Fertility Awareness Week 2013

When your dreams of conceiving is repeatedly put on hold, every negative pregnancy test feels like a another battle loss.  With every unsuccessful month, time seems to be pulling you away from the hope of starting a family.  I have been in a similar situation over six years ago and have witnessed a lot of friends and family go through the same ordeal.

Fertility Philippines is currently hosting the Fertility Awareness Week from August 25 to 31, 2013. The weeklong event  features a series of online video that tackles the barriers to understanding the condition as well as treatment options available in the Philippines. Watch the videos posted per day by visiting  http://fertilityawarenessweekasia.com/ph/agenda/ and share this with you friend. This may be the answer that they have long been praying for.

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OMBU, A Modern Filipino Restaurant

When someone says Filipino food, images of Kare-kare, Crispy Pata and garlic rice comes to mind. In my mental picture, the dish is served on banana leaves in a traditional Filipino restaurant with lots of wood, abaca and shell interiors.  Although I must admit that even though Filipino food is usually very tasty, it’s not my cup of tea. I like to dine in restaurants with modern and clean interiors.  And I like my food to not only taste good but also look good too (think food styling and French cuisine).  This fusion of good food and modern ambiance was answered a few months ago when I got to try the newly opened OMBU Restaurant in Quezon City.

Last Wednesday, I found myself back at OMBU with the SoMoms for a session with Coach Pia. OMBU is situated at the ground floor of the new Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City. The hotel itself is beautifully designed with clean lines and modern interiors.  OMBU’s classy ambiance perfectly compliments the hotel. We were served a delicious spread of Filipino dish with a modern twist.

Here are some of my top picks during the SoMoms event.

Penne Pasta in Olive Oil and Spanish Sardines

Tinapa Croquettes

Salted Egg Tempura



Beignet with Tsokolate-eh

Their prices are reasonable. Pasta dishes range from P200+ to P300+.  I spotted a lot of other items on the menu that i will definitely be going back for like the Lambanog Cream Pasta and the Choco Lava Cake ala Mode.

Do check them out if you're in the area. Good for family gatherings or dates. The combination of good food and modern ambiance will not disappoint.

OMBU

Ground floor, Sequoia Hotel.

91-93 Mother Ignacia St. corner Timog Avenue

South Triangle, Quezon City

Manila, Philippines

Tel: (632) 441 0518

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Two Upcoming Shows: Barbie LIVE! and Mickey's Magic Show

As a child, my parents would always bring me to see Disney on Ice in Araneta Coliseum. I have wonderful memories of rainbow-colored ice scones while watching my favorite Disney characters up close and personal.  It was sort of a family tradition that i look forward to every December.

As a mom of two young kids, i wanted them to enjoy the same shows that i enjoyed as a child.  We've brought the kids to see Disney LIVE and Disney on Ice the past years. They never disappoint! Last weekend, two posters caught my eye as I was shopping around the Mommy Mundo Clearance Sale in Fun Ranch. Disney LIVE is back...but this time, it's a magic show! How cool is that?

And for all kikay little girls who love Barbie as much as Dawn and i do, here's a wonderful new show for you! Dawn loooves Barbie and sings along to most of the songs from the Barbie cartoons. I've seen video samples of the musical and they're going to sing those songs during the concert! 

Now, here's the good news, if you book today until August 30, 2013, you will get 30% discount from the listed ticket price! That's a whole lot of savings! I've already purchased 8 tickets for the whole family - yes, the grandparents, aunts, and kids are all going. I won't tell you which show we're going to watch just yet...just wait for the blog review about the show afterwards.

Call 470 6956 or 984 1208 for the discounted tickets and look for Francis. Hurry! You have 8 days to avail of the 30% price reduction.

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Want to Win a Trip to Legoland?

Two weeks ago, Dens and I flew to HongKong for a business trip. I have been on countless business trips throughout my career and my usual concern has always been sleeping alone in the hotel rooms. Getting married solved those anxieties since Dens can now accompany me on my trips. However, now that I am a mom, other concerns crop up. Aside from missing my kids, another concern is what will happen to them should something (God forbid) happen to Dens and me during our trip. Such thoughts lead me to think about preparing our will and making sure we leave enough resources for them to sustain their current lifestyle.  One of the best ways to protect them is to be well insured. My husband is not really a believer of insurance and he'd rather invest our money so that we see the returns during our lifetime. Either way, we both agree that should do something about it.

Two months ago, i wrote about attending an event which tackled Raising Kids with High FQ. During the event, we also talked about fail proofing your child's future. This was a very timely reminder for me to prepare our family's finances.  We need to ensure that our children will enjoy the same privileges - or even more - throughout their lifetime.  Do you know that statistically, only 14 out of 100 children who enter Grade 1 will graduate with a college degree? It's sad, isn't it? Well, you can do something about it today. Speak to a financial adviser. They can help you fail proof your family's future.

Now, on a brighter note, AXA Philippines announced during the event that they have an ongoing contest. All you need to do is to sign up through their Facbook page to gain a raffle coupon.  I'm sure you won't hesitate after you've seen the prizes below. Hurry and maybe you'll see your family in Legoland, Malaysia sooner than you think!

MINOR PRIZES

Learn & Play Package

Annual Membership in Gymboree for kids aged 0-60 months old, includes 5 gymplay coupons. (10 Winners

Explorer Package

• Mind Museum all-day passes for 2 adults & 2 children. (10 Winners)
• Nido Discovery + Inventors’ lab tickets for adults & 2 children
• Four “Pacific Sky Wonder 9” tickets in Manila Ocean PArk (10 Winners)

School Supplies Package

• Gift Certificates from National Bookstore worth P5,000 per winner (10 Winners)

MAJOR PRIZES

Skills Package

• Yamaha School of Music (12 lessons/1hr/lesson; choose from basic guitar,
• piano, violin, flute. (4 Winners)
• Center for Pop Music (Starborne Regular, 18 sessions/2hrs/session) (4 Winners)

Gadget package

• Desktop & printer set (2 Winners)

Grand Prize

• Trip for 4 (2 adults & kids) to Legoland Malaysia (1 Winner)

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No Moving Targets

It was a fine summer day.  Troy carefully wore his goggles and excitedly shouted “Mom, I’ll swim to you!” I happily obliged and moved farther. Then he said “Not so far, Mom!” So I moved closer to him and said “Okay, this is good. Now swim to me!” As Troy started swimming, I saw how good he is after two summers of swimming lessons. So I started to inch myself farther and then some. He eventually caught me.  When he looked up, he said “Mom, you moved!” Eeps. Yes, I did.

My friend Candy recently shared an article from the Straits Times entitled Giving Bright Kids a Head Start.  The article talked about a successful mom from Singapore, Pamela Lim, who raised five very successful children.  She shared a lot of interesting insights on parenting but one of her statements caught my attention.  She said [on homework] "No moving targets.  If they finish the agreed pages, I don't push them to do just a little bit more. Trust is hard to earn back once it's lost."  It was an eye opener for me.  Sometimes we tend to push our kids to do more when we feel they are capable.  Though our intention is to help them excel further, it may sometimes be counter-productive.  When we have already set goals for them, we should not change the goals as they progress. Very much like my swimming story, it does not always build confidence. And more often than not, it simply destroys trust.

Don't we often do the same in a lot of our daily activites? During mealtime, we often see parents say "Last 2 spoonfulls then you're done!". But when the last spoon goes in, the parent would sometimes go further by saying "Konti nalang! How about one super last one?"  We try to push their limits. We make our targets move.  

Isn't building trust more important than that one last spoonfull or those few inches further in the swimming pool? From today onwards, I will do my best to fix my targets.  No more moving targets in our family. Our children's trust in us is far more important.

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Mommy Mundo Clearance Clear Out Sale 2013!

Get your Christmas list ready because the 3rd Mommy Mundo Clearance Clear Out Sale is here!  The event will held on August 16 to 18, 2013 at the Rainbow Room, Fun Ranch Building, Frontera Verde, Pasig.

Get up to 75% off from over 30 most loved brands for moms and kids. As a special shopping bonus, you get a free gift from Mommy Mundo for every P1,000 purchase using your BPI Credit Card. Yes! You can use your credit cards during the event. How cool is that? 

Participating Brands:

• Cluebebe
• Crumbs & Grubs
• Born Baby Stuff
• Bug & Kelly
• Tiny Tots
• Silly Monkey Clothing
• Tots & Toddlers
• R. Trevi
• Bulilit Bookstore
• Little Luees Locker
• Jejsy
• Starkids
• Wonderworld Toys
• Indigo Baby
• Shop Mommy Matters
• Nurture Nook
• Tomatoberry
• Baby Shop PH
• Nursingmom
• Mama & Me
• Philips Avent
• Goody
• Aprica
• Richwell Brands:
• Barbie
• Chicco
• Safety 1^st
• Elle Apparel
• Hot Wheels
• Pigeon
• Feiyue

So whether you are shopping for yourself, a pregnant friend or your inaanaks, there is definitely something in store for you! It's a wonderland of unique gifts for this Christmas. See you there, okay?

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I Missed You, Carpaccio!

Before Italianis and all other commercial Italian restaurants became popular, there was Carpaccio. It's a small restaurant along Yakal in Makati that serves authentic Italian food. I vividly remember the paintings on the wall. They were reminiscent of the gondolas in Venice and cobblestones in Paris. It was such a lovely little nook in Makati.

We would have some lunch meetings with our foreign guests there some fifteen years ago. Dens and i would also frequent the place during our anniversaries and other special occassion. It was my favorite Italian restaurant then. Years later, new restaurants popped up in Makati and i forgot about Carpaccio. Once in a while i would remember it but thought it must be pretty run-down by now.

Last Friday, Dens and i were on our way home and was stuck in flood and traffic along Yakal Street.  Fate has it that we were pretty much stranded in front of the old Carpaccio. We wondered about the place and decided to check it out for old times' sake. What greeted us was such a surprise.

The place has moved to the 2nd floor of the same building.  It has been renovated with much modern interiors. They kept the wine rack to retain its vintage feel but everything else was sleek and stylish. Though i have fond memories of the old place, I really liked the new vibe that they've injected to the renovated restaurant.

The second thought that came to mind when i saw the place was 'uh-oh, prices must have also sky-rocketed with the upgraded interiors.  But then again, i was happy to see that they have remained reasonable considering the service and the good food.

We decided to split a pizza and a pasta between the two of us. Our bill came up to P800+ which is not bad for the fine dining experience. To start our meal, they served us warm bread and different spreads.

This was followed by a complimentary lamb patty as an appetizer. I am not a lamb person but it was very tasty. I guess i was more floored by the fact that this was free! #ilovefreebies

And then our main course came. All pasta dish come in two serving sizes. You can order it in appetizer portion or the main course. We decided to just get the appetizer portion since we were already splitting an entire pizza between the two of us. It was a good decision since it turned out that the appetizer portion was plenty enough already. The size is similar to a single-serving pasta dish in other established restaurants.

Marinara Pasta

Al Frutti di Mare Pizza (Seafood)

After our meal, my old love for Carpaccio has returned.  i told Dens that Carpaccio is still my favorite Italian restaurant of all time. I am sure we will be back. Maybe we'll see you there too?

Here is the entire MENU for your reference.

 

CARPACCIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO

7431 Yakal Street, San Antonio Village,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel: (63) 843-7286 / 867-3164
F: (63) 892-9271
E-mail: dining_at_yakal@werdenberg.com

Website: http://www.werdenberg.com/carpaccio/index.html

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