2008 April | McShutterLovin

food food food

Apr 28, 2008 announcements, events, food

I love getting invites to food events. I get to sample tasty new treats, photograph the dishes, eat more food, visit new places, chow on more grub. I’m sure you get the picture. I like tasting and eating food. And tomorrow is gonna be a real foodie adventure. Appetite Magazine and Greenbelt in association with 2nd Avenue have invited a few of us to the grand launching of The Tasting Room, “a gastronomic tour featuring specially designed tasting menus from restaurants, bars, and wine shops.” Tomorrow evening, I’ll get to satisfy my palate with tasty morsels from 15 different establishments, namely:

Kai, Tropezz, Bubba Gump, Solihiya, Max Brenner, Mr. Rockerfeller, La Maison, Haiku, Italianni’s, Cyma, Capricciosa, Mezze, Nuvo, Gaudí and Fish & Co.

But don’t fret, if you aren’t part of tomorrow’s grand launch. The The Tasting Room promo will last the whole month of May. So foodies, don’t worry. You can still go on the gastronomic adventure, and sample the best of food and drink that the participating restos have to offer.

If you wanna know more, grab a copy of Appetite Magazine’s April-May 2008 issue. Aside from the delicious articles, you’ll also find some Tasting Room coupons, a few discounts and even free parking privileges.

Stay tuned for a little review and a bunch of photos!

Tags: 2nd avenue, appetite magazine, food, greenbelt, mega publishing, Tasting Room

hmmm…looks familiar

Apr 25, 2008 miscellaneous

They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If this is so, then the people at Yehey! 9myself included) must be really pleased.

My friend Az recently posted in his Multiply site an announcement regarding an exclusive blogger’s tour.

Upon checking the site, I was amazed at the similarity of the Microsite that Yehey! did for the Trinoma Blogger Food Tour, held last January 9. Not only is the concept very similar, but so is the layout of the website, as well as the concept behind the said event.

Here are a couple of screenshots of the two microsites:

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Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. Nor am I bashing the new event. I was just surprised to see the glaring similarities. But in the end, it’s the participants that get to benefit from these events. So, cheers to everyone involved.

Tags: blogger tour, trinoma, Yehey

starbucks cool coffee experience

Apr 23, 2008 Yehey, events, food, photography

Welcome, summer!

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If you haven’t noticed the rising temperature, then you’ve probably been stuck at home with your aircon blowing full blast, and all your shades have been pulled down. But for those of you that have been sweating it out in the scorching summer sun, here’s a bit of good news…

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Starbucks is initiating its Summer Oasis Mall invasion. Mall invasion, you ask? Get to chill out in beautiful, Brazilian inspired cabanas while enjoying a back rub or hand massage; relive those fun-filled beach days by getting a henna tattoo; or simply relax with Starbucks’s new Coffee Blend — the Dulce de Leche Frappuccino Blended Coffee (or Blended Cream). Here are the tentative dates for the mall tour:

May 3-4: Bonifacio High Street
May 9-10: Glorietta Mall
May 17-18: Powerplant Mall
May 24-25: Robinson’s Place Manila
May31-June 1: SM Mall of Asia
June 3-5: Glorietta Mall
June 14-15: Shangri-La Mall

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Luckily, I don’t have to wait for those dates, as I was able to get an ‘advance preview’, along with a few other guests. Back rubs and hand massages, henna tattooing by Tanging Henna (from Puerto Galera), and some of the new products awaited the guests. The new Dulce de Leche Frappuccino Blended Coffee (or Cream based) was the main attraction. Also served, for our gastronomic pleasure: the Dulce de Leche Bars, Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, Passion Fruit Cake and to break away from the sweetness, a Shitake Mushroom with Farmers Ham sandwich (which was loaded with pesto and some other good stuff). Oh, there was also a salad…which I didn’t try as it just looked too healthy.

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So as the sun set in Harbour Square, I enjoyed my cool coffee blend, experiencing the beach, right in the middle of the city. Too bad I was in office attire. For your own cool coffee break, ask your local barista in your favorite Starbucks outlet for more info. But take note, not all outlets are offering this sizzling treat.

more photos here

Tags: coffee, dessert, henna tattoo, massage, pastries, photography, starbucks

the new Chrysler Town & Country Touring Edition

Apr 23, 2008 Yehey, events

Bannering the American heritage and standard of quality, luxury and comfort, Chrysler recently launched the latest Town & Country Touring Edition at the Manila Polo Club, in an entertaining afternoon of fine food, entertainment and a series of games to familiarize the media with the new automobile, as well as an opportunity to test drive the new machine.

True to its legacy of innovation and luxury, Chrysler’s new Town & Country Touring Edition brings the best of style, functionality and comfort in the latest edition of the “family room on wheels”. Designed to fit seven passengers comfortably, the Town & Country is actually a vehicle that can be altered to suit your needs, once again raising the bar for excellence and reinventing the ideal family friendly mobile. Armed with its unique Stow ‘n Go fold-flat-to-the-floor seating, seats can be hidden to make way for more storage capacity. So whether you’re a mom on the go, looking to find ways to add more space for your toddlers or a family man looking for a vehicle that will allow your whole brood to travel in heavenly comfort, this just may be the vehicle you’re looking for. Of course, the new Town & Country is also ideal for singles that enjoy traveling, as the spacious compartments, and adjustable storage make for great stow space for all your gear.

With innovations and upgrades to their line of vehicles, Chrysler, the inventor of the minivan has truly embraced the lifestyle of today’s modern family. With more than twelve million units sold since its introduction in 1983, the new Town & Country Touring Edition is sure to boost those numbers, with the convenience, comfort, luxury and flexibility of this new multipurpose family room on “wheels”.

Tags: cars, chrysler, motoring, town and country, vehicles

first roll: crap

Apr 22, 2008 lomo | holga, photography

After waiting agonizingly for weeks, I finally got my Lomo LC-A+ camera pack and Colorsplash Flash. Excited as I was, I decided to shoot like crazy and take just about anything and everything. I was fooling around with colors, experimenting with the settings, and hitting that multiple exposure switch like I was running out of film. I was pretty confident that I would get some cool photos out of the roll, as I had tripped out on my five year old Holga 120N previously.

But when I got my prints back, I found that I had produced crap, pretty much. There was nothing lomographic about my photos and a lot of the shots came out blurred. Charge it to experience. I do, however, have my doubts about some of my photos. As I had my film developed in a Kodak center, a few of the shots were not printed — especially those double exposed and with strange colors…which leads me to believe that they actually color corrected some of the photos. But who knows. My first roll wasn’t a total waste though, as I think I was able to come up with a few shots that were worth saving. My pick of the bunch:

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My second roll is now with Digiprint, and I’m just waiting to see how this roll comes out. Hopefully, better.

Tags: experiments, lomo, lomography, photography

skyfire

Apr 22, 2008 miscellaneous, tech stuff

Good news for all you internet junkies out there: a new product that allows you to browse the web on your phone just came out. Yes, there are already a lot of other similar products in the market, but Skyfire claims to make browsing on your phone exactly like browsing on your PC. With that said, the browser boasts of support for Flash Videos, Rich Flash content, AJAX, Quicktime and Java.

Check out the demo video for more info.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mWUoxiLZFc&hl=en]

Tags: demo, funny videos, mobile internet browsing, skyfire