PRESS RELEASE

The Reintegration for Care and Wholeness Foundation, Inc. (RCWFI), also known as The Caring Group, is once again staging its highly recommended live event this summer entitled “Fully Charged 2015: A Gratitude Festival” on May 16, 2015, Saturday, from 8:30am-5:30pm at Teatro Marikina in Shoe Avenue, Marikina, Philippines.

Join the RCWFI family to recharge your life batteries and rekindle the fire of your inner power, personal excellence, inspiring attitude and enlightened consciousness by instilling the Magic of Gratitude! Expect a whole day of empowering talks and energy-shifting activities led by some of our country’s seasoned life-altering trainers and transformational coaches.

Highlights of the event are high-powered talks and presentations as follows:
1. The Attitude of Gratitude and Inner Wellness
2. The Spirituality of Gratitude and Abundance,
3. Gratitude and Pinoy Laughter Yoga
4. Shifting Thoughts, Transforming Feelings, the NLP way, and more.

Break free from stress, tedium, negativity and confusion. By discovering the healing and transformative power of Gratitude, learn how to begin your journey towards an excitingly fulfilling and abundant life.

To register, contact RCWFI at 436.0710/426.6832, (0921) 6332587 or rcw_foundation@yahoo.com, or visit www.rcwcares.org or www.fb.com/rcwcares.

     sweetnothings.kriskamarie
       kriskamarie   kriskamarie

Because we already had a pre-Mother's Day dinner at home last Saturday (will post that on the blog soon), our family celebrated Mother's Day yesterday by having some lunch out. After hearing mass at SM Marikina, we started to scout for a restaurant for our lunch. We wanted to already have a table reserved, because we know that every restaurant will be packed with families also celebrating Mother's Day.


We all agreed to celebrate it by having a boodle feast at Seafood Island. Mark and I already tried one of their boodles in their Cubao branch and we both enjoyed it so I was pretty sure that my family will also enjoy it here.

Since I was absent from the blogosphere for more than a month, I think I owe you guys a more decent post than the previous one, so I thought of delaying my backlogs a little bit and share with you my most recent food trip with my family. :)

After my morning routine (morning run, morning mass, and breakfast) last Monday, I decided to tag along my mom and my brothers, Chino and Jaoey, since I will be running some errands for Mark. We went to Manila to visit Mark's mom and to hand her some stuff from Mark. It was already past lunch time, but since we were all still full from our breakfast, instead of supposedly having lunch at Robinsons Manila, we decided to have it at Mama Chit's in Marikina.


It was actually our second time to check the place out. Our first time wasn't that successful though. It was a Saturday and we weren't able to dine there since the place was packed so we decided to dine elsewhere.

Mark celebrated his 27th birthday last February 7. Days before his special day, I was already thinking of places to go for his birthday celebration. He actually told me that he also wanted it to be some sort of an adventure just like what we had during my birthday. Since our schedules didn't permit an out of town trip, we had no choice but to settle for the places here in the Metro. Good thing I remembered Pan de Amerikana, the first and only chess-themed restaurant in the Philippines, which was once featured in a local magazine show.

I immediately thought that Mark would love to visit and dine in this restaurant because, as not everyone may know, aside from being into bodybuilding, Mark also is an expert in chess. :) He was a chess varsity player during his high school and college days and he also competed and won in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) chess competitions.

After a 20-minute cab ride from the Gateway Mall, we arrived at Pan de Amerikana in Marikina just in time for breakfast. Seeing photos of the restaurant already got me excited, more so when I saw the real thing! :D I was amazed with the life-sized Netherland windmill which was really moving! I wasn't able to take a photo of it though, so here's one that I got from the net. :)

Photo taken from crumb-trails.com

Mark and I posing at the bench near the entrance of Pan de Amerikana

Aside from the beautiful facade, Pan de Amerikana also takes pride of its garden-themed interior. This is what welcomed us as we entered. :)


The restaurant is a pay-as-you-order type. The photo below is their cashier and ordering area. Aside from their menu, our attention was also caught by the pictures on the bricks which showcase the celebrities, politicians, and big people who have already been to the restaurant.

Cashier and Ordering area

We placed our orders and then roamed around while waiting for our food. :)

This is where they do the grilling.

Dining Area

There is also a dining area with tables having built in tournament-size chess boards. Tournament-size chess pieces may be requested at the cashier area for free. :)

Dining Area/Chess Area

We chose a table near the giant chess board. The jumbo-sized plastic chess pieces were about 3 and a half feet high and were imported from New York City.


Mark and I played chess while waiting for our food. And being the chess expert that he is, after a few moves, he won the game through check mate! I played pretty well though because I was able to capture some of his chess pieces. :p

Check mate!

Our orders were served and so we went back to our table to eat. It was still early for lunch so we just ordered light food for breakfast. Mark must have eaten breakfast at home, so he just ordered a chicken sandwich. I was a little hungry so I got one tuna sandwich and arroz caldo with egg. :)

Their sandwiches come in what Pan de Amerikana is famous for--the 1950's pan de sal. There's no denying that the mega-sized wheat pan de sal was delectable. But Mark and I both agreed that their tuna and chicken fillings tasted like the instant spreads that can be bought in grocery stores.

Tuna Sandwich and Chicken Sandwich - Php 25.00 each

Their arroz caldo was okay but not something to crave for. I enjoyed it though, especially when I dip my pan de sal into the hot porridge (I'm kinda Barbaric sometimes, you know!) :p.

Arroz Caldo with Egg - Php 35.00

Melon Shake and Watermelon Shake - Php 30.00 each

Mark must have gotten hungry over our chess match haha! So he ordered baked macaroni after he finished his sandwich. I got to try a spoonful of it and didn't really like it. I love the generous amount of cheese though. :p

Baked Macaroni - Php 65.00

Mark and I both finished our dishes but didn't enjoy that much. Maybe we should try Pan de Amerikana's specialties next time. :)

After our breakfast, we continued to check the place out. Right next to our table was a glass cabinet with different chess pieces. What I liked the most was the Star Wars Chess set.

Star Wars Chess Set

Aside from the garden ambience, we also felt like we were inside a museum as we roamed around. A mixture of Filipino, European, and Italian cultures was very evident in the restaurant's interior. Everything is but a lovely work of art!


You can also see different paintings hanging all over the place, which reminded me of my very talented cousin. :)



Another attraction is the hammock and the tree house with hanging bridge.


Though we never really enjoyed the food, we really had fun seeing all the works of art. Thank God the birthday boy enjoyed our first time at Pan de Amerikana :) I also loved that the the staff was not restrictive when it comes to diners enjoying the facilities and roaming around the whole restaurant.

If you want to taste authentic 1950's pan de sal, dine in a garden setting, play chess for free, or see life-sized wind driven Netherland windmill...Pan de Amerikana is the place to be! We will definitely come back and try their specialties! :)

More photos HERE :)

PAN DE AMERIKANA, Marikina
92 Ordonez St., Marikina City
Metro Manila, Philippines
(+632) 475-2398, +63917-5308824
pandeamerikana.multiply.com

Date of visit: January 3, 2012

Was down with headache and fever but still managed to enjoy my special day by having a fun adventure with Mark at the Manila Ocean Park.

We arrived at the Manila Ocean Park around half past 11AM and went straight to the tickets section. We availed of the Ultimate Experience (Php1120) plus the Trails to Antarctica (Penguin Exhibit-Php300) at a discounted price of Php900 instead of Php1420. The Ultimate Experience included the following attractions: Oceanarium, Jellies, Fish Spa, Marine Life Show (Sea Lion Show), and Musical Fountain Show. Aside from the Oceanarium, Manila Ocean Park still doesn't have these new attractions when Mark and I first went here in 2008, and so we were both very excited with this adventure.

Ultimate Experience and Trails to Antarctica for only Php 900.00 :D

The Marine Life and Musical Fountain shows have schedules while the rest of the attractions may be visited anytime during the park's operating hours. We didn't make it to the 11AM schedule of the Marine Life show so we opted for the 2PM show.

It was already lunch time so we headed to Gerry's Grill for lunch. I had their Pork Sisig while Mark went for their Grilled Chicken.


We chose to be seated outside the restaurant. Mark and I both enjoyed our lunch which we thought was made more delectable with the cool sea breeze and this great view. :)


After lunch, we roamed around the area and did some picture taking to kill time.

We were lucky to have a decent photo of us together, courtesy of Manong guard :p

Marine Life Show (Sea Lion Show)
We then headed to the stadium to get ready for the Marine Life show. Here's a photo of us (I mean, our shoes) while waiting for the sea lions to come out. :p

pink shoes ^_^

Everyone was cheering when the sea lions came out. They were just so adorable! So cute and very intelligent!

Clapping her flippers

Shy sea lion

Sticking out her tongue :p

Dancing sea lion

After the show, we had the chance to have some close encounters with the sea lions. For Php500, Mark and I were able to have our photos taken with the sea lion. The photo package includes 6 poses with the sea lion with unlimited shots (well the number of shots really depends on the photographer, Mark and I actually had a total of 20shots :p) and a soft copy of all the shots in a CD.

Mark and I had 2 poses each with the sea lion..

Birthday kiss from a sea lion :-*

Kiss!

Flipper shake :)

Flipper shake :)

and another 2 poses of us together with the sea lion.


Jellies, Dancing Sea Fairies
The next scheduled show, the Musical Fountain show, was still at 7PM, so we had all the time and liberty to explore the park's other attractions. And so we decided to check out some jellyfish. A wall with an illustration of the life cycle of a jellyfish was what welcomed us as we walked inside.


But as we entered, I started to feel a little disappointed (or maybe I was just expecting too much?). There were only 2 small rooms, 1 with a few aquariums,


and another with a few tanks which were just made to look like they were many because of the mirrors as walls of the room.


But I must say that I loved the changing lights and its effects on the jellyfish. I get so excited each time the lights change to pink! :D


Trails to Antarctica
We headed next to the Trails to Antarctica and took some photos along the way. :)


This one's another new attraction, which again was another disappointment. :| Mark and I both haven't seen penguins and were very much excited with this attraction, but were just disappointed when we saw only a few and little penguins. The bigger penguins were just not real.


We entered a room with snow and were expecting some close encounters with the penguins, but there were none. We just took some photos but went out after a few minutes. We would have wanted to stay longer, but we just can't take the coldness even with our thick coats on, since I was just wearing a dress and Mark was just wearing shorts. :p


Oceanarium
We were still feeling cold so we decided to head straight to the Oceanarium for a warmer temperature. :) Nothing much has changed in the Oceanarium but we were still amazed with all the underwater creatures that we saw.

Fish Spa

After the long walk inside the Oceanarium, our feet got a little tired. A perfect time for Fish Spa! Mark and I both enjoyed this 30-minute fish spa. I am a ticklish type so I was giggling and trying to hold my scream each time the fish nibbles on my foot.

Doctor fish nibbling on the dead skins of our feet :p

These little fishes are called doctor fish. They gently nibble away the dead skin on the feet, leaving the healthy skin to grow. Their nibbles are not painful at all, though you'll also experience a little tingling sensation.

Musical Fountain Show
We then headed to the last destination of our adventure, the Musical Fountain show. Some pictures on our way back to the stadium...


Mark and I both enjoyed this one. The display of fire, music, laser lights, and animated marine characters projected on the water screen were just so awesome!


They also have these marine creature mascots who do skits about how to take care of the marine life.


A perfect way to end a fun adventure! We also still have yet to try Manila Ocean Park's Aquanaut Voyage and Glass Bottome Boat Ride. Will definitely get back and try them soon! ^_^

More photos HERE :)

MANILA OCEAN PARK
www.manilaoceanpark.com