When it's summer, people flock to cold regions in the Philippines and the closest one from the metro is Tagaytay. During monsoon months, people think it might be a different story but no, lucky are those who live in Tagaytay Highlands because they're still enjoying the cold weather without compromising food, entertainment, activities in the area.
Theirs is a whole refuge perfect for rest and recreation, the complex itself has several walkways and unbelievable vistas overlooking the world renowned volcano and lush vegetation plus a golf course that could rival the best in the world. From Tagaytay Highlands International Golf Club and Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club, you can hit a tee or two to further your skills, or just have it be your time to relax after a whole week of working in the city. After all, it'll take you a while to conquer a 27-hole exclusive golf course, and perhaps months to get used to as it is very challenging.
For adrenaline junkies, there's several mountain trekking activities that you and your family could do plus several gustatory destinations as Tagaytay Highlands have restaurants serving the best Filipino dishes, dry aged steak, dimsum, that come from heirloom recipes and served for you. If you work in different time zones, there's several 24/7 establishments that can serve comfort food, coffee, that you and your loved ones could feast on if needed be. All can be found at Midlands Golfers Lounge or the stores at Gourmet Avenue.
Members, residents and guests are assured that you are secure and safe in this place and has been proven so by the safety seal that Tagaytay City Government awarded last year. With a heavily awarded real estate developer SM Prime Holdings, they continue to serve and uphold safety standards so everyone remains safe inside the property. Who wouldn't want to go here right? World class facilities, dreamy place, a place you can also call home soon. That's Tagaytay Highlands for you!
Took a short trip to BGC a few days ago for an epic event from our friends at LG Philippines. They're showcasing their latest monitors and surely, I was already drooling of the huge ones on display on our table because I've been dreading to get one for gaming purposes especially for Valorant and GTA V. I also work with the same setup and having something that can accommodate all the windows for programs and files that I need to function especially when there's a lot to write about. So far, I love what I'm seeing from them. In this TOP GUN themed party, it was fit to see their most technologically advanced monitors and they used it legibly in different scenarios.
From spreadsheets, work related stuff, movies, graphics, they all
displayed quite nicely at the event which was also attended by
celebrities. Andrei Felix hosted the event and one by one, other
celebrities like Eric Tai aka Eruption, PBA's LA Tenorio, Photographer
par excellance Magic Liwanag, actress Myrtle Sarrosa and all around
performer Gab Valenciano took us around for a tour to look at what's new
with LG monitors.
They used the 32GQ950 OLED Monitor for a race car game and it performed well under these conditions. The LG UltraGear 32GQ950 had 4K resolution, details were on point, the 144Hz refresh rate was something gamers like me would benefit in especially in first person shooting games where lag is an enemy. It also has very nice output as blacks and whites are deeper and brighter, you won't be asking for adjustments right from the start. They also used the 48GQ900 OLED Monitor for console games, and because it's got faster response time and higher refresh rate, you'll see your character take action as soon as keypress happens, no delays in platform games or 1v1 modes because it can keep up with you. You can also see less glare and reflection, something that is quite important especially when you are editing images on the screen on normal work days. Photographer Magic Liwanag showcased the LG Dual Up 28MQ780-B which he uses on portrait mode, beneficial for creatives who would want to see the whole picture then work with a lot of other things while you're rendering videos of events on the side. Myrtle Sarrosa on the other hand loves the 29WP500-B 29-inch which is a 21:9 ratio UltraWide monitor. It gives her more than enough immersive experience when she's playing her favorite games on PC plus do her tasks if she needs to do office work on the side. Gab on the other hand enjoys the LG UltraGear 32GN500 because it gets all those ghosting problems gone as it utilizes NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium at start, something people used to pay for to make things better. There were lots more in the event but I got a little excited when real NAVY personnel came in and met with Sungjae Kim the Managing Director for LG Philippines.
They even used this setup with a real flight simulator software, like the real deal.
LG Executives went up the stage and announced something good, they gave 30 LG UltraGear 32GN500 monitor units to the Naval Air Wing of the Philippine Navy that was also there for the occasion. That part was really touching to give these quality monitors to people that serve the country, in my books, that's huge especially knowing that they'll be able to help a lot of communities with it.
Real Pilots Appeared!
Congratulations to LG Philippines and to the men and women who organized this event M360 PR+Activations Agency. Haven't had fun in a while so this was something really good to experience physically, after being stuck at home for a number of years because of this pandemic, thank you!
Meet the Nacino's, Actor Rocco and Volleybelle Melissa
I've been really looking forward seeing Rocco Nacino and his wife Melissa Gohing-Nacino all these months since they've announced that they're having a baby. Recently, they divulged it's going to be a baby boy, and have yet to choose a name and settled for a temporary one called Baby N. Rocco just finished building his dream home, and are making headway finishing the baby room in the next few weeks. He also is a bit busy with a few acting projects and shared an international one which he hopes would bear fruit soon. Aside from that, Rocco and Melissa were busy with this brand they're working on with popular Direct Selling company Orabella. It's a family line called Mama Luna.
Anne Acuna VP for External Marketing of Orabella says "This was developed with Rocco and Melissa, and is part of our Mama Luna series. They have been heavily involved in developing this product. Orabella is one of the fast growing direct selling companies in the Philippines. We made sure this new line called Mama Luna is safe for babies and children. This rejuvenates, moisturize, affordable and is easy to use. Orabella also is in the business of helping others, a brand that you can trust. We've been producing sustainable products for the whole family."
Melissa and Rocco Nacino says "We are for family care, for mommies, for daddies, it's been hard to keep it a secret but we've gone through a lot launching this product. Thank you to GMA for setting this up especially Sparkle. We got this idea when we got pregnant, we didn't know that there are products that we're not really allowed to use. We need something that would be safe for the family. Orabella has access online and through shopping apps. We experienced that there are products out there, but they're usually too expensive, Filipinos need access to it so we worked with Orabella to make sure Filipino moms are at their best in their pregnancy."
Phytosense Conditioning Shampoo has coconut based ingredients, crecatin, helps hairfall defense, chamomile so we don't get stressed. Melissa had to use it to check the smell, texture, especially at the first trimester. Hair feels either thicker or thinner because of the hormonal changes, and this prolongs the growth of hair.
Phytosense Bath Gel - There are a lot of chemicals that are not good for pregnant women, this is part of Mama Luna line. For those who have skin that tend to dry out right after a shower, this would be good for your skin. If you have dry skin, hypersensitive, and have textural changes, this would take care of you. This has AmiSoft that's got nourishing amino acids that repairs, replenishes and boosts moisture on the skin. This would hasten skin elasticity so you don't have much stretchmarks.
Phytosense Body Lotion is safe to use for pregnant women. This has sunflower oil, vitamins A C and D, Aloe Vera Juice to prevent hyper-pigmentation, and organic Chamomile Essense to reduce redness and relieve inflammation. This is best for body acne so you get less over production of oil, clogged pores. People can now have income selling this, and it is also environmentally friendly. This is very competitive, locally made, very affordable. The wheat straw packaging is renewable, a good alternative to plastic, FDA approved, is hypoallergenic, biodegradable in 3 to 6 months, very recyclable and re-moldable.
Resellers, and dealers especially in Antipolo will be handled personally by the couple. They have partnered with Orabella for this.
Rocco mentions "We went with Orabella because of their huge online presence, we were fans of lotions for working out. We were happy customers on day 1. When they do product development, they know how to work with everyone. They are for the people, and they think out of the box. They have expertise in developing products, they are our partners. It was months of planning, lots of yes and no, nights of thinking about it. This is now a fruitful partnership."
He adds "It was very exciting for us, but I was in locked in taping. We were trying a lot before that, we went on a vacation, we were relaxed and spent time. Mel knew about it while I was away, she surprised me. I got anxious, I did overthink a lot but we talked to our OB. Being a nurse, I had difficulty talking to people. Mel is blooming, we're officially having a boy!"
Rocco and Melissa are expecting a Boy <3
Melissa says "We tested our relationship early on because we couldn't agree on the name yet. I handle pedia wards and knew what Mommies go through especially with their skin. I went out and asked what their problems were while they are pregnant. It made us stronger, I realized that he's the best partner in any business. I became a lot clingy, I really needed to see him by video calling him every time he had a locked in taping. Adjusting to not being active after being an athlete was really hard, it made me anxious. I'm thankful that Rocco was there, he's very helpful whenever I'm sad or just at home. I cried once because I was just there, but he took me to IKEA in a wheelchair and that made me happy! Mentally I'm in information overload, but we're going to be in a class for this by the end of the month, we'll attend that physically, but we have already made arrangements online. We have the same mantra, very workaholic, but we support each other. A supportive partner is very important. When we got married, we checked a lot of things in our bucket list first. When we establish these three products, we'll be coming out with more especially the Antipolo franchise to support resellers, distributors of Orabella in our own locale. We want to be a one stop shop for families, they don't have to look anywhere else if they need product for parents."
Rocco told us "I have ventured into businesses before, with restaurants, boxing gyms, and this is our new baby. We know that Moms need these products, Orabella knew how important this is for them. I'm always for experience, and will be dedicating with Mel on this business. I'm taping for another show, this will be multi-tasked. We are preparing the Baby Room, we are watching our weight, the next few months will be busy as we wait for Baby N to come. Every time he kicks, I watch her tummy. He likes rock music and we are excited for him. She is at her third trimester, and it's just gonna be a few weeks more to see him. We have different lifestyles, Mel misses volleyball, I'll be very supportive of her. I wanted to act on things while the idea was fresh, Mel's pregnancy was really attracting brands as an influencer. This is the time to grow with our brand as a family, we saw the demand for products like these and Mel tried all of it. It passed her standards which is why we went for it. These will be accessible through Shopee and Lazada."
This is not just good news for the couple, but for every Filipino Mom, Dad and Baby who's now got choices when it comes to safe products pre and post pregnancy. It doesn't have to be expensive when you're bringing a child into this world, and if you are thinking of gifting someone, this would be a good place to start. Congratulations Rocco and Melissa on your new venture with Orabella! Can't wait to see Baby N soon!
It's been a while since we've gone out and attend physical events, but this one was certainly for the books! I've been seeing Sheraton Manila at the front of Ninoy Aquino International Airport 3 for quite some time now, but I haven't been inside the hotel for some weird reason. The property is part of Marriot chain of hotels worldwide, and surely, this Sheraton Manila property was likened to their tagline, and aptly personifying "Where the World Comes Together".
They prepared a Soiree party for invited guests, had us team up, part ways, to walk into different floors of the hotel to check the rooms and amenities. A program started and had us try hors d'oeuvres were sourced responsibly, prepared meticulously by the hotel's chefs. They also had us converge in a new facility they call "COLLAB" which is a modern industrial co-working space that could hold different events, meetings, gatherings, you name it, it can happen there. There's also a loft and pretty wide rooms you can divide so when there's something else you want to do in the same space, that takes care of it.
Sustainably sourced food in all their restaurants
To see more of the rooms, here's a video tour of Sheraton Manila. Hope you enjoy this bit!
And if you're in the mood for a gastronomic treat, S Kitchen's S Kollaborations is holding "12 Hands" as 6 Chefs James Antolin, Kiko Santiago, Carlos Aluning, Carlo Miguel, Kenneth Cacho and Brando Santos whip up their best international dishes just for this July. Honestly, S Kitchen is one of the best buffets in Manila and these guys make it look like it's easy. Lunch and Dinner costs Php 2,900 (Dinner is Sunday to Thursday) whilst on Fridays and Saturdays, it's a bit special so it'll be around Php 3,200 net. You're getting the work of 12 hands, that's a lot for one day. I'd recommend the steaks if you're a good eater, particularly the Korean Ribs which is so good in my books.
They are friends, and they've planned a great meal for you at S Kitchen's 12 Hands this July
Food selections at S Kitchen is top notch!
Sheraton Manila is located at 80 Andrews Avenue in Pasay City. They have access to NAIA 3 through a bridge so it's a perfect place to stay in before a flight. If you want to have a reservation, call (02) 7902 1800 and they can arrange everything for you. I'd also like to recommend the room with the jacuzzi, it's something dreamy during these rainy days.
I'd like to take this bit to thank the nice people of Sheraton Manila, I got to know what it looks like, had sumptuous food, and had fun during the soiree. Thank you!
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