I've been watching Nickelodeon since I was a kid and more than anything else, I've been enjoying how much they actually pour slime on the guests of their show let alone the kid contestants in games. The premise of this event I was supposed to go to was fun as they'll be holding a fun run in the Mall of Asia Concert grounds. Unfortunately, I didn't get to wake up that early for me to be able to rush down south as I live in the QC area. I missed a lot, a lot of fun and slime moments!
My favorite people from the Pineapple under the sea woke up early too and joined in the run. They lead a group of normal people, serious runners, excited kids and even their fur babies to run too!
I wasn't in my full athletic form but judging from the looks of it, even the kids survived the run. They had it in 200 meters, 1K and 3K events.
They had the real deal Pineapple Under the Sea house of Spongebob to serve as registration centers so people could suit up with their race kits and join in. It's the SLIME HUB!
After the fun run, the organizers and Nickelodeon gave away special awards to kids and their companions. It was nice to see they recognized the friendliest ones in the pack. (photo by FPJ of http://manualtolyf.blogspot.com/)
Those cute little dogs remind me of my own, wish mine was alive though. I love activities that choose to let our four legged friends to tag along! (photo by FPJ of http://manualtolyf.blogspot.com/)
Oh and of course, how can we ever forget the SLIME part of the show. Yes, kids, adults, or any age for that manner went through the fun of getting drenched in real SLIME because this is the SLIME RUN! Looks so much fun! (photo by FPJ of http://manualtolyf.blogspot.com/)
They even got the words modified, the finish line became FINISH SLIME! Oh my how I miss the slime games I used to watch on Nickelodeon. Even if it was a rerun on TV, I still enjoyed it!
I am really sad that I didn't get to join in the fun, my apologies to the organizers who invited me but I didn't get to show up. I'm glad to see though that everyone had a really good time not just with the run but with the SLIME they had to go through. They also had facilities for showers later on just to wash that SLIME off. The Nickelodeon Slime Cup Run 2016 really looks so fun! How I wish I could join in the next one if I get a little thinner and faster, probably enjoy it with someone, perhaps a dog would do.
Thanks to Jeman Villanueva of Orange Magazine TV (orangemagazine.ph) too for furnishing us with lovely photos above. I love Spongebob! Oh my gawwwd!
Do you still have your own "go to" place when you want to relax, unwind, or just have a few bottles with your peers after office hours? I have my favorites, I'm sure you do too. Well, there's a new spot in the south of EDSA that promises a great venue to eat lovely Filipino dishes, enjoy really good mixes and just plainly have a good time. It's called REDD, a gastronomy bar found in the 4th floor of the grand Prism Plaza. It's that quirky looking building found just beside the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Just go up the flight of stairs or use the escalator in the middle so you can get to the restaurants on the same floor.
Admittedly, I wasn't really aware that restaurants were actually sprawling here. If I usually go to this area, I'd probably be hanging out at the SM Mall of Asia most of the time. That's a mistake. This place is cozy, plus there are artists every night who perform live. Even if they don't publicize it that much, Prism Plaza gets packed to the brim sometimes because of this. Since they're officially open now, they're dishing out a few specials so you could enjoy food and booze with friends and office mates there! Let's take a look at their place first!
The Interiors
This establishment is owned by partners and builders who also did interiors for 5 star hotels in Manila. The walls and decor stayed geometric, a little industrial with accent walls with wood panels in different shades, plus plexiglass for the bar's counter. They have a private room equipped with KTV, perfect for small parties when you need it. They also used different lamp light fixtures for the lighting and several more on the actual exposed ceiling. This is pretty nice, not intimidating.
The Food
REDD serves legit Filipino food, not just bar chow - but they've got a lot of that too. They even have regional favorites which surprised most of us because it's in the menu.
We had our drinks first, on the left is the Pina Lemonage which is a concoction of Orange Pineapple Lemonade juice done in shake form, while on the right is the Mango Cloud which is your well loved mango shake with whipped cream - I could compare it to Mango Tango if it were dessert.
Sisig Ala Kanto - Part of their appetizers, this version of Sisig is perfect for pairing with beer. An option to slice open the chili that's put on top would be good.
Juana Fries - Cut up sweet potato fries, fried til golden, plus the usual sauce and hearty chili on top.
Wen Manong - Chopped up Pork put on high flame, crunchy, mixed with liver and their own sauce. Tasted like a white version of Dinuguan. I loved this with white rice.
Tuna and Bangus Sisig - The lovely cooked Milk Fish shredded and deboned plus chunks of Tuna sauteed with garlic and onions, then placed on a hot plate so it could be crunchy on the bottom. It's a healthier version of the sisig, pretty good!
Grilled Tuna Belly - Thick premium slices of Tuna grilled and basted with sweet sauce, a little nutty, big and meaty. Love this with rice, another option for those who don't want pork on their plate.
Bagoong Rice - This one is good while it's hot, so make sure to put loads of it on your plate. Not too salty, just right.
Tinapa Rice - For those who want it a little smoky rice variant, try the Tinapa rice. Perfect for those fried items on their menu.
REDD's Caldereta - Lovely chunks of beef, soft potatoes, carrots, olives with heavenly tomato based sauce. This is so good I could finish this whole bowl to myself. Have this with plain white rice, super good, highly recommended!
Chicken Pork Adobo - Think of Chicken Inasal, Bagnet Pork Slices mixed in with the marinade and sauce of well loved adobo. It's easy, give in, do not hold back on the rice.
Gising Gising - Winged String Beans, Tofu squares, made a little spicy for good reasons. You can also pair this with Tinapa Rice, or the plain one, it will make you a little sweaty but totally worth it. This is also good for beer pairings.
Aligue Pasta - Best eaten when hot is this Aligue Pasta. If you're so bored by the normal res and white sauce, this would be a good competitor. It's a little on the fishy side though because of obvious reasons, a little rich too. It has tuna pieces on top to serve as meat, making it a tad healthy even after all that crab roe.
REDD's Kare Kare - Their version is a deconstructed Kare Kare. You've got the veggies, the banana heart, Bagnet Pork Slices, Chicken Inasal, and almost corned beef. Make sure you also eat this while it's hot as the thick sauce becomes too thick if you let it stay on the table for too long. Have it with the Tinapa Rice, it's rich and flavorful!
Leche Flan - Dessert option, this one's just right, not too sweet and has lime flavor on the mark.
Turon Overload - If you're a sweet tooth, try this Turon Overload. It's fried banana fritters wrapped in rice paper with jackfruit slices, cut in half and sprinkled with cinnamon. Served with Vanilla Ice Cream on the side, do I need to really convince you to order this? I guess not.
There are new places in the south that are worth the trip, this one is. They've got entertainment, privacy, the majestic sunset on Manila bay, good food and drinks. All you need to do is trek there and get it! They're at the 4th floor of Prism Plaza, Two ECOM Center in Pasay City. You may call them today at 808-76-83 and reserve for functions or events. They're open from 11am to 1am. I'm going back there very soon!
It looks like my candydate RED won the recent candy election with M&M. The candydates undoubted popularity stemmed from it's platform of toughness, smartness, of which most voters actually wanted. We've been steadily campaigning since day 1 and now that he's won, my team mates and I would like to thank all the people that supported us in this endeavor.
After a month long campaign, M&M’S® Red has won the Vote for M&M’S® 2016 best candy elections. He has garnered a whopping 10,243 posts or 47% of the total votes. This is up 10% from the previous release of partial election returns a few weeks ago.
On Second place, it's M&M’S® Green who got 32% of total votes or 6,972 posts whilst M&M’S® Yellow on the other hand has got third place with 21% of total votes or 4,547 posts. Good campaigns and the recent miting de avance must have really boosted the confidence of the supporters, in the end it was all about how REDDY you are about leadership, how tough you are in facing issues and taking action whenever needed. This is why RED won and it's a great way to have met tons of people in social media that supported our cause. With that, thank you!
By the way, congratulations also to these winners! You will be contacted by M&M’S® representatives so please make sure you check your social media accounts on how to claim your prize!
The last time I talked to Martin Del Rosario was during a charity birthday party held last year. He's one of the most impressive actors in the stable of GMA and with good reason. He's never held back in BENCH Body photo shoots either and was dubbed once as an "unbelievable subject" during the last Denim and Underwear show of the same brand. He's also gone through a lot of shows, done extremely well with drama, even if it requires him to play homo roles, with or lesser clothing.
He just finished a series on GMA and had a short break for a couple of weeks. He made sure he got to spend these few days wisely and put it to good use. Martin together with his partners just opened a bar at Congressional Avenue Extension in Quezon City called THE ARMORY. With the congested Makati scene and pretty toxic Tomas Morato area, he wanted people in this side of Quezon City to have their own hangout and he did it with good research.
The Interiors
Martin used to always go to BGC and Makati just to go to bars that serve excellent drinks. The problem is, it is really far and it takes hours just to go to and from those clubs. Not to mention how pricey the drinks were each time they order off the bar. He's just like most of us in QC, much like his partners. We want to take it easy, have a place to chill, have fun, wanted it affordable, plus really close to where we lived. This is where THE ARMORY was born.
THE ARMORY is divided into two areas. The one upstairs is for dance music, where they play the best in the music charts. Expect the second floor to be a little more intense, VERY PACKED til the wee hours of the morning. They've got a few tables, but most of the folks are really gonna dance so it won't be a walk in the park to find seating. The bar they have upstairs and downstairs only serve drinks, so don't expect food to be served in the first few months. They're building a kitchen outside via a Volkswagen which will serve streetfood and small bar chows that would be easy to serve and fast. Downstairs is a space they call BUNKER which houses their main bar, plus a couple of tables so people could chill, talk and listen to music. By design, they wanted this to replicate a warehouse, something raw and industrial but NOT intimidating. They want younger people to frequent the place and not think that it isn't a place to hang out because it would look pricey. They've done a remarkable job in that part. They're also planning to build an extension up front with more tables, seats, with just easy listening music. That will be built perhaps within this year. That's the same period where Martin and his partners wanted to get the return of their investments, it's quite achievable judging from the people going to the place these days.
Martin will be still prioritizing his career just like his partners, but assure that they're running this business with their eyes on it. You'll even get the chance to see Martin himself man the bar when he's free, whenever he can.
Here's our interview with Martin that evening. We got the chance to talk to him before chaos ensued.
Part 1
Part 2
The Drinks
If I were to recommend a drink, this is it. It's the White Sangria. Martin and his partners hired a real deal mixologist who also did the bars in Makati so they could get these lovely drinks served in the place, without the "Makati/BGC" pricetag of course! I love this as it is fruity, but still gets you dizzy. Lovely and fancy, but totally worth the price.
This Red Sangria on the other hand is a bit stronger than the white version. Both are good don't get me wrong but again, my favorite is the white one.
The ladies on the other hand loved this Grapefruit Mojito. It's the usual but a little on the fruity but sour side because of obvious reasons - the grapefruit! These are what I recommend you order whilst at THE ARMORY.
Congratulations Martin Del Rosario! Hope this thing becomes BIGGER than you hope for!
Visit https://www.facebook.com/thearmoryqc for more details! You can also drive by at Congressional Avenue Extension and see it yourself!