Archives for January 2011

Eight More Reasons To Bring Your Family At Legend Villas And Dine In Lola Marias

How would you like to be served with a dish from your favorite celebrity? Lola Maria Restaurant welcomes 2011 with this new eight dishes that comes from Lola Maria family’s celebrity friends. These dishes are staple with every celebrity’s occasion or gatherings. But of course, even if this dishes came from our favorite celebrities, they made sure that each dish is given a Lola Maria Restaurant twist.

Last Friday, we were lucky to be one of the first people to taste Lola Maria Restaurant’s 8 new dishes. We were first served with three different beverages..

That’s Pomelo/ Pineaple, Dalandan Sluch with Mint and Pandan Iced Tea, I chose Pomelo/Pineapple (I have been having a Pomelo moment so bear with me).

Now comes the Eight new dishes..

Vegetable Quiche
“Perfert for breakfast or snack, this dish is ideal for people like me who are always on the go” – Randy Ortiz, fashion designer

Prawn Cakes
“I love seafood! This dish is perfect with cocktails. It’s easy to prepare, but stylish in its own way” -Atoy Llave, show car maker

Fish Pinipig
“I chose this dish because it is healthy and easy to make. It’s like the Filipino version of fish and chips” – Iza Calsado, actress/ host/ endorser

Cocido
A recipe owned by Lola Maria’s family.

Garlic & Rosemary Rib Eye
by actress Ara Mina

Ensaymada Pudding
“It’s been a while a tradition in our family to eat this dish during Christmas season” – Danica Magpantay, Ford Supermodel grand winner

Ube & Langka Panna Cotta
“It’s yummy and easy to serve to friends” – Sherilyn Reyes- Tan, actress

Fried Suman At Tsokolate
“This comfort food recipe came from my lola and Dad. Our family loves chocolates!” – Wilma Doesnt, actress/ host/ model

Lola Maria Restaurant is the main dinning outlet of The Legend Villas Hotel. A hotel located along Pioneer corner Madison Streets, Manadaluyong City. A 100% Filipino owned hotel that has been a home for travelers, weekend gatherings or business meeting. The restaurant offers Filipino dishes along with some international cuisines.

Of all the dishes we tasted, I like the desserts best. OK, seriously, they all have a classic distinct taste. The beef are very tender whilst the desserts are just right, not too sweet but enough to give your gastronomic experience a great ending.

You can all have this at Lola Maria Restaurant for 1350 nett PhP per person (maximum of 5 persons). Other treat from the restaurant: Chocolate Buffet every Saturday and Sunday (all weekends of February)

Who Gives Blogging A Bad Name?

Every time the Big Bad Blogger article of Margaux Salcedo crossed my mind, I cannot help but sing.. who give ~~love~~ blog a bad name?

The article is about Georgia. She opened a restaurant and was well received by people. She was even featured, her resto, in the same newspaper where the Big Bad Blogger was published. After a time a PR company approached her. Telling her that her sales would increase if she hires them. The PR talk about social media (blog events, facebook and blog reviews). Georgia declined the offer.

Enter Big Bad Blogger.. he came, he ate (or as Margaux puts it “ate like a regular blogger, took pictures with his ginormous SLR”) and he blog (does it mean he is MALE?). The review he did was good.. then the PR firm called Georgia claiming that BBB (as it was nicknamed) works for them and that if G would hire them, more bloggers will write the same good review for her resto.

The price? 120,000 Php a month for a year then lowered to 80,000 PhP (1800+ in USD)* G declined.

A year after, G opened another restaurant, BBB visits again and did the same as he did before (by the way BBB paid for his meal). But this time his review was a scathing one (the description used in the article). The PR firm called once again and claimed that BBB works for the firm and for the same price as the last year’s offer, the firm will make sure BBB retracts his comment about the newly opened resto.

It was not clear if G accepted the offer (but it seems yes as the article mentioned about a dessert launch where bloggers are given lomo cam as freebies.. now go ask around about a certain dessert launch where bloggers are given lomo cam)… or if the post or comment of BBB was retracted.. so it is safe to assume that we are NOT SURE if BBB was really working for the FIRM..

So why all of a sudden this is all about BBB? And was it confirmed by Margaux herself that the blogger is really associated with the firm? Why name the blogger BIG BAD BLOGGER? why not about the firm? wouldn’t you think that the article is a subtle attack to “new media” as Margaux puts it: “But PR firms have caught on. Marketing is no longer limited to tri-media or traditional media, i.e., TV, radio and print. It now also extends to social or new media: a website, a Facebook page, mentions on Twitter, online directories and blogs.” Is this a plot to discredit the new media because it is becoming a threat to traditional media?

It’s just one blogger.. he maybe be Big but there are hundreds of bloggers.. can he be that powerful? but still we are not 100% sure that BBB is working for the firm? But it is clear that the media form where Margaux Salcedo’s article was published was that influential (even my non blogging friends asked about BBB). And clearly, this article made the blogging community look bad.. so who give blogging a bad name?

And oh, for me, it is OK to pay bloggers to attend a certain event. Isn’t it the same as accepting freebies? Afterall, the blogger got his share of expenses too (think about transpo and the worst part, cocktails! gastos na nga, gutom ka pa). And blogging for money is not bad at all.. just make sure that when you write about apples, it is an apple you are talking about and not orange.

pero surely you still want to know Who is Big Bad Blogger? we got clues!

he IS a male
he owns DSLR
he publish his reviews fast

Margaux, please give us clues on who the PR firm is.

Note to restaurants owners and the likes: Blogging or social media maybe powerful but it is not like trad media. You can do something without wasting too much money. You know *given that amount, the owner can actually buy 30+ blog post that can give her restaurant in appear in major search engine for a certain keyword (say best Pinoy resto). She can even hire her own SEO to put you on Google.. on the first page.. I hope the social media here in our country will learn how this thing really works. And that it is not just about events and creating buzz.

It Happened Too Soon

Only few people knows this.. one of my husband’s nephew died after New Year. I wouldn’t be much affected if I hadn’t met and interacted with the kid last New Year. The boy even tinkered my camera. He was only 13, for sure, his parents didn’t even thought about Burial Insurance for him. It was a sudden lost. They say that he collapsed during their Physical Education jogging routine. It was so sad that the school did not brought him to the hospital as soon as it happened. They waited and it must be the cause of his death.

What made my heart heavier is the fact that last year, I have learned that a friend’s relative also died at a very young age. He was also a teenager. As a mother, I couldn’t help but be paranoid. If this is happening to people we knew, it might happen to us and that is something I cannot take. Why is it that death rises on teenagers? Is it their active life less nutritious food that is becoming the culprit? Me and husband agreed that when our kids reached 12, we would be very cautious on their health. I mean extra, super extra cautious.

Life and death is the most avoided topic. To me, it is as simple as it will happen. One of the reason why we are always looking for affordable life insurance rate. At least we can have something for the kids when we left. But, I know most of you will agree that the worst thing can happen to any parent is when they outlive their kids. That is the saddest thing, specially of course if it will happen too soon (like what happened to my sister in law).

But for people who treats death like me, you might want to read Insurance Information Exchange and be prepared on what might come.