SM Mall of Asia's International Food Festival

One of the largest malls in the world SM Mall of Asia just made the whole month of September even better by making a one of a kind celebration. The mall has it all, and with the advent of families, tourists and people like you going to MOA, they've prepared a celebration like no other with the MOA International Food Fest slated this September 5 up until the 30th. Participating brands and establishments will dish out a lot of special dishes just for this occasion and luckily we were there to experience it first hand before everybody did last weekend. We hopped on the electric cars in Mall of Asia and tried out different restaurants in different locations. First up is Congo Grille in the mall's left side.

Congo Grille

Congo Grille is more of a Filipino restaurant serving grilled and non grilled specialties that cater to groups and serves family style. They also have packages for five, ten or thirty people called Tribal Feast and even have Pinoy Salo Salo for those who want something different. 

The branch in Mall of Asia's left wing can seat up to 150 and have al fresco options if you want to be a little rowdy with your friends. They do serve beer too so if you want a break from the office, then this is a good place to start your night. Congo Grille is affiliated with restaurants like Karate Kid, Tempura, Flavors of China and Holy Cow. If you love those brands, then you'll love Congo Grille better. 

Big Better Bangus

We also got to taste one of their best sellers called "Big Better Bangus". It's a huge, a gigantic milk fish that's marinated, breaded, deep fried and sprinkled with a generous amount of garlic. I absolutely loved it especially the stomach. I think when I bit into it, it was almost an inch thick! I went to heaven and back after that.

 

The dipping sauce is made of sweet soy and a piece of chili. Breaking that up in the little bowl was really nice.

To finish it off, I had this glass of Mango shake which is just one of the drinks on their menu. They have a lot so make sure you take a look at it when you visit Congo Grille.

Fresh From Hakata: TAISHO Ramen and Teppanyaki House

We ventured a little bit North the other day to get a taste of one of the popular ramen places in SM North Edsa's Sky Garden. It's called TAISHO Ramen and Teppanyaki House. The reason I'm telling you that it's popular is because I haven't eaten at this place yet because when it's lunch or dinner time, the place gets filled to the brim and there are often lines outside wanting to get the chance to taste their authentic Japanese - Hakata origin Ramens (from Fukuoka Prefecture). They are also proud of their Teppanyaki dishes of which most are cooked and done on a hot plate just like the Japanese do.

They have set meals and this one on the left is the Karage, served with Chahan Rice and Pork Bone based soup on top. It's pretty good and affordable even if you purchased them ala carte. If you are fond of watching Anime or Japanese films, you might have already seen the Onigiri. It's rice shaped into a triangle enveloped with a strip of seaweed and sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds looks absolutely delish!

Kids in Japan often have this for lunch and take it away for school or even the office when they're a little older. 

Then I got my bowl of Ramen.

Fat Or Obese Is Okay, Exercise Is Medicine

Dr. Mark Stoutenberg and Dr. Rodolfo Florentino

 

I'm not the healthiest guy out there and my idea of "exercise" is just a few kilograms of dumbbells. I thought too that I was already doomed because I know how big I was. Lo and behold Dr. Mark Stoutenberg Ph.D. MSPH brings me good news that clinical studies in the US has proven that there is no clear amount information to claim - that being overweight or obese would mean you''ll die early. Being in that state has no relation whatsoever in the mortality rate. We listened very carefully about the study and the reasons behind it.

 Unbelievable? Well no, because actually it does make sense. It doesn't mean when you are bigger, you would die easily. No matter what shape or size you are, just as long as you keep the activity intense and on a regular basis... then you might just even live longer than naturally thin people. In the US, they have computerized their database and have found out in a couple of questions that there's no clear correlation between having higher weight to having heart attack or death. That was their conclusion after checking their records and seen how the value of involving a healthier lifestyle for someone be a great catalyst to make someone's condition better than when not doing it at all.

"Exercise Is Medicine" or EIM is an international initiative for physical activities whose goal is to ultimately promote the the skill to health professionals and practitioners and make it a vital measure for disease prevention and management. EIM might be new in the Philippines but most do not know how it's been in existence in over 40 countries, 7 Regional Centers in North America, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Africa and Australia. It's officially their first year in the Philippines and together with their international partners like Coca Cola Philippines, they have been working hard to involve the different groups, professionals that are health care practitioners, some research scientists, to physical fitness experts and make them in touch with the future development and evaluation of EIM in the country.  

Training sessions were also done by EIM Philippines last August 28th and 29 for 12 Doctors and 6 Fitness professionals. The activity would be just a start so people from both industries would meet eye to eye when recommending regimens and exercise programs and know what the others would do in their respective professions. The deal is, they want this to be the possible outcome for every recommendation from Doctors. They also need to include workout regimen and programs that would fit every patient needs without getting conflicting ideas from other fitness professionals, making it safer and better for the end user, YOU.

The possibility of working out at least 150 minutes with moderate intensity and of aerobic nature is achievable for ordinary people, I could use some of that too. Dr. Florentino says it will have a significant impact in someones life. By then, 300 minutes of it would be doubly better and will get you to achieve more. To know more about how EIM can work for you, check out their channels below.

For more information about their organization:

Exercise Is Medicine

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http://www.exerciseismedicine.org/

"Shrek The Musical" Live In Manila!

It's one of my favorite animated films since its inception , the green, huge, not so good looking monster who's as human as anyone we know gets to fall in love, live life, and persecuted by everyone else as if he doesn't have the right to do so. The fun starts when Shrek shows how he's good, a little off putting on ogre capabilities, but he's just as smart as you and me. He's also got a funny donkey as a sidekick that doesn't do much to help or doesn't even make sense at times but you can see how he cares at times when Shrek needs it. Then when it arrives, Princess Fiona makes Shrek the happiest ogre on Earth by giving him the one thing he dreams of... And that's love!

The Broadway and West End Musical made by David Lindsay Abaire and Jeanine Tesori will make you believe in love again - but will make you laugh at life's antics as they bring this performance to the Meralco Theater this September 19 to October 12, 2014 running for 4 weeks straight keeping you still believing in it no matter how impossible things may be. There are evil villains but like the animated film from DreamWorks, we'll have to see his whole journey to love, laughter, adventure and life. You'll still hear the favorite songs "I'm a believer" plus a lot more that you might not have heard yet but made for the musical to perfectly fit the situation in Shrek's life! Moms and Dads, Kids can even learn from this so come join the fun in Meralco Theater and see international level performances as they do it in the Philippines on the dates mentioned above. Family comedy at it's best and a lot more can be seen so rush to TicketNet outlets, or call 8919999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph to see Shrek The Musical as soon as it opens its doors this month. The true value of friendship, honesty, love can be seen in this musical so all you gotta do is get them while it's still early!

Shrek The Musical is from Sam Mendes who's a really big fan of the animated film. I can't wait! 

For more information about their stores:

Shrek The Musical

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http://www.ticketworld.com.ph