The Plight of a Mall Security Guard

It was Independence day when I was writing this piece. I thought about the men and women out there who are still working even if it's a holiday. Small things, may likely feel nothing to us. I feel though that we should be thanking these people who still take the time to serve us in times when they could have been just resting at home. Have you ever said "thanks" to an SM Mall security guard?

These men and women put themselves out there, they get paid salaries just like the rest of us but think about it... they're actually protecting us from bad elements while inside the mall. The amount of money they actually get in one day cost around 20 thousand Philippine pesos to 2 thousand dollars yet they go the mile and return it to their respectable owners. They barely are even seen by the public and can always take it for themselves, but they chose to give it back to their proper owners or surrender it to mall administration instead. Isn't that a selfless act? Shouldn't that be something to be proud of? Even if sometimes they get smirks and bad comments from mall goers they still do it out of their own will. They're not just serving the mall, they're practically serving you too! Their integrity, is just insurmountable. You would be proud about if you knew about the amount of mobile phones, gadgets and things they find and return in a single day. They just want to make sure the next time you shop, you won't find gang members, pickpockets, shoplifters and bad men inside it as well.

SM prides itself in making security a top priority. They also have made arrangements recently to honor some of them in ceremonies at SM Skydome a few weeks ago. Arrests, apprehensions were also possible because of them so it was a nice thing they were honoring these men for doing a good job, for keeping us safe during mall hours. In behalf of everyone, I'd like to say thank you to Mr. Jayred C. Martin, Mr. Norberto S. Bautista, Jr., Mr. Angelito P. Fuentes, Mr. Dominador O. Apawan, Mr. Lourince Z. Olog, Mr. Dexter P. Gadot, Mr. Melvin O. Muramatsu, Mr. Rowell R. Condolon, Mr. Oliver M. Maramag and Mr. Ramon P. De Leon for going beyond their duty and helped SM, the people and ordinary Juan's community safe all these years. They also have in their own way helped different communities that they visit through SM Cares.

The next time you go to a mall, say "Thank You" to show how much you appreciate their work the next time they need to check your things going inside the mall. They deserve every bit of that and it would be good to make mall security officers feel how thankful you are as they keep the place safe no matter when, where and whatever it takes. Their lives are on the line most of the time, so isn't that too small of a favor? We at least owe them that.

For more information about their organization:

Official SM Cares

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http://www.smcares.com.ph/

Lose Your Love Handles at Contours Body Design Studio

This is my first time to actually be in Contours Body Design Studio in Megamall and also our first time to see Dr. Claudine Roura. Dr. Roura has been in the business for quite some time now and she's making skin services available for Filipinos closer by putting up branches of Contours Body Design Studio all throughout the metro. Her expertise is Vaser High Definition Liposculpture and she is the only one currently certified to do the procedure in the country. Vaser Hi Def Lipo is what people in the US and Europe do to actually have a more defined and sculptured physique. If you're working out too much and have everything fixed except for the tummy area and those love handles, or still can't see those abs, then this is the perfect procedure for you. You can ask their main clinic about it and check their numbers here.

Dr. Roura showed me some before and after photos of past patients and it was shocking to say the least. I've heard some of them have undergone the procedure and now are professional models. I guess it's an investment that would be superbly perfect for men who want to show washboard abs as it looks perfectly defined once it heals.

Speaking of lipo, there's another treatment that they have in the clinic that can shed off weight without undergoing the knife. It's called Laserfit.

 This contraption is actually a cold laser. What it actually does is make the fat melt in the areas that it's originally in. After fat reduction, you need to burn this out from your system. As explained to us, it's done by another bodily process that involves the liver - as it clears toxins/fat from the body.

 Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute is also doing a holistic approach to keeping the weight off so aside from Laserfit, they've got Accutrim (that uses this machine above) which is a non drug based appetite suppressant. It's much like a no needle acupuncture procedure that will curb your hunger and hasten to produce more endorphins (the happy hormone). The procedure will take 4 weeks and the effects will last another 4 to 6 weeks after the procedure. Your Laserfit doesn't come with a diet so when you also take Accutrim, you'll feel less hungry and feel the need to gain back those unwanted fat, or eat much. It's a lifestyle change and this one makes you take out excessive food intake from the equation. Isn't this part nice?

Their branches also have small workout rooms where you can actually do some moves right after you've undergone the procedure. Now, I haven't tried these yet but I am planning to do Laserfit and Accutrim in the next few weeks. If you see me get a little thin, please let me know and I'll tell you if it was because of Contours. I can't wait to see the results!

For more information about their procedures:

Contours

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http://www.contours.com.ph

Three Sisters Restaurant in Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Paul Pike of Three Sisters Restaurant

Skipped one or more traffic lights to travel all the way to Kapitolyo in Pasig City and have lunch at the iconic Three Sisters Restaurant. I think I've been here once when my friends drove by and bought take out but I've never been able to dine at this place let alone see their menu. It was somehow a good thing that we got to not only have their food this time, but also meet the owners. They spent a few minutes of their day to talk to us about the history and how the place started. By the way, they just transferred a couple of houses from their original location and is now at #10 East Capitol Drive Brgy. Kapitolyo Pasig City. The former property they were renting got sold so this place which originally was their home became a temporary place while they transition into a new pretty one soon. 

Paul Pike showed us generations of his family, including Lola Rosa his Great Grandmother standing in front of their store which was only a refreshment parlor in 1941. They only sold soda to offer refreshments to people passing by since they were near a local cemetery (November 1 was a big deal even back then) because it was hot and humid in Poblacion, Pasig. The people who were drinking then wanted to eat something so they put up a restaurant. It got destroyed during the war years and they went to Antipolo to take refuge, when they came back everything was destroyed and they had to start from scratch. They rebuilt it, and opened a new one in the early 70's by buying a new lot. They also showed us their original driver Pablo in photos in their first delivery truck. About the name, they just thought about a catchy name and isn't really reflective of their family because they were made up of 4 girls and 1 boy, it came from a Talcum Powder commercial on radio during the post war era called Three Beauties. It was just spun from that. They gained a lot of exposure because celebrities and other stars came to their place one of which is Nora Aunor who often held press conferences much like what we're used to today. He also showed us photos of the original house and how it served as their restaurant since then. All their staff, practically had family still working in the place because they trusted people especially the recipes of the family. Now some of them are still cooks who make the famous items on their menu. You can also see tons of memorabilia from way back then that are still working in the store. They even use the ordering system when everything else like computers and POS bogs down. They had people come from a lot of places looking for their food. Pop Talk did a show there and their sales went up 60%, then Kris Aquino did KrisTV and the next day, they had to close down because they got 100% more customers after that, some even got mad because they ran out of food literally. The exposure, the community all welcomed it, the young ones included. You can also see students after school, but they still have patrons who have been here for years.

The Food

They're introducing The Fiesta Barkada Meals intended for groups. I can imagine around 3-4 people can have this in one sitting. They already have this on the menu but are having this in one package so people can save more for a meal. Rice is also included but not on the photo. As you can see it's a pretty good deal.

This is Sarap Pinoy. It consists of a bowl of Hototai, Calamares, Crispy Pata, Kare Kare Vegetables, 2 pitchers of Iced Tea and 2 plates of Leche Flan.

This is Hototai. They made this to liken those in Chinese Restaurants and said that this is his Father's version. Paul said they're pretty open to new ideas for the menu and their work hard on making each of them still affordable so everyone could have it in their restaurant.

This is their Calamares. It's a staple in Filipino bar food. They do serve beers I think in the place so if you're up for a celebration, then there's no place better to have good food and local beers that are affordable than here.

This is one of their best sellers, the Crispy Pata. They also serve this with Kare Kare Veggies so you can mix them together and have Crispy Pata meat with your favorite fiesta viand the Kare Kare. It's pretty good in fact, I paired it with the spiced vinegar and shrimp paste (bagoong) that's a little spicy. It's perfect with rice so don't hold back on that.

This is their Leche Flan. The recipe is made by Paul Pike himself and his personal preference is something that's both creamy, dense and not too tangy. It's not too sweet, it's just right and I even took some home too. Folks at home asked me immediately where I got it and they said it was good. Some bloggers got parts of it too and had the same observations. I'd definitely recommend this when you're in Three Sisters Restaurant.

This one's their Pinoy Espesyal. It consists of Chicken Barbecue, Sinigang na Bangus, Lumpiang Shanghai, Pakbet, 3 small bowls of Buko Pandan and 2 Iced Tea Pitchers.

The Lumpiang Shanghai was still hot and fresh. The pork filling was really good and you can still taste how new this batch really is because they probably made it only upon ordering. This would be good as appetizers on what's about to be served, wait til you get the next ones.

The Pakbet still had really fresh and crunchy vegetables on them. They mixed this with Shrimp paste but I didn't really eat bitter gourd that much so I only chose the pieces that I could eat.

This is their Sinigang na Bangus (Milkfish in Tamarind Broth) which is a staple in every Filipino home. Their version though is a bit on the fruity side because they used more tomatoes to make the broth a little sour. The milkfish is also fresh so you don't have that fishy smell problem. Press on the finger chili a couple of times and mix it in if you prefer a more spicy version of it.

This is Three Sisters Restaurant's Chicken Barbecue. If it's something grilled that's coming out of their kitchen. expect it to be good. I think it's in the marinade they use for these chicken pieces that make it so good. It's a little on the grilled sweet side and I love every bit of it. The lovely caramelized chicken exterior plus the sweet and savory meat would be just lovely on white rice. Order tons of it please!

I mentioned that together with your Barkada Fiesta meal, you'll have three small bowls of Buko Pandan. It's light, it's sweet and would be the perfect way to end the meal. Although, I suggest you order a couple more extras because these next ones are THE best sellers!

This is their famous Three Sisters Restaurant Barbecue. In the few hours that I've stayed in their establishment, I counted about 7 people coming to the counter just to order this and have it for take out. It's soft, it's juicy and the marinade is just superb. I can taste it in each bite and I don't think they put in too much fat in it either. Unlike the usual barbecue that has a piece of fat in the end in the country, they chose to go full protein I guess which just made this super good. Trust me on the barbecue.

Kris Aquino's favorite is this Pork Liempo. She waited quite a long time for this to get cooked, but one bite of it.... she said it was all worth it. I did have tons of this on my plate. I cut it up, and had a sauce on the side made from Soy Sauce and Chilis. Bring on about 2 cups of rice for a single slab and I'm good!

I don't think I have to convince you anymore to have the Pansit Bihon from Three Sisters Restaurant. It's got all the nice things plus a ton of Pork Rind on top. I had half a plate of this and loved how the pork just made this thing more interesting. You get the salty porky bits mixed with the usual homey preparation of Pansit Bihon, what more can you ask for?

Mind you, the prices here are unbelievably affordable. They're not high end, but they can beat those pricey ones in flavor. Make sure you bring your friends and family especially if they miss Mom's cooking. Three Sisters Restaurant presents a worthy alternative to those you prepare at home, and they do it quite well too. They also have a branch in C5 corner Oritgas Avenue but I strongly suggest you go to Kapitolyo as it's more homey and no fuss. Call them for reservations, or if you would like to order in bulk/cater at (02)631-9247. They do all that!

For more information about their artists:

Three Sisters Restaurant

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Three Sisters FB Page

YOU MUST WATCH: Stand By Me Doraemon

I wasn't too keen watching this movie called "Stand By Me Doraemon" because I thought it was going to be just for kids. The cinema was filled around 50% adults and about 50% kids. Well okay, about 70% kids. I was still excited though because among all the Japanese cartoons I've watched, I felt Doraemon was just in my alley. I like the cute antics he does but not the Tagalized version that made it a little cheap. The English and Japanese version I must say pays attention to the little things, and it doesn't make me get bored because they try so hard interpreting the cartoon in a big way too much that it looks OA. This Doraemon movie is in English, it's probably also meant to be shown on 3D judging from the camera angles and story flow.

I must tell you, I loved the story. I also love the part that they're still finding humor in everyday situations and why it's important to be sane in these times when everybody's connected to technology. They also are giving us lessons in how we can have love, relationships, and learn even without it. You will also learn why bullying is not a good thing to do, something your kids can really pick up from while you explain things. The cat from the future isn't just a robot, because he'll make you realize the value of friendship, and how important it is to value the time you spend with friends and family. I must say, I even saw some of the adults in my row crying in the dark watching this movie. If they got affected that much, I'm sure most of you will too. It's excellent in my books, watch it as they show the film on June 17, 2015 in all major theaters!

You MUST watch this movie!

For more information about their artists:

Viva Artists Agency

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http://vivaartistsagency.ph/