Yearly Archives: 2012

The Spoiled Mummy

By | Blogs, Hot Off the Press | 5 Comments

Around February this year, my friend Grace told me about her plans of starting a blog.  Five months later and now it had come true!  I know Grace, She is such a perfectionist so I am sure she ironed out everything before starting her blog.  

You can click below to go to her facebook page to get notifications on new entries 

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or just go straight to her website to check up on the latest  

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I am sure you will recognize Grace ( very beautiful )  if you have been reading my blogs – she is a constant Heart2Heart feature as she has many things to share so it is about time she has her own blog

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Here is her first entry and she has a second one already.  This girl travels a lot and enjoys the BEST of everything, so for sure you will enjoy her blog.  Congratulations my friend, Grace and I hope we will still see you here at Heart2Heart 🙂 

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Homemade Chicharon from Cebu

By | Finds, Travel, Yummy! | No Comments

Just arrived from Cebu and brought back with me some YUMMY chicharon!!!  I try to always bring back something from my trips so I can share them with you.  Good thing I have a little store to drop them off to.  Thanks to Tita Marissa for the source!! I love discovering things like these- no brand, homemade, not found in stores and of course YUMMY!

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 Here it is up close! It’s vacuum packed.  Hurry!  I have only 20 packs in the store! Start passing by tomorrow as we are closed on mondays!

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Store hours:  Tuesday to Sunday 12 noon to 10pm

Pls do not come on Mondays, the store is closed

Tel #:  854-7055

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Organizing Part 3 by Tito Villanueva

By | Household Tips | 5 Comments

 When I went to Tito’s place I was overwhelmed with too many details and things that he had so I cut the feature in parts.  

Previous entry:  By Tito Villanueva  July 25, 2012

These are very popular features, so whenever I can share some organization tips, I get excited!

Getting Organized by Mel September 28, 2011

Getting Organized Part 2 March 15, 2009

Getting Organized May 16, 2007 

Not only does he have a cozy and beautiful place, but it is a very organized one!!!  He is OC! 🙂

Starting out with his walk in closet 

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Oh my gosh!  This is the most organized drawer I have ever seen! 

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Pants and shoes

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Master Bathroom 

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That cat in the basket looked so real!! I had to go up close to check!

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Love this!

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Tito told me this was a door and instead of sealing it and closing it, he used it as storage space – a beautiful display at the same time.  He is always very practical and at the same time makes use of space wisely and manages to turn it into something beautiful

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His kitchen

Tito told me that he does not waste any space! If you will notice even this small space he made into a cabinet and he still used it for storage.  Normally we will just cover that up 

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Organized drawers!! 

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Tito measures all his things and he customizes the cabinets and the layers based on his requirements!! How much more detailed can you get than this? He is amazing! 

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He put this cabinet on top of the sink so straight from washing you can put them up here already to dry 

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Another cabinet built to specs to fit his vases! 

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Some New & Some Old Amazing World Photos

By | Photography | 2 Comments

This is from a forwarded email so I do not know the source of the photos/article- but it’s amazing and wanted to share it here!

A Beautiful World…

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The Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadanew-and-old-amazing-world-photos-02.jpg

Hubei, China 

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Santorini, Greece 

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Greece 

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Benteng Chittorgarh, India 

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Marble Caves, Chile 

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Alesund, Norway 

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Skaftafeli, Iceland – under side of a glacier 

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Palm Island, Dubai, UAE – first ever man-made islands

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Fifa Stadium in Qatar 

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The Pearl Waterfall, Jiuzhaigou Valley, China 

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Mount Roraima, Venezuela 

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Boracay Island, Philippines 

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The Moses Bridge, Netherlands 

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Petra, Jordan 

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Mountain gondola rides, China 

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Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

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Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia 

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Poseidon Undersea Resort, Fiji – $15,000 a week stay

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Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali, Indonesia 

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Monticello Dam, Napa County, California, USA 

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Gipslend Lake, Australia – chemical reaction called bioluminescence turns the water fluorescent blue 

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Sameba Cathedral, Georgia, Tbilisi 

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Songjiang Hotel, China

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Sky Walk, Tianmen Mountain, Chunan Province, China 

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Bora Bora, French Polynesia

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Meteora, Greece

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Tarta Madrid by Mallorca

By | Yummy! | 3 Comments

 This is a long delayed post!

I remembered it when I had it at Tito’s place for dinner!  this cake is so yummy and is made by my the family of my friend, Rocelle Lizares who is the sister of Gene Gonzales 

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For orders, call Tel #:  373-2789

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They even have Mexican stuff! 

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Discovery Shores Boracay Voted Top Hotel Spa in Asia

By | Accomodations, Spas, Travel | One Comment

Discovery Shores Boracay Voted Top Hotel Spa in Asia in the Travel + Leisure 2012 World’s Best Awards Readers’ Survey

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BORACAY Island, Philippines – July 6, 2012  DISCOVERY SHORES BORACAY, once again took the top spot as Number 1   Hotel Spa in Asia in Travel + Leisure’s (T+L) coveted 17th annual World’s Best Awards compendium of the best hotels, destinations, and travel companies in the world (Source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-best-hotels/6). 

Travel + Leisure’s features director, Nilou Motamed, announced winners of the 2012 World’s Best Awards survey on the “Today” daily American morning television show that airs on NBC.    The resort also ranked Number 5 on the list of Top 100 Hotels in the world and Number 2 among the Top Resorts in Asia.   

Discovery Shores has been consistently in the T+L World’s Best Awards list of Top Resorts in Asia for three years now, each year ranking higher in the readers’ survey.  “This is an affirmation of our unwavering commitment to giving our guests unmatched service standards complemented by our dedicated staff and our world-class facilities,“ said Jose C Parreño, Jr., chief operating officer of The Discovery Leisure Company Inc (TDLCI) and concurrent general manager of Discovery Shores Boracay. 

For 17 years running, T+L readers have been asked to vote on the hotels, destinations and travel companies they love the most in the annual World’s Best Awards survey.  This year’s results showcase the hotels and destinations that are important now.  “Even after 17 years, the opportunity to see what travel experiences resonate with our readers still intrigues and delights me. While some passions change over time, the allure of the exotic and the new remains as strong as ever, as does the attraction to trips that provide distinctive and long-lasting memories,” Travel + Leisure editor-in-chief Nancy Novogrod said in a press statement.

Travel + Leisure’s website describes Discovery Shores: “Barefoot elegance is the prevailing vibe on this tiny island, where the 2 1/2-mile stretch known as White Beach is often singled out for having the softest sand in the world. The 88 spacious suites feature large glass walls that look towards a scenic rock garden, but chances are you’ll spend more time by the water. Take a dip in the infinity pool, or Jet Ski on the crystalline sea. For people-watching, head to the Sandbar, where they stir up delicious mojitos, infused with local flavors like lychee and mango…Room to Book: Suites #318 and #330 have outdoor Jacuzzis, loft bedrooms, and views of the entire resort. Insider Tip: Chefs at Indigo restaurant can prepare a customized, multi-course degustation menu—just make sure you give them 24-hours’ notice.” (Link: http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/boracay/hotels/discovery-shores-boracay-boracay)

Boracay Island, the pristine white sandy beach where Discovery Shores is located, known as the beach capital of the Philippines has been named as this year’s World’s Best Island Overall with a score of 93.10, taking the top spot from Santorini, last year’s World’s Best Island Overall. In January of this year, Discovery Shores was ranked among the top-rated 500 hotels in the world. It was the highest-ranking hotel in the Philippines in the T+L 500 10th Anniversary Collection.  

Each year, T+L asks readers to rate their favorite hotels, destinations, and travel companies around the globe.  The Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards is a definitive guide to travel, listing the top travel experiences according to T+L readers.  The results of the 17th annual Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards survey are listed on www.TravelandLeisure.com/worldsbest and will be featured in the magazine’s August digital editions and its August print issue that will hit US newsstands on July 20. The Twitter hashtag is #tlworldsbest.  The Travel + Leisure 2012 World’s Best Spa results will be featured in the October issue of Travel + Leisure and available on  www.TravelandLeisure.com in mid-September. 

New York City – July 19, 2012  DISCOVERY SHORES BORACAY, the country’s multi-awarded luxury resort was honored at Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2012 ceremony held at the Conrad New York hotel, New York City.  Receiving the coveted award for the Top Hotel Spa in Asia is Discovery Leisure Company’s Chief Operating Officer, Jose “Jun” Parreño, flanked by Travel + Leisure vice-president and publisher, Jean-Paul Kyrillos and editor-in-chief Nancy Novogrod. Hailed as a favorite place to visit for Travel + Leisure Magazine readers, Discovery Shores continues to bring honor to the country, by representing the very best as the Philippines’ pinnacle of first class customer service, and world-class facilities.

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Boracay Island took home the top spot as this year’s World’s Best Island award.  The full results of the 17th annual “Travel + Leisure” World’s Best Awards survey are listed on www.TravelandLeisure.com.

To all those who continue to believe and support the Discovery Shores Team that strives to deliver their service mantra “Service That’s All Heart,” Mr Parreño offers his heartfelt gratitude on behalf of Discovery Shores, “Madamu gid nga salamat!”

Experience Discovery Shores’s renowned service with the Pure Beach Bliss Package, a three-day, two-night getaway for only P14, 555 nett per person in a Junior Suite, (minimum of two persons required).  For inquiries and reservations, contact Discovery Shores Boracay at (+63 2) 720.8888 / (63 36) 288.4500 or visit discoveryshoresboracay.com or slh.com/discoveryshores.

 

DISCOVERY SHORES BORACAY, once again took the top spot as Number 1   Hotel Spa in Asia in Travel + Leisure’s (T+L) coveted 17th annual World’s Best Awards 

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Dinner Hosted by Tito Villanueva

By | Foodie | 2 Comments

A lovely evening with our new found friends!  Thank you Tito for hosting a wonderful dinner.  Looking forward to the next 🙂 

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I was so happy to meet Nikki Benitez who is the Mom of the friend of my son!  Beautiful First lady of Congressman of Bacolod,  Alfredo Benitez 

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Beautiful Cecile Lopez who I knew when I started working in Rustan’s department store.  She was the manager for children’s toys and a friend of my Tita Tess 

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Beautiful Betchay Trinidad, good friend and neighbor of Tito in the building :-), She also has a dental clinic in the building, Parch Chateau Condominium,  Ortigas Dental Center and owner of Jay-J Chicken Inasal

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Beautiful Candy Torres Rivera who is the first lady of Marie France!  Candy shuttles back and forth from London to the Philippines

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Handsome 🙂  Spanky Enriquez, a foodie and organizes food trips and eating adventures! 

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Beautiful Dedet dela Fuente – owner of the famous Pepita’s lechon!  

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Cheese platter before dinner

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Beautiful Dining Table by Tito Villanueva

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Our dinner spread!  YUM! 

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Spanky attacking the food! 🙂 

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Fresh Green salad with Honey Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette  

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Dishes cooked by Tito himself!  Baked Cod Fish with Pesto and 3 cheeses on a bed of potato   

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Baked Chicken Thigh Fillet on Queso de bola and lemon rind

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Betchay’s Trio pasta!  Interesting! 

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And of course the yummy Pepita’s Lechon

Previous entry:  Pepitas Lechon March 11, 2012 

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 with Laing rice! YUM! 

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Tarta de Madrid 

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Belgian chocolates?  Nope, it’s Goya chocolates made in the Philippines! 😉 

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 We had an interesting conversation about ghosts and flashlights! I closed my ears during the ghost stories but kept an eye on the flashlight!  Hmm..and that is censored! haha!! Hoping to spend more time with all of you!  

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