Edward Mendez and Marvelous Alejo for Wattpad Presents: Said I Loved You

It's going to be an intriguing, semi-sexy but romantic episode this week at TV5's highest rating show as Edward Mendez and Marvelous Alejo star in Wattpad Presents: Said I Loved You. The story revolves around young childhood friends turned May-December affair relationship. It was a weird transition between these two and Edward's character didn't know how to become just a friend to Marvelous or become something else. People would just squirm just thinking about it. Eventually Edward had a girlfriend and Marvelous' character became the girl scorned. Add to that, when Edward's character who initially thought that it was nothing, suddenly felt something for her. Now, it's going to be a lot dangerous for both of them.

 

Marvelous says "I'm so flattered to be with the guy fantasized by guys, gays, girls and everybody else. Edward is so humble, very reserved at times. He's very cute when he smiles and very easy to get along with. I am very happy that this was given to me. This is my second Wattpad project and my first one was very successful when I was paired with a much younger guy. From being paired with teens to someone in Edward's age bracket, it's a little shocking and I had to made adjustments. Shocking because we also had to do a legit kissing scene and I was very nervous that I had to do that. Nervous level 10! I was asking him to help me and thinking what the public would actually think about me, about the person I'm kissing because he's not my usual partner too... that's what was on my mind the whole time. But then, it really went okay for my first legit screen kiss. Our director's energy is on level 11 out of 10, so it's a very fun shoot. He made us a little easy. I do have older guys as crushes, I like matured guys too. I said no at first with the kissing scene but when I texted management about it, they decided I go on with it and show a different Marvelous this time. It was only a smack and not that much of a french kiss, it was just light. I'm open to a little age gap, I think it's normal. A lot of girls can probably relate to me because they would want a man who can already understand them, and think maturely. In terms of problems, they decide better and I like that. His body looks really good, I saw it and I haven't really seen anything like that before. I didn't know what to do since this is my first screen kiss, I had a boyfriend but he's gone. This is different, you do it for love and you do it for work. (then I asked if she would fall in love with someone like Edward, she said) Yes..."

Edward on the other hand says "Working with Marvelous was fun, in the beginning she really was into the character. She was so nice, she was sweet, and she randomly cracks jokes whether off or on cam. Our director was fun and we were at ease, just seeing him made us a little jumpy even if we're already a little tired from taping the whole day. As for being gone for a little while, after the movie with Aiai I released my own fitness book and that became a best seller. It's a fitness book available in National Bookstore and released all throughout the country. This was actually my dream ever since I was a kid so I just fulfilled it. It's called "Your Dream Body Come True" which talks about exercise and healthy eating. I had a Wattpad episode last year with Ritz Azul, the kissing scene there was a little cheated but this one's sagad (then everyone laughed!). I didn't do any preparations, it was just a fun thing, a full kiss. It was a marvelous kiss and we had a few takes doing that scene. I'm thankful and I had a great time with people from this station because even if you're tired you're having fun. It's worth it and a privilege, as the stories are great and there are real people following it. With Marvelous, the age difference is little but Ritz and Marvelous played different age groups, Marvs is younger and Ritz played an older woman. I also had to be wholesome and the other was a bit physical. When we kissed, I think it was more lively this time because we didn't hesitate that much. In real life, I'm a real sucker for singers and Marvelous sang a few songs for me while we worked together and that was fun. (then Marvs sang Para Sa Akin beautifully at this point and had a few people stop what they were doing because of that)"

He adds "I didn't want to do this in the beginning, I just had common friends with my manager and found me there, I auditioned and this happened. I grew up in the US and I did Pinay Pie with Brad Turvey and Aiai. I finished Sports Science in Maryland so that's what I wrote my book successfully. I am an endorser for the Belo group since I was 18 and now I'm working with Sexy Solutions and I think that's why my forte is fitness. Acting wise, I'm enjoying it. I hope to get more projects this year. Hopefully after Wattpad I'd get to do a lot more with other offers. I'm really ready to take this on. I handle it pretty well and I think intrigue is part of the game. You can't do anything about it and explain everything to them. That happens, at the end of the day I know my self and I was raised by a good family and it doesn't disturb me. I'm having a good time and I'm enjoying it! I love this craft. As for topless scenes I guess it's a bit more wholesome and it's like a few minutes. There will be scenes, but it's going to be quick and funny, people should watch out for that. If I had to choose, I'd like someone younger because they're more fresh, 7 to 10 years is not bad. I would be glad to impart wisdom. I did modelling thing 10 years ago, I didn't see to do it for a long time, I did fashion shows, I was invited for Cosmo again but I think I had my fun with it. I'm ready to take on more projects and challenging roles. This is a good place to hone my skills and learn. I'm grateful that this was given to me, I was never really picky but the one I like is the one with Ritz Azul since it was a little 007, a little hero role but something wearing formal suits in a funeral parlor last year. Can't wait for this to show next week!"

Wattpad Presents: Said I Loved You will be on TV5 weekdays at 9PM. Make sure you don't miss a day of it and watch it with thousands who have loved watching the show since the very beginning. You'll learn things in the process too. To Marvs and Edward, good luck with the show! :)

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PLDT, Smart and Heather Morris for IFLIX

Meeting Heather Morris

Do you watch Glee? Or are you a Gleek? Well you can say I'm a regular person who watches this show for seasons now. I like the story, I like the music and I like the characters. Now I've seen some of the characters go to the Philippines a few years back, but I didn't know one of the pioneers of the show would eventually come to the Philippines and be a part of IFLIX, the video on demand streaming service provider. Before the event, there was a meet and greet part and we were lucky to have been able to be one of the lucky few to see Heather Morris in the flesh! I was nervous, nervous and happy at the same time!

I love her! Seeing her was surreal. I got a little star struck and we were a little crunched for time during the interview so I think the only thing that made sense was my first one in this video. My apologies for the lighting as there was only one working in the side and it was a little dark there. Anyway that was an unbelievable experience, thanks PLDT, Smart and IFLIX for the experience!

Entertainment Everywhere!

Defining a brand like Smart is of course much like how they made their promise, it's how to live a Smart life! It's about their innovations where you get it anytime anywhere so YOU could live more. It's something that would have to delight your passion, like for people who would like to have better access to content like movies and TV shows, much like their call today of Entertainment Everywhere! 

Photo credits to Smart Life website http://smart.com.ph/pages/smartlife

PLDT is connecting your home, Smart on the other hand could handle connections outside of it, this is a synergy to get you connected wherever you go so you could get that same Smart life. This is great value because you can get the content that you want, making meaningful creations available to the Filipino public in a very affordable package. As I said in my previous posts, PLDT, Smart and Sun subscribers can get iflix app access for 99 pesos per month. Now imagine watching awesome movies, TV shows from US, Asia and elsewhere where iflix is present. Each account can also get you 5 devices running separately. You can also manage content for each device so if kids are watching, you can take care of that with a few clicks.

People know how to use these innovations, but if it's not affordable then its useless. Aside from that, Full HD streams might not be the best idea yet because most often than not some connections won't be able to quite handle it. This iflix trial that I've been on in the past few days made me realize how convenient it is to stream everywhere I go, like the hotels, events that I cover in a single day. The huge library of movies and TV shows that they have in iflix is hosted in the Philippines. There are also Entertainment bundles if you want to get everything entertainment based plus the basics for 50 pesos in 3 days or 299 for 30 days. You could check out http://smart.com.ph/pages/smartlife for more details.

PLDT Home also could hook you up with PLDT Fam Cam so you could get one installed in your home for a very low price. You just have to apply for it through PLDT. You don't need complicated wiring too because it runs on wifi so please remember don't break your walls for that okay? Tons of celebrities and people from the industry during the event knew how innovations could make our lives easier and manage it with just a few steps. Everything's online these anyway and these are the most convenient services today! That's just a few of the solutions that they have in their arsenal, and I can't wait to see more soon!

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Smart Communications

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London Style Brew now in Manila: Costa Coffee

Great news for coffee lovers out there, there's a new brand in town and this really came in the right time when we're almost all bored about the usual coffee shop we see in major thoroughfares. London based Costa Coffee is now in the Philippines and they're gearing to put up more stores in the country soon.  Costa Coffee was founded in London by Bruno and Sergio Costa sparked by their love for premium quality coffee. They've got 40 years of experience to back that up and over 3,000 Costa stores around the world to prove it. Their goal is to be the worlds most loved coffee shop brand, a feat that they can well do in the next few years I bet.

The Interiors

The place has 2 floors and is pretty much reflected to be much like the streets of London inside complete with a red phone booth outside which you can take photos with. The interior's made of several brick walls, upholstered and regular seats that would gladly be reminiscent of an Austin Powers movie.

It's the London culture, the vibe, the colors that they would like you to see inside the store. There several corners in this place that I would have loved to reserve for myself when I get the chance to hang out in Eastwood, especially the window seats. Remember, the Brits are some of the worlds most demanding customers and if they want quality on their drinks or food, they need to get it and this is much of a standard thing in Costa Coffee shops I'm sure.

A Lovely Brunch at Nobu Hotel, City of Dreams Manila

I've been to Nobu Hotel, perhaps once since its inception. I've never been able to walk around within its premises nor have I seen their restaurant. So in a nutshell, you can say that we're traveling on uncharted territory this day. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we've stepped on the grounds of City of Dreams Manila - all the way down south, and we're here to find some really good food in a place so majestic - you could feel like you're in a huge palace!

Nobu Restaurant

This is Nobu Restaurant in Manila. As you may have already known, this is part of the 36 restaurants that Famous Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro has in around 28 cities around the world. They've also got a Nobu Lounge in the Nobu Hotel lobby that's got baristas and tea professionals that serves a pretty extensive tea menu, cakes and pastries this side of town. We were there for Nobu Restaurant's brunch which is a few floors up. It can sit around 335 people in one go and has got 2 private dining rooms, a full blown sushi bar, outside floating cabanas, teppan tables and a Chef's table. The cuisine here is mostly modern Japanese, North and South American, and a little Filipino fusion on some of them. It's designed by Chef Zachary Hillberry and is open 6am to 10am on weekdays, up until 11am on weekends, and 6-11pm for dinner. They are not open for lunch yet but that's in the plans - hopefully real soon. 

The place screams Zen or more modern Japanese and with the mix of wood, granite counter tops, several stainless elements and designer furniture, you could tell they want this to feel like neo Asian - or more like Japanese without the pain of sitting on floors. It's done quite tastefully and since they serve a more western clientele, they have severe efforts to still have the usual breakfast favorites but Japanese touches here and there. The selections on the breakfast/brunch buffet wasn't too over the top and it had its own charm. It wouldn't make you alienated because they serve really good comfort food aside from a few expected Japanese dishes that you would normally find in a Nobu Restaurant.

To start, they had salads with Matsuhisa's very own dressing plus a couple wedges, lightly fried eggplant with sweet soy and sesame seeds on top.

They call this Goma ae in Japanese. It's basically String Beans in Sesame Seed dressing which is a must for appetizers in Japanese meals. They had this one mixed in with mushrooms as an added twist. Pretty good actually.

This ain't no breakfast if it doesn't have Bacon on it. They also had on the same chafing dish some locally made Baguio Sausages. Just mention bacon and I'm there.

This is Nobu Restaurant's Okonomiyaki. It's a savory pancake with tons of veggies, mayo, egg and then topped off with katsuobushi so you might feel the thing moves on your plate.

This is the rice porridge station. Make sure you add on everything on your bowl then add a ton of pork floss on top. Mine was absolutely super good. It's like a canvass, so make sure you add on what ingredients you like on it. There's also Miso soup on the other pot, add on the seaweed and it's delish!

They have a multitude of muffins and cakes that morning and I love the green tea based ones and the ones that have berries on them. They also have bowls of cereals for those who would prefer fruit loops and their families.

Oh and never ever leave this place without trying the best part of the show. This is their French Toast. It's got that crunchy toasty exterior which they injected with Yuzu (Japanese Lime) cream so when you stick your fork into it, it oozes out. They have also topped this with Tomato chutney and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Mmmm.. I must say, it's very addicting.

Have the Eggs Benedict too. It's really good!

Marlon Hirsh, Nobu Hotel's General Manager sat down with us during brunch and he says "We do a breakfast buffet but it's not as lavish as what you might see in other hotels, we are still working on that, but the one thing that I must tell you is that the quality of food - is very very good. The quality, the ingredients, mostly are all imported, only the best and I'm sure that you'll enjoy it. The Nobu French Toast and Nobu Pancakes are highly recommended, quite best in the world. We also have a short ala carte menu that you can order on to. I hope you are all hungry to experience Nobu Restaurant this morning." We sure did.