Mark Herras, Betong Sumaya and Nar Cabico for GMA's New Shows!

We had the chance to meet Nar Cabico, Mark Herras and Betong Sumaya a few days ago through our good friends from GMA Artist Center. They've graced different shows in the Kapuso Network and it was nice to see them in a relaxed, no fuss state during our small blogcon in Quezon City. Nar Cabico has graced countless stage productions and has a knack for singing. It is his passion and he couldn't believe how he's been able to crossover from stage to movies, and now on TV. He's still bound to get his biggest break but he's currently concentrating on his work with Encantadia. He's hosting an interactive show on GMANetwork.com called Encantadia Sessions where he goes and talk to real people asking questions, making funny notions so he could get reactions from netizens and people who are watching the epic fantasy series on GMA.

We were also joined by Betong Sumaya, who's now part of a funny comedy series called Conan, My Beautician together with hunky actor Mark Herras (on his starring role). Betong plays an emotional gay beautician (named Mimi the Hugot Queen) who plays with words as he gets his clients believe his views in love, all the bitterness included. He was so funny in the pilot and I hope they would be able to sustain that. He's a little skeptic like the other individuals in the salon because Conan happened to just join them by accident. Mark was being chased by the men of Chika La Chaka (an ugly rich lady who's forcing him to marry her) and ended up entering their salon called Salon Paz. He played along as a gay guy until he met a lovely lady in the persona of Miss World herself Maegan Young. 

I mentioned to them how much I actually loved the editing of each scene. That must have been very hard to actually execute. They say it's a style that the director wanted to happen and they do make an effort to make it "become" that way.

Mark Herras also appears on other drama series like "Sa Piling Ni Nanay" (Heaven's Mom/Womb for Hire) and is still active with other shows on the same network, but he feels Conan, My Beautician will definitely make a mark on his Comedy acting skills since it's a bit off on what he's usually doing in primetime dramas. It's a bigger challenge but since he's a naturally charming and funny guy I think he's not going to have any issues with that.

In a relaxed environment like this afternoon, it was nice to see them in a good mood. They never hesitated to share what they've experienced making this series, and also Nar's participation in Encantadia. Mark also mentioned how much he's excited for people to get to know each of the characters in the Salon, also his Dad (Jay Manalo) and little brother (Balang). It's funny but it's a story of a family, his community and relationships, he wants you to watch the show every Sunday at 5PM.  

For more information about their artists:

Official GMA Artist Center

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Visit their official website

http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter

After Office Gelato Heaven at Casa Italia Cafe in BGC

Had dinner with blogger friends the other day at Casa Italia Cafe over at Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City. It's rarely new, one of two stores of which the other one is in SM North Edsa. As the name says, Casa Italia serves Italian comfort food. It's a franchise from Singapore with Italian roots, so the store is more modern rather than plain rustic. I was expecting a woodsy, dark, oak barrel laden restaurant much like what the Godfather movies portray but I saw a different one when we arrived. Let me take you around!

The Interiors

The place tickled my fancy. It was colorful, very modern and fresh. I could tell they heavily invested in the interiors as some of the pieces were also Italian. The tables, the seating, plus one or more feature walls was reminiscent of an American Italian Diner if I were in the states. This area is pretty crowded with different restaurants and they need to stand out, I think they really did. It's cozy, relaxed, not too uptight when you want to dine and unwind with friends. You don't need to wear a tie or heels to fit in. The staff were all warm and accommodating so we weren't intimidated even if the space was huge! 

This is the ground floor where you can order your freshly made Gelato. They also have other things on the menu which you can take. They have dining areas here and upstairs.

They do what the Italians do. They have a section selling freshly baked breads and pastries, plus really good espresso, and just about the regular coffee flavors you need to get throughout the day.

The Gelato section is crazy. My jaw dropped just by seeing the sheer collection of flavors that they do. The usual favorites are the Green Mango, Avocado, Philippine Mango, Strawberry and Formaggi (Cheese). Aside from the sweet ones, they serve real deal Gelato with Whiskey, Cocktails that's got the same amount of alcohol content as the thing itself. This is part of their after office hours series, a smart idea for those who would like to unwind and just literally "chill".

If you see the jars on the bottom right side of this photo, they actually serve you Gelato with unlimited toppings. You can help yourself to any of the items here - which would make it a dream by any standards.

The second floor has a larger dining space, all in all it could fit around 50-60 people. They've got it maintained well too as it's very clean and pretty!

The Food

They serve Italian staples, more of comfort food for you and me. They cook quite good, they serve it hot so make sure you have room for carbs as you order them. The serving size is big but can be also shared if you are not much of an eater.

This is their Carbonara. I love the huge slice of Bacon on top, it makes the whole thing legit. The sauce was a little runny probably because of pasta water as it was just taken out of the kitchen. They didn't season it that much probably because they want you to work a little. There's a salt and pepper shaker in every table so you can adjust to your taste.

Their Bolognese was so good. I had to for myself way to the dish of my friend to get to taste this. Theirs is not too sour, a thing that I like when they use tomatoes for sauces. I'd have this to share.

You can't complete a meal without dessert so I had their Green Mango Gelato!

See anything unusual? Look closely on the topping. That's actually Shrimp Paste. Filipinos love Green Mango with Bagoong (local name) so they whipped this up for kicks and the recipe was approved in their main office. This is super good, you would have to try this when you step into their store!

For protein lovers, this Roasted Chicken was divine! They used herbs and put in potatoes on the bottom, probably spent quite some time in the oven to reach this point. Don't forget the lovely gravy, we actually did and  we were sorry we ate all the chicken on the plate ha-ha!

For drinks, Casa Italia Cafe actually serves locally crafted beers plus imported ones like what you see above. I like the Katipunan Indio Pale Ale and Hoegaarden. They even have a happy hour, get them beers cold while spending a bit less than the ones compared in other bars in the same area!

For those who love Gelato but still want to get a kick, they've got Johnnie Walker Black Label and other cocktails made into Gelato form. Now you can have your lovely frozen treat and get that kick you need for casual drinking. A pretty smart idea for those who just left the office and want to spend time here rather than braving the Makati/EDSA traffic. 

Casa Italia Cafe is located near Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. They've got piping hot hearty meals, refreshing drinks and a whole lot of Gelato flavors to choose from. After work, invite your friends and family so you can enjoy, unwind and indulge yourself because you deserve it. You've done your job, let Casa Italia take you to Italy right in the heart of BGC.

For more information about their restaurant:

Casa Italia Cafe Philippines

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Visit their official website

http://www.casaitalia.com.ph/

New Things From The #SmartUnbox Event

When I was told that this was a #SmartUnbox event, I was just like you, I wondered a little about what Smart would actually be unboxing? Is this a new phone? a new service? a surprise? We were all kept in suspense. When the program started, I couldn't take my eyes off the box in the center. They explained to us what it was all about.

It was consequently Sir Manny V. Pangilinan's birthday but we weren't about to think that thing in the middle was his birthday gift, although in some way it was actually like that. He mentioned how Smart has continued to bring a legacy of mobile innovations, from the first prepaid card service, first services among all the telecommunications, internet and mobile financial services in the country, to bringing forth the fastest, widest and biggest subscriber base, yet they didn't stop there. MVP told us the importance of how Smart wants to bring connectivity to a lot of Filipinos as possible. This is in the hopes of taking advantage of the enormous amount of data and use it to better improve the lives of our countrymen in the hopes that no one gets left behind as the world continues its digital shift.

Powerful Smartphone for less! Amazing!

Since SMART wants YOU to be included, they're coming out with this! This is a Smartphone Prepaid Kit that only costs Php 1,288. UNBELIEVABLE? Yes! but not IMPOSSIBLE because it's here! They've also come out with the Smart Bro Pocket Wifi for Php 888 which you can use for other gadgets or share with your friends of family. Smart also released Super Speed LTE Sim cards which will get us to harness the speed we need in their network. Aside from that, the biggest but most affordable data offer is out with GIGA SURF 50. You get 1 GB of data plus free 300MB more for Youtube and other streaming sites. Since it's BIG, you can also have it shared with your friends and family, a thing that can't be done on other networks I'm sure.

Smart is also using Twitter now as a primary avenue for taking care of their customers. They partnered with the Social Media company and is using their @SmartCares channel for this. So expect a faster, more efficient way to reach out to Smart with all your needs.

Smart also launched the new Smart Life app which will be used to get you MORE content, tons of PERKS, tons of MOVIES, exclusive D5 Studios content, live EVENTS, MUSIC and GAMES which I absolutely love! It's now available in the Google Play store and very soon the App Store too!

Oh and before I forget, they've just started SMART MUSIC LIVE! This probably means they're going to do a few more concerts in the future. The last one was AWESOME and included Ely Buendia, Up Dharma Down to name a few. I hear they're bringing Selena Gomez, Third Eye Blind and Panic at the Disco soon! Now I can't wait to see them in the flesh! OMG!

This brings us a multitude of services and products made available for Filipinos through Smart. You've got no reason to be left behind because you've got real good phones that are available for cheap, tons of free data when you need it, services that makes it easy for you, your family and friends to connect because you deserve a Smart Life! I know I do!

 

For more information about their services:

Smart Communications

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Visit their official website

http://smart.com.ph/

It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez Season 4

It looks like we're up for a wondeful ride again as E! Asia takes you further with the 4th Season of the original reality series It Takes Gutz to be a Gutierrez. This will coincide with their "I Heart Pinoy Monday Block" and will premier this July 25 at 8:30PM. 

You'll see Richard back in the groove as he has gone back from a hiatus to spend quality time with his first born Zion. Sarah Lahbati on the other hand has been able to secure a Dance Diva title in another channel, making her a bankable artist and actress this time. Elvis and Alexa on the other hand have been able to go back to work and started acting again while the latter gets a position in the banking industry. 

Feisty Mom Anabelle and groovy Dad Eddie take time to become grandparents and set themselves in a slower pace. Is this a permanent thing or is this just something temporary. Raymond on the other hand is doing well as a PR magnate, getting his businesses in shape but possibly causing a rift between him and his whole family. 

Raymond says "It's a good thing that E! is doing this as we're doing it in 27 countries. I could say we're really doing good because it's already foreigners that are telling us, really excited about it so why not give it another shot."

Anabelle Rama mentioned "It's bad to push away blessings like that, I won't waste money! I won't be fighting with Ruffa anymore because she's already gone" 

Ruffa says "The last time I saw her cry was when my mom and dad fought unless someone is sick or not well, that's where we see her soft hearted but she doesn't show it that much. I know she cares."

There will be a lot to watch out for in this new season. I've heard a lot of inside stories but we can't divulge it yet! Watch the premier this coming Monday (July 25th!).

KUMAGCOW

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