Marriott Manila's Festive Treats: Thanksgiving's Turkey to Go

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. With it now being the last quarter of 2013, I've began to reflect on all the goals I had set and everything I had accomplished in the past months. There really is a lot for me to be thankful for! I was determined to make something of my 2013 - to take control my life and not be controlled by it, and I think I've done a pretty good job thus far.

I am particularly looking forward to this year's Thanksgiving. Although it's more of an American tradition, I like what it represents and it's also a good excuse to have friends over to sit down to a great spread!

I was lucky enough to get invited to check out the Thanksgiving spread at Marriott Hotel Manila. Their Festive Treats event was especially put together for the busy folks who don't have the time to spend hours in the kitchen but who still want to enjoy a hearty meal.

Read more on Marriott Hotel Manila:
★ Marriott Hotel Manila: VIP Treatment at the Executive Lounge
★ Marriott Hotel Manila: A Relaxing Afternoon at Quan Spa
★ Marriott Hotel Manila: Dinner Buffet at the Marriott Café
★ Marriott Hotel Manila: The Birthday Staycation
★ Marriott Manila's Festive Treats: Christmas Hampers

Heavenly Nail Treatments at St. Nails

Every now and again I like to treat myself to a spa day. This whole day affair consists of a hair cut and color, a body treatment at a nearby spa, maybe a lash extension service, and a mani-pedi with a relaxing foot scrub to wind down my day of pampering. It's rough (and expensive!) being a girl.

But when all I need is a quick pick-me-up, I go to my new santo sanctorum along EDSA right next to Dasmariñas Village: St. Nails Nail Spa.

Enjoying a Slice of New York at NOLITA

Nothing screams New York like a big ass slice of pizza. Be it the Yellow Cab or SNR variety, this is a guilty pleasure I like to indulge in once every two weeks - with a friend or two, of course. I must've been a Ninja Turtle in a past life. With pizza joints claiming to serve "authentic New York pizzas" only a handful have really gotten the big slice with gooey cheese down pat, and one of them is my favorite gourmet pizza place, NOLITA - in true New Yorker form, NOLITA is short for North of Little Italy.

On one particularly lovely Saturday morning, Jericho and I took our dogs for a walk around BGC High Street and met up with Jazmin and Eric of EricJaz Foodies for a spot of brunch. They brought their son, Mati, along so he could go biking afterwards.

Dessert Series: Fika

According to Wikipedia, Fika is both a Swedish verb and noun (pronounced "fee-ka") that roughly means "to drink coffee, tea, or squash(?)" usually accompanied by something sweet. Located at the new Greenstreet Mall, the brainchild of Sweedish Head Chef, Mats Loo, Fika is both a cafe and a place for this students at the First Gourmet Academy to show off their pastry skills - and in the near future, their cooking skills.

Butterfly Twists: Foldable Shoe Fashion

Can I just tell you: I love my heels. The higher the heels are, the better. Ever since I was a little girl I'd wear my mother's wedge heels and walk around the house in them. I'm pretty comfortable in heels, it's funny how I can run in them but trip over myself when I'm wearing flip flops. The downside to sky high heels that make your gams look super sexy and your legs go on forever and ever? They hurt. A lot. With the balls of your feet basically supporting the weight of your body, you'll need to give it a rest after a few hours of standing.

Butterfly Twists, the brand for the ‘girl on the go’, was founded in London in 2007 by four men! College friends Emmanuel, Frank, Mark and Philippe, came up with a unique fashion-forward idea after one of them (who shall remain nameless) literally knew what it felt like to be in a woman’s shoes after losing a bet and attending a party wearing a pair of 6 inch stilettos!

I would always pack a pair of flip flops with me and leave them in the car to change into when I'd go out, but then by that time I'd find myself limping to the car with really sore feet. Pain is beauty, as they say. So you could imagine my surprise and delight when I found a package from Butterfly Twists at my door, giving me a pair to try out the next time I need to don my 5-inch heels. And all I need to do is fold them to tuck them away in my bag for when I need them. Sweet!

After giving the ballet flats a go (they were sooo comfortable!) and checking out their latest Fall collection, I have a few favorites that I'd like to include on my Christmas list this year:

Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test 3.0

Last Saturday at Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test 3.0 is where all the foodies come out to play and where passionate business owners with innovative food concepts showed off their wares. Jericho and I made our way to the Rockwell Tent, our tummies tingling with anticipation at all the glorious food we'd be stuffing our faces with! We even brought Jericho's sister, Justice, along for good measure.

IHOP: Say Good Morning with Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity®

When it's pay day Friday and I can hear the rain gently rapping on my window pane, almost nothing can get me out from under my warm covers. My ideal morning would be spend in bed with a hot cup of Serendipity's hot chocolate watching any movie that stars Aneurin Barnard.

Unless you tell me we're going to IHOP to get breakfast.

#everydayextraordinary at 26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The 26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is really quite something special. And to think, I used to just pass by the place on the way to Wildflour, da.u.de Tea Lounge, or Kuppa, blissfully unaware of the delicious, conveniently costed dishes that lay within.

I was invited to a food tasting at 26th St. Bistro by the good folks of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, to which I happily agreed. A friend of mine had been raving about the food at this place, but all that came to mind when I thought of food at CBTL were the dreary salmon breakfast sets I'd have while passing time between classes when I was in college with those hard apricot preserves. If you know what I'm talking about, you eat breakfast there way too much.

Resorts World Manila's Thrillapalooza Concert Series

As part of the Thrillathon anniversary revelry, the Thrillapalooza concert series features the most talked about artists in the local music and showbiz industries today. Among the headliners this September are Yeng Constantino, Jennylyn Mercado, Side A, Aia De Leon, Jay-R, Iya Villania, Paulo Avelino, Richard Poon, Liezel Garcia, Wency Cornejo, Rachelle Ann Go, and Kin Chiu.

Filipino Favorites at Dencio's with a View

So there I was, looking out at the breathtaking view of Capitol Hills' golf club and getting some much needed fresh air, thinking to myself: How on earth I end up all the way over here?

It started out simple enough. I got an invite that read "Sisig", which garnered an automatic "Yes,"  With one of the original owners of Dencio's, Dennis Nakpil, hosting lunch, I knew I was in for quite a treat and didn't quite pay attention to the address, only to find out it was way up in Kapitolyo. Whatever, the curiosity for good food got the better of me and I made my way up north to check what the hullabaloo was about and dig in to the all familiar Dencio's favorites.

Resorts World Manila Goes Choco-Loco This September!

Resorts World Manila (RWM), the country's premier one-stop, nonstop lifestyle destination, has gone cocoa-loco as it gives its patrons a taste of utter chocolate bliss for the whole month of September when the integrated resort rolls out its sinfully sweet affairs. As part of RWM's Thrillathon anniversary celebrations, as well as to celebrate International Chocolate Day on September 13, RWM offer up a month choc-full of thrills beginning with a lavish Chocolate Festival.

Cheap Thai Food at Som's Noodle House

The last time I ate at the karindirya-turned-restaurant called Som's Noodle House I was in college, studying at the all-women's college in San Lorenzo Village. Som's was pretty easy to get to by taxi and provided a much needed change of never-ending cafeteria slop and Glorietta food court staples you get so tired of eating.

After supporting Jericho's and the folks at Zomato at a bazaar at Rockwell Tent, we decided to have dinner at Som's instead of our usual Rockwell haunts. It would be Jericho's first time there, so he was excited for that, and I wanted to see how much the food had changed. I had heard rumors that the Thai owner had fallen ill, and with Filipinos running the joint you just know they'll be adding a bit too much sugar or salt where they aren't supposed to.

Get Your Ultimate Taste Test Tickets!

The ultimate food event, bloggers and foodies alike gather at Rockwell once a year to check out the best and the brightest up and coming successful food entrepreneurs - and taste their wares, of course!

What: Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test - Be a Food Critic for a Day!
When: September 14, 2013, Saturday, 11.00 am - 9.00 pm.
Where: Rockwell Tent

Ultimate Taste Test Fee: P585 per head.

This is inclusive of:

• Food Taste Portions from a minimum of 40+ Home-Based Food Vendors & Power Plant Mall Restaurants for the entire Saturday
• A bottle of San Miguel Super Dry, Premium All-Malt or Cerveza Negra (for foodies 18 years old and above only)
• A Food Critic Ballot for voting your favorite food discoveries.
• Donation to designated beneficiary.

IHOP Introduces Their Griddle Melts

I love a sandwich that you can barely fit in your mouth because there's so much stuff on it, like that pastrami sandwich I had at Katz - that was marvelous! Unfortunately in Manila, most sandwiches here are comprised of a few think slices of meat in between very sweet bread. I see why most people here don't consider sandwiches to be an actual meal - the measly portions can barely keep you satiated 'til your next meal.

Which is why I just looove IHOP! Known for their huge servings, fluffy pancakes, and generous helpings of flavored syrup, they have won me over once again with their newest comfort food innovation - their Griddle Melts! A hop, jump, and a skip away from High Street at the W Global Center, I found myself standing under the bright blue and white of IHOP's neon sign, excited to meet up with the rest of the KTG (Kain Tulog Gang aka my foodie fambam) to try their newest creations.