Tita Nena, Tita Glenda, Bettina, Gil, and Tanya set up their own dining tables by mixing and matching different items from Rustan’s Home.  Each is refelective of their personalities and of course promoting Philippine products.  It is all about BEING TRULY PROUD TO BE FILIPINO!

Tita Nena said that she takes this inspiration from her family dining at Subic.  Since she has many grandkids, it is easier for them to sit on the floor.   

Tita Glenda did not do a table setting but she presented Filipino food in a unique way.  

Tita Conchitina talks about her book and shows some pages.   She said that whenever she would entertain to her foreign guests while in Spain, they would notice the Filipiniana touches.  And she stresses the fact that it is not hard to add the touches as they are all available in our country.  It is a matter of mixing and matching and adding your personal touch.   Even the Philippine Embassy in Spain, she says that it is the most unique looking one as it is very reflective of our country as everything inside is Filipino.  The book shows the photos of the Philippine Embassy in Spain, Dining set ups and Filipino recipes by some Filipinas and even Philippine fashion.  

And modern Filipiniana dressing

 And the cocktails by Via Mare

Some sections from Rustan’s Home

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I thought citronella was used only for candles to drive mosquitoes away.  There are so many other uses which I discovered.  

There was a time I was having problems with ants in my house since we leave a lot of snacks and chocolates on our tables or just in the kitchen or pantry.    My cousin, Ana taught me a tip to get rid of those ants!  She is such a great resource for household tips.  

After thorough detergent cleaning, wipe all surfaces which are prone to crawling insects (mainly the kitchen and bathroom) with a cotton pad soaked in full strength citronella essential oil. Use a flat cotton pad over the cotton balls since it makes the most efficient use of a fairly expensive essential oil. Another way would be to dilute it in water as a spray, but, Ana recommends to use cotton in full strength.
After the area is thoroughly cleaned,put a cotton ball dabbed in citronella inside a small plastic container in the area. Do remember to keep the citronella away from any food which is not sealed tightly as your food might taste lemony or like citronella. 

Citronella keeps away the flying insects to a limited degree, but, it really keeps away all sorts of crawling insects ( cockroaches and ants especially )  and the best part about it is that it is all natural and not harmful.

Available at Rustan’s Supermarket Fresh, Rockwell and Makati. 

For more information, visit: http://www.manilaherbal.com/essential_citronella.htm

Benefits from Citronella

**This perfect plant for the tropics is a natural insect repellant that can keep household pests like mosquitos, cockroaches, ants and house lizards at bay. Public areas with the likes of public toilets and baths, hospitals, kitchens, stadiums and others are the perfect places to need this essential oil as cleaning agent.

**For household use a few drops of this essential oil in water to clean the floors, toilet bowls and kitchen sinks and bathroom and kitchen walls and ceiling and rooms of the house to keep ants, cockroaches and lizards away and to keep mosquitoes at bay.

 **Its biodegradable and antiseptic property makes it an ecological substitute to chlorine as a swimming pool fungicide.

**Use a few drops in your laundry water to keep the moths from attacking clothes in the cabinets and those to be stored.

**This essential oil can be added to carrier oil in oil lamps to keep mosquitoes away in the outdoors or open places.

**It can also be placed in spray cans to scent the rooms, cars, office space and other spaces to keep it from mosquitoes.

**Most pet lovers dub a drop or two of this essential oil behind the ears of their pets to free them from fleas. Sometimes it is added to pet soaps and shampoos

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