about them, I finally got my wish granted. Even better, they appreciate what I do for them and it just makes me more of their fan and supporter. Cheers Starbucks. Thank you for the love.