I have a this special thing towards vintage items. I could buy broken things and have it restored to its pristine condition, if not, to its presentable or usable state. If you know certain high-end brands and realize that they are worth a fortune when you buy it brand new at the store, then suddenly you see it at a vintage shop with tolerable flaws (which you know in your mind that your trusty repair guy at the shop could do something about it), then well, you could say you've hit the JACKPOT!

With this being said, it is not much of a wonder why I am fascinated with SKYcable's History Channel (Channel 5).  I particularly follow it because they feature uniquely interesting shows for the 'vintage' person that I am. I personally watch Pawn Stars and The American Pickers.

Pawn Stars: The Harrisons' pawnshop  

Pawn Stars is about a  family store owned by the Harrisons in Las Vegas. If you're a fan of the show, you wouldn't miss the cast behind it: Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison, and of course, Chumlee! The 'Old Man', the family's patriarch Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr. died in 2018. I used to see the grandpa being part of the show in 2015 and he usually had the last say in decision making, like in accepting items from walk-in customers. I missed those days when the Old Man was having funny conversations with the others in the show, mostly reprimanding Corey and Chumlee! Chumlee is Corey Harrison's best friend, by the way.

As a backgrounder, long before the famous show hit on television, Pawn Stars shop was known as pawnbrokers giving loans in exchange for valuable things. The Harrison family-owned Gold and Silver Pawnshop in Las Vegas, which had a wide range of items from a 1763 Stradivarius violin to a 1973 Husqvarna Enduro motorcycle. See, everything has a history, and everything has a price. At Pawn Store, you will never know what is going to walk through the door. That is, I say, is the most exciting part of hunting and selling for vintage items. 

American Pickers' journey to 10

The American Pickers is another show on History Channel that I look forward to every time I have the chance. It's the duo of Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz who are both always on the road across the country turning rust to riches and revealing United States’ history one piece at a time. With their office manager Danielle Colby back at their home base, Mike and Frank travel the roads of America meeting fascinating people while searching for rusty gold and uncovering history hidden in junk piles. It never fails to satisfy me seeing them get a bargain of a noted collectible item and get it appraised at a much higher value when they get back home. A lot of vintage items enthusiasts have come to love this show and it warms the heart knowing they are celebrating their 10th year on the run.

My husband watches these shows, too, but he also loves watching the other guys' shows on History: Forged in Fire and Counting Cars. A little something like flipping ugly old items into shiny, new ones. I'd try to write about them in my future blog posts.

How about you? Do you also watch shows on History Channel? Comment your thoughts down below :)

I didn't really expect to be this engrossed with the 30th SEA Games this year as my country plays host. It's the fourth time the Philippines has hosted the Southeast Asian Games which happens every other year. I've read and heard some controversy about the preparations but I just brushed it aside, knowing that people tend to make a big deal about politics in pretty much about everything. 

There were also a lot of things going on at work (I work as a Virtual Assistant!) which I think needs more time and attention.

As days drew closer to the opening of day last Nov 30, I was surprisingly getting excited! I saw a lot of adverts on SKY channels giving us a preview on what to expect about the SEA Games. It was 12-day action-packed event participated in by 11 member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam; with 530 sports events and a total of 5,630 athletes participants.

The day of the opening had wonderful reviews all over the internet. It was definitely one for the books. Indeed, it uplifted everyone spirits as Filipinos, as cliche as it may sound. And at that instant, we felt united despite many differences. The opening number was spectacular, the dances, songs, costumes, and the venue itself--- all the details were perfect.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year since I was a kid. Now as an adult, Starbucks' holiday offers make it even more exciting. The much sought-after Starbucks Planner and travel organizer, holiday-themed food goodies, holiday collectibles such as tumblers and mugs, Christmas Starbucks Card and of course the season's featured beverages. All these make 'ber' months a little more merry and festive. Agree?

For this year, they've got exciting new Christmas merch everyone is sure to love.

First off, tumblers, mugs and reusable cups! They have a whole lot of new colorful Christmas designs to choose from. And get this, they released the limited edition Starbucks Flask which can hold your favorite beverage wherever you go!

Also, grab the Starbucks Holiday Polar Bear Snow Globe if you want your desk or table to have that winter feels.

And for the most awaited part.. the Starbucks Planner 2020. Many are making this as a yearly tradition: collecting stickers for every beverage purpose to redeem their much-coveted price: The Starbucks Planner or Travel Organizer!

For 18 stickers, you get to own a planner or travel organizer for free which comes in different colors and designs. Gray and pink for the planners, green and choco brown for the travel organizer. Each comes with its own matching case. 

As a mom, being the one in-charge of our kitchen, I am always on the lookout for things that give ultimate value for money. For sure, I am not alone in the  unwritten rule that grocery food items need to be both great-tasting and affordable to be in my grocery list! Do you agree? 

And since no Filipino table is complete without our well-loved comfort food such as adobo and pansit, moms and dads or anyone in the family who loves cooking, particularly those from the Visayas and Mindanao would be delighted to know that Luzon's favorite brand, SELECT soy sauce and suking puti is finally available in the area.

I attended the product launch here in Davao City at dusitD2 (Dusit Thani Hotel) last week and the chef prepared the above-mentioned Pinoy dishes using Select soy sauce and sukang puti. We had the chance to sample them and personally I can say that they certainly tasted good. I liked it that the adobo had the classic taste, not too sour and with a hint of sweetness in it.

To give you a background, Select is produced by Wellmade Manufacturing Corporation which is a trusted brand by Filipinos. For 44 years now, the company and the Select brand is synonymous to quality and taste, essential elements of a product that make food taste extra special.

Select is proudly Philippine-made. It is the brands mission is to provide high quality, healthy,

cooking products that are affordable to the average Filipino consumer.

“A husband and wife Chinese migrants established Essential Manufacturing in 1975 with Select

Soy Sauce and Select Vinegar as the company’s main products. With limited capital, they started

a small business with minimal production and distribution limited in Luzon,” said Joseph Charles

Cruel, the managing director of Wellmade.

“We’re a year short of turning 45 years old. We took small yet sure steps with the company’s

growth. This year will be another milestone for Wellmade when the Select products will start its

distribution in Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.

I first saw this brand of juices in malls around the city a few years ago and instantly fell in love with it.  Hands down, it's really great-tasting with just the natural fruit taste, no more, no less.  Since then, our family has become regular consumers up to this day.

Last week, I was invited to be part of the Fresh Day 2019 event for bloggers and from there, I got to know the story behind Natureal Juice.

THE LITTLE STORY behind Natureal Juice

Did you know that the creators of Natureal Juice are avid fans of calamansi juice?

They realized there’s something about real fresh, homemade calamansi juice that wasn’t present in any of the calamansi juice options available in stores or groceries today. They just don’t taste the same. The creators of Natureal Juice saw this as an opportunity to develop something they know the local market wants but do not have convenient access to just yet. And that’s how Natureal Juice Calamansi came to be —real and fresh calamansi juice with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Natureal Juice released two more flavors: Mango Fusion and Passion Fruit, both with calamansi juice infused into the formulations as well. The Natureal Juice first made its debut in SM Lanang Premier's Weekend Bazaar last October 2015.

In 2016, Natureal Juice launched its first permanent kiosk in SM Lanang Premier. Since then, it has opened several more outlets around Mindanao. Natureal Juice has also launched seasonal flavor, Green Mango.

 

the long term solution would be to utilize renewable sources of energy

Jolly Claro Palm Oil gathered bloggers from Davao City last week for an informative discussion about PALM OIL. 

Palm oil, among the different kinds of cooking oil in the market, is the widely used cooking oil in most Filipino homes and in Southeast Asia. As the name implies, palm oil is extracted from the flesh of the palm fruit. 

Aside from being affordable, it also has a high smoke point suitable for high heat cooking. 

Kimchi

Bibimbap

Chef Edwin doing a Samgyupsal demo