Enjoy Triple Treats at SM Manila, Triple the Fun, Triple the Food Trip!

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Enjoying a wonderful world at SM Manila! It’s the season for Food Tour! It’s time to celebrate the assimilation of cultures and the diversities that created the Pinoy we know then that we continue to improve now.

SumoSam, the leading Japanese fusion resto in the metro brings you Tokyo Grill at SM Manila. 

From its line of debut dishes popularizing Japanese Bibimpap and Japas (Japanese small plates), Tokyo Grill Nachos and Jap Pao ( sweetened slow cooked pork) fried Maki rolls, comes a fusion of what we love about Japanese and Asian goodness in a dish – the Sizzling Bento. 

Guests can choose from Beef, Chicken, Pork or Salmon with mixed vegetables  and various types of Asian rice served on a sizzling Bento box to keep the food hot. Enjoy the Japanese and Asian cuisine in exquisite preparation satisfying your eyes and your stomach as it sizzles to bring your appetites to bliss. Like the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and the love of Pinoy for grilled dishes and everything served hot, let SumoSam Tokyo Grill fill you and your family with Japanese and Asian cuisine in a cozy atmosphere without worrying the cost.

KungFu Kitchen or KFK revolutionizes Philippine modern casual Chinese dining by bringing together two elements – fresh and fast. KFK boasts of Feasts of Fury, powered with the tempest of the strongest spirit and tamed with discipline creating dishes that will knack your senses yet not kick your budget. Let us take you to what the KungFu masters have mastered, intoxicating explosion of flavors  devoured with gusto, meant to be to follow its finest art of gradually exciting your palate. Xiao Long Bao, an experience quite foreign to barkadas and friends. Served with finely sliced yellow ginger in sweet soy sauce, Xiao Long Bao may be a soup dumpling smaller in size at KungFu Kitchen but mighty in taste. From the masters of cooking Chinese assimilating the culture of Pinoys loving all the treats in one plate comes KFK’s Boxers- combo meals ala Bento Boxes. With more than twenty favorite comfort Chinese dishes mixed and matched in one amazing “warrior’s box’ is a meal to satisfy every Juan reminiscing the stories from KungFu films about warrior underdogs and their transcendence in different challenging scenarios, perfect for the working  and the studying Juan who needs all the nourishment to face the day. KungFu Kitchen opens its first flagship store at SM Manila, soon to become a hole in the wall in the city of Manila.

Finally, the mix of cultures and the love to share food takes you to what Pinoys have acquired from the military training – the boodle feasts at Blackbeard’s Seafood Island. The tradition of cameraderie from the army enticed the Filipino whose culture of fiestas eating on banana leaves became a craving for Pinoys to keep the boodle feast tradition. Seafood Island SM Manila from its parent Red Crab resto chains, sprung in different malls and business districts to provide a bonding experience to foster cameraderie among office work teams and barkadas. It’s the use of fingers and the knack to share food in one big plate creating memorable experiences for groups and families now open at the 4th floor of SM Manila, perfect after a night of movies with families and barkadas. Indulge on their famous I am Ninoy(Dagupan) Boodle Feast, the best of the Philippine islands has to offer, a mix of meat, seafood and other grilled goodies. Deep-fried boneless bangus, pork BBQ, steamed white shrimps, grilled tahong, okra, talbos ng kamote, green mango, crispy liempo and bagoong rice will surely be a feast to remember with friends and family appreciating the best of the Filipino dishes in Dagupan Boodle Feast. In 3-4 or 5-6 pax per Boodle with dishes that represent the islands we boast in the Philippines, it would surely be appreciated from friends visiting the country and coming home.

Take your dining experience to the next level at the 4th floor of SM Manila at KungFu Kitchen, SumoSam Tokyo Grill and Blackbeard’s Seafood Island everyday. You and your family deserve the experience and the memories every Sunday and all days of the week. After all, the family (the group) that eats together, stays together.

For more information and updates, please like the FB Page of 

SumoSam Tokyo Grill at https://www.facebook.com/SumosamTokyoGrill

KungFu Kitchen Feasts of Fury at https://www.facebook.com/kungfukitchen888

Seafood Island SM Manila at https://www.facebook.com/SeafoodIslandSMCityManila

Visit www.seafoodisland.net http://www.seafoodisland.net/ for more info on the Boodles and other Pinoy treats.

Travel entrepreneur is set to complete all seven continents with young daughter

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To travel the world is but a fantasy for many, but RJ and his daughter are living the dream. Yet for RJ, while traveling to exotic destinations is certainly a thrill, it’s the moments spent with Lizzie that make the trips worthwhile.

12-year-old Lizzie often flies on her own to meet her dad RJ

Travel entrepreneur RJ Samson and his 12-year-old daughter Lizzie’s travel story is a unique one. The US-based Lizzie, who lives with her mom, began traveling alone at the tender age of eight to the Philippines, and has already been to six continents by the age of 12.

Before Lizzie turns 13, the father and daughter tandem will make a trip to Australia to complete the seven continents, followed by a cruise to the Antarctic.

“Lizzie and I are definitely excited about this trip. We’ve had such a wonderful time traveling around the world, just the two of us, and we can’t wait for our next adventure,” says RJ, who runs a travel company called iTraveler Asia.

While RJ and Lizzie’s father-daughter bonding is far from ordinary, they have a routine for each trip. “Since Lizzie is based in the United States, we’d meet up at the airport of our destination and take it from there,” explains RJ.The pair doesn’t believe in setting itineraries without getting a feel of the place first, so they do the planning when they get to their destination.

RJ shares that Lizzie likes to explore new places and if it’s the first time they’re visiting, they first check out the landmarks and find new experiences along the way.

“Most of the time, we try to find kid-friendly spots,” he says.

Having been to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Africa, Lizzie has her favorites. 
“I like Singapore because there are a lot of places to go and do there while South Africa is another favorite because of the wildlife.” RJ adds, “Lizzie has also taken a liking to Michelin star restaurants which we make sure that we visit on each trip.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“I always tell her that she’s lucky because I wasn’t able to travel as a child,” says RJ, who is proud that his daughter’s first travel experience was to the Philippines. 

“Traveling alone has made her independent and it has built a special relationship for us even if we don’t see each other on a regular basis. Traveling brings us together, and that is priceless.”

Pesos and Sense: Investments Made Easy For You

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Bringing Financial Literacy to the Filipino People

PESOS AND SENSE is a financial literacy program that covers a wide range of personal finance and investment topics that typically intimidates the average Filipino: the stock market, mutual funds, insurance, budgeting and debt management etc.  Its goal is to empower Filipinos by teaching simple and practical knowledge in making independent and wise choices in handling their money.

PESOS AND SENSE started as a TV show in September 2011 on GMA News TV which ran for 13 episodes. It was a weekly Sunday morning show that tackled personal finance and investments, simplifying it to a more approachable and doable sense.  The show was hosted by Investment Advocate Mr. Aya Laraya, who is also a Certified Securities representative, a Certified Investment Company representative, a realtor and a writer with an MBA from University of Western Australia. He started his stint in the stock market as a simple runner for the old Philippine Stock Exchange. On top of being a licensed stockbroker, he gained relevant experience from other industries such as mutual funds, real estate and banking. He also shared his financial wisdom with the youth as a professor at the Ateneo de Manila University.

After its first season as a TV show, PESOS AND SENSE launched a seminar series which started April this year. The schedule of the seminars is posted on their website, Twitter and Facebook page.  It is also has a very active online community that provides helpful information and even inspiration to its loyal followers.

It will have its next seminar on October 20, 2012 entitled Make Your Money Grow (Module 1), 9am-12nn / 1:30pm-4:30pm; 

October 27, 2012 for the Time Value of Money (Module 2), 1:30pm-4:30pm at Philippine Social Science Center (PSSC) Auditorium in  PSSC Bldg, Commonwealth, Diliman, Quezon City (in between Iglesia ni Cristo Central Temple and UP-Ayala TechnoHub). For tickets and reservations, please call TicketWorld at 891-9999. Register now to avail the early bird rate. For other inquiries, you may call 430-2237 or email seminars@pesosandsense.com.  You may also check our Facebook at fb.com/pesosandsensetv.

and www.pesosandsense.com.

“Ruby Sparks”

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Not your conventional boy-meets-girl  romantic story,  “Ruby Sparks” leads us to Calvin Weir-Fields, (played by Paul Dano who also appeared in “Little Miss Sunshine,” “There Will Be Blood” a literary wunderkind with an acclaimed first novel.  But since then, he’s been stricken with a stubborn case of writer’s block magnified by a dismal love life. In a last-ditch attempt to reignite his creative spark, Calvin begins to envision a female protagonist in his mind.  Then one morning she steps off the page and into his life. Suddenly, Ruby (portrayed by Zoe Kazan who is also the film’s writer) is sleeping in Calvin’s bed, cooking in his kitchen, beguiling him in every way, with one mind-boggling twist: he somehow has the power to change her every time he sits at his typewriter. As Calvin tries to juggle this power, he faces a major dilemma as a writer and a boyfriend: what will it take to make this relationship from his imagination work in the real world ?

It seems fitting that “Ruby Sparks,” a romantic fable about how two people weave a love story in and out of reality, was brought to life by a married pair of directors (Dayton & Faris) working with two actors who are also a devoted couple (Dano and Kazan). 

A sharp, modern take on the Pygmalion myth, “Ruby Sparks” is the story of a novelist’s vision who inexplicably comes to life, only to prove far more complicated than even he could have imagined.  With a light touch and a dash of magical realism, the first screenplay from actress and playwright Zoe Kazan attracted the attention of Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, the married team who directed the run-away hit “Little Miss Sunshine.”  The film takes an unpredictable route into fantasy, identity and the ways we invent love – and how love can re-invent us. 

The duo decided to approach the story not as a sci-fi fantasy, but as something that is currently happening in the everyday world, no matter how bizarre it might seem to Calvin.   “Even though the story is built around a fictional premise, it illuminates so many truths about relationships.  We felt it was essential for the scenes to feel real and honest,” explains Dayton.

On the premise’s conception, Kazan shared that “I started wondering what might happen if a writer had a character come to life who could give him exactly what he thought he wanted romantically.  How do you love the person you’re with completely without saying ‘I don’t want this part or that part?’  How do you make room in a relationship for two separate people? But things get very complicated because when you really love someone you have to love all of the person, not just the parts you’ve idealized.” 

As Kazan wrote, she began sharing her work with her boyfriend, Paul Dano, the actor, and though she had not set out to write something for the two of them, they couldn’t help but envision one another in the lead roles.   “I think I was always subconsciously writing Calvin for Paul,” she muses. “But the weirdest thing is that I was writing a character who is writing my character!  There was something very meta going on.”

Kazan wasn’t so interested in the science fiction aspect of how a writer’s fantasy character might come to life – she was more intrigued by what would come next.  How would a fictional creation fare in the midst of the messiness of real life, especially when the man writing her isn’t sure of exactly what he wants?  There has been a long literary tradition of riffing on the man-made object made human:  Shakespeare with Queen Hermione in “A Winter’s Tale,” George Bernard Shaw with Eliza Doolittle in “Pygmalion,” and Mary Shelley gave it another take with her “Frankenstein” myth.  Kazan wanted to come at the concept from a literary perspective, exploring a writer who pens the lover he thinks he wants in his heart . . . but who makes him so nervous in the flesh, he is tempted to keep changing her. 

“The story leaves some questions open for discussion,” concludes Faris, “we hope that people will leave the theater with something to talk about.”  

“Despite this movie’s high-concept premise, we think audiences will identify with Calvin’s predicament.”  Kazan chimes in, “I am so proud of the movie we made.  After such a happy collaboration, we are really excited to share the film with an audience, hear their reactions, start that conversation.”

“Ruby Sparks” opens September 19 in cinemas from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Gloc-9 Launched His First Universal Records Album "MKNM: Mga Kwento Ng Makata"

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Philippine premier rapper Gloc-9 is hereby once again invading the Philippine rap music industry with his newly released album "MKNM: Mga Kwento Ng Makata."

MKNM is Gloc-9's first album with Universal Records.  Gloc-9 colaborated with other OPM artists like Billy Crawford, Jay Durias, Ebe Dancel, Bamboo Manalac, Chito Miranda and his Protege Denise Barbacena.

"This album contains various stories from people from all walks of life,” Gloc-9 said.  He is super proud of the album's single "Sirena," which talks about the story of a responsible gay man. “I think this is the first time that a song about a gay man is presented in a first person’s point of view,” explains Gloc-9.

“I worked hard on this song to make sure it doesn’t offend anyone.”

The song also features Ebe Dancel. Seeing this music video of "Sirena", it also boasts of Boy Abunda's participation.

Gloc-9  shared us that "MKNM: Mga Kwento Ng Makata" marks a new chapter in his career as this is his first release under Universal Records, where he joins its elite roster of artists like Jose Mari Chan, Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Parokya Ni Edgar, Christian Bautista, Kamikazee, Sponge Cola, Callalily, Sam Concepcion, among others.

"I am very thankful that Universal welcomed me into their stable," concludes Gloc-9. 

"I am looking forward to doing more projects with my new label."

GLOC-9 feat. Ebe Dancel "Sirena" Music Video

Gloc-9’s MKNM: Mga Kuwento ng Makata tracklist:

1."Balak ni Syke (Syke's Plan)" 

2."Apatnapungbara" (featuring Ian Tayao)

3."Silup (Semordnilap of the Tagalog word Pulis which means "Police")" (featuring Denise Barbacena)

4."Alalay Ng Hari (King's Assistant)" (featuring G-Dawg a.k.a. Gordon Lambatan)

5.“Sirena (Mermaid)" (featuring Ebe Dancel)

6."Hindi Mo Nadinig" (featuring Jay Durias)

7."Sino (Who)" 

8."Salarin (Malefactor)" (featuring Bamboo Mañalac)

9."Inday (Pinoy slang for maid)" (featuring Cathy Go)

10."Bakit Hindi (Why Not)" (featuring Billy Crawford)

11."Malakas (Strong)" 

12."Pison (Steamroller)" (featuring Chito Miranda)

13."Thankful" (featuring Maychelle Baay of Moonstar88 and Bambu)

14."Hari ng Tondo (King of Tondo)" (featuring Denise Barbacena)

15."Kung Tama Siya (If He Is Right)" (featuring Jaq Dionisio of Kissjane)

Download Gloc-9 “MKNM” full album at:

Itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mknm-mga-kuwento-ng-makata/id552298332

MyMusicStore: http://www.mymusicstore.com.ph/album/gloc-9/1029959/Mga-Kuwento-Ng-Makata-MKNM

FOLLOW GLOC-9 on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/glocdash9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/glocdash9
Instagram: glocdash9
Website: http://glocdash9.com/

FOLLOW UNIVERSAL RECORDS:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/universalrecordsphfanpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universalrecph
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/UniversalRecPH
Instagram: universalrecordsphilippines