Beat the Summer Heat with Mr. Hat Gulaman!

Things have been on record high temperatures and the Philippines is experiencing El Nino right front and center. Our dreams of just spending summer in the beach may have to take the back seat, or just proceed with caution... perhaps do something else and make it sweet and refreshing!

Your summer should still be colorful, whether it be in a glass full of your favorite Halo-Halo, or a bright Sago't Gulaman, you can only think of one thing in the grocer, and that's Mr. Hat Gulaman!

I've been using this for years now and even got my sibling in Europe some of it so he could remember home. It's a sweet reminder of time with family, with friends, and is a versatile ingredient in various desserts that we often do as sweet tooth's. It comes in different flavors like lychee, orange, strawberry, and I've done so many recipes with this over the years.

It's Local!

For those who don't know, Mr. Hat Gulaman is actually a local product. This is made by Seanluc Inc. known for making quality food and beverages for the Philippine market. It's also au naturelle, as it's from seaweed extract combined with sugar, flavorings and different colors. They also have unflavored Mr. Hat Gulaman so if you plan to make other desserts that require that, there's always options! This comes in 7 flavored and 6 unflavored versions, so if one doesn't fit your recipe, go with a different one. Imagine the things you can do with a pack of Mr. Hat Gulaman!

You can do Mango Tapioca, or Buko Pandan, or do Coffee Jelly on a hot day. If it's a recipe that has been passed on through generations or a new one (because you're a genius!).

Here's a recipe that's been tested great, one that you could try!

Coconut Gulaman Coolers by Mr. Hat Gulaman

The ingredients are a pack of Mr. Hat Gulaman (get the Buko Pandan Flavor). 2 cups of water, a quarter cup sugar, 250ml of Coconut Water, a quarter cup Condensed Milk, a quarter cup of All Purpose Cream and crushed ice.

Dissolve the gulaman pack and sugar in the 2 cups of water you prepared. Turn the stove on low and simmer, then put it on a tray to cool and set. Cut it up to small squares to make it pretty. On a separate bowl, mix the All Purpose Cream, Condensed Milk and Coconut Water. Put the Mr. Hat Gulaman, then crushed ice on a tall wide glass, put in a few of the milk mixture. Use a pandan leaf on the side and serve to your guests, they'll surely love it!

If you want a softer gulaman, just add a bit more water. If you prefer a firmer one, adjust the gulaman powder you put in on boiling water. Mix it thoroughly so you don't get lumps. You can follow @mrhatgulaman on social channels to have more experts help you with your recipes. They also post a lot of content there to beat the summer heat. I've been a solid user of Mr. Hat Gulaman, and have seen my family, my friends enjoy it!

Now it's your turn!

Summer Shots Better with realme C67

Looks like the folks from realme is going to make your chance to own a phone even hotter as they get the realme C67's price drop, a huge summer offer until April 30.

They know you're raring to go to different islands, beaches in the Philippines and taking photos would certainly be something that you would likely do to keep memories. This realme C67 won't be in stores forever, and it has a 108MP camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 processor, 8GB storage, Dynamic RAM Expansion, so you have a place to put those photos and videos you've been shooting for content creation.

Go see stores where it is available, else, just get them from online shopping platforms where official realme stores are. These handsets are less than 10K, which is a huge deal than in regular priced ones with the same model.

Must Watch at Summer MMFF: Here Comes The Groom

With the summer heat coming in, it's about time that the Sunmer Metro Manila Film Festival start. It will be held on April 8-18, and one of the entries from Quantum Films, CineKo and Brightlight Productions called "HERE COMES THE GROOM" is offering an all star cast plus full blown comedy for this MMFF season.

If you remember Angelica Panganiban, John Lapus, Tuesday Vargas, Jaime Fabregas' previous hit film called "Here Comes the Bride!", this is officially the sequel for it. This stars Enchong Dee, Keempee De Leon, Maris Racal, Gladys Reyes, Awra Briguela, Eugene Domingo, Miles Ocampo, Tony Labrusca, Nico Antonio, Iyah Mina, Fino Herrera, Kim Atienza, plus the special participation of RPDR Philippines Xilhouette and Kaladkaren.

They promise an even funnier one with "Here Comes the Groom" as the sequel has a totally different story line. From a whole family going to a wedding, they suddenly experience a phenomenon during the eclipse which made them swap bodies and personalities with gay pageant regulars, and that's where the fun and crazy antics start. If you're asking if they would be able to go back to normal, that's what the movie will answer if you watch it. "Here Comes the Groom" is written and directed by Chris Martinez and again is the official entry of these three production companies to the Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. 

I watched it this evening, and I can confirm, it's one crazy fun film that would be fit for friends who have humor,  timing and knack for good slapstick and situational comedy.