Feature Friday: Hukad sa Golden Cowrie Ozamis

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

It might be a bit late for this blog post but it is better late than never, right?  For Hukad sa Golden Cowrie already opened months ago dated March 15, 2013 in Ozamis City.  Thanks to the Lim family who also owns a chain of shopping centers in the city for bringing the taste of Golden Cowrie in town!  

If you are into native Filipino cuisine, then Hukad sa Golden Cowrie is the best place for you!  Golden Cowrie has its roots from Cebu and when I was still working there, my roommate Jennifer frequented the resto and introduced it to me.  She loved their sinigang na baboy so much and other pure Pinoy dishes which she kept on raving to me.  As a foodie, it was Jennifer who brought me to a handful of Cebu's finest restos.  But sad to say, we haven't visited Golden Cowrie together.  It was only after resigning from my job in Cebu that I had tried the place with the company of some other friends.

Indeed, Jen was absolutely right!  Hukad sa Golden Cowrie serves the most sumptuous and original Filipino dishes.  Aside from their most requested sinigang na baboy, they also have adobong pusit, baked scallops, bicol express, calamares, and escabecheng tangigue.

But nothing beats their chicken pandan which had instantly become my favorite!

And to top it all, halo-halo for dessert is the best ever Pinoy attitude that we can never do without!

In this regard, Hukad sa Golden Cowrie also aims to provide a venue for every Filipino family.  As Filipinos, we value close family ties and there is no better way to bond with each other than doing it over food.  We love eating much and we love talking much especially over a bountiful table heavily laden with good food.  So may it be a Sunday lunch, a birthday celebration, a despidida party, or any other gathering, Hukad is just the place to be!  

With its spaciousness and homey interior, Hukad sa Golden Cowrie Ozamis is perfect for a festive ambiance for the whole Filipino family.  So, visit Hukad at the Royal Garden Hotel along Burgos corner Zamora Sts., Ozamis City today for you to experience the newest Pinoy fine dining with a twist!

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Flores de Mayo

As a kid, I always looked forward for summer vacation because I can play with the other children without limit!  Much more, I can enjoy going to places since Mommy Becky would always treat us in vacationing out of town.  When the month of May comes, I would be more excited for we can join Flores de Mayo in our local church (we were still Aglipayan at that time). 

Every afternoon after taking a nap, me and some other neighborhood kids would go out and pick flowers from our neighbors' backyard or garden.  After picking up beautiful flowers, we would go to our Aglipayan church for a novena to Mama Mary.  After the prayer, we would offer the flowers we had picked to Jesus' mom.  We were always delighted by the prettiness of the flowers each churchgoer brought.  They came in different sizes, in different colors, and in different blooms.  And this activity is what we call as Flores de Mayo or Flowers of May.  

Aside from the novena and offering of flowers, Flores de Mayo also conducts small religious classes.  Me and my friends would gather around a catechist who taught us some prayers and other church doctrines.  After our lesson, sumptuous refreshments were being served to us in which we enjoy eating for free!  Then we would go out again to play until our hearts' content!

In culmination of Flores de Mayo by the end of May, Santa Cruzan is being held.  It is a sagala or procession of beauties showcasing the most handsome and the prettiest in town.  It depicts the finding of the relic of the true cross in which Jesus died  in Jerusalem by Queen Helena and bringing it back to her place in Constantinople.  

In the sagala, there are biblical characters and traditional personifications like Methuselah, Cleopatra, and Veronica.  Aside from them, there are also Marian titles like Reyna Candelaria (Queen of Candles), Reyna de los Santos (Queen of Saints), and Reyna del Cielo (Queen of Heaven).  And last but not the least is the Reyna Elena escorted by a little boy, Constantino.  Reyna Elena is the bearer of the cross representing Helena of Constantinople  and Constantino represents Constantine the Great, her son.

Apart from the two important personas of the sagala, there are also the Hermano and Hermana Mayor who are the couple hosting and organizing the sagala and other fiesta activities.  They must be one of the wealthiest in the community because traditionally, the townspeople would go to their house for a lucrative feast.  

As a kikay girl, I am so glad to have had experienced being a part of a sagala.  I had walked into being one of the queens not just once but twice!  At four years old, I was Reyna Banderada.

And at seven years old, I was Reyna Gladiola.

Looking back into this very memorable experience, I thank my mom for the effort in allowing me to join such sagalas because not all children had gone through what I did.  Hopefully, the modern Roman Catholic and Aglipayan churches nowadays will not lose this tradition because this is one of the most sacred Filipino cultures.  The sagala must be held without taking for granted its real essence because in history, this procession started the spread of Christianity.  Just like me, I hope all young girls would be educated in such a fact because walking in the processions is indeed a walk to remember!

                  

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Jan Philippe's First Birthday

My niece, Janine gave birth to a healthy baby boy last year which made me into an instant grandma.  Grandma?  As young as I a grandma?  Yes, I am! In Philippine setting, close family ties are a number one priority wherein you get to bond with a big family.  It is evident when somebody gets to be your grandaunt if she is the aunt of your cousin's mother.  Now that's really confusing.  Well, Jan Philippe is my first degree cousin's grandson that's why I happen to become JP's grandma!  Whew!  What kind of logic is this in the world?!!! 

Anyway, we celebrated JP's first birthday yesterday.  We thank God for giving him to us - a truly great blessing who warms our hearts!  

With the effort of everybody, we had made his first birthday a very memorable one.  Thanks to Lolo Jun and Lola Gearly for the bountiful table and for Lolo Uncle Rene and Lolo Uncle Dodong for helping out in the kitchen!

Thanks to Lolo Uncle Jolly and Lola Auntie Percy for the very artistic and sumptuous sailboat cake! 

Thanks to Ninang Maricel for the party giveaways, balloons, and for facilitating the children's party!

Every child enjoyed the party so much that also JP cheered for them as they were competing in the parlor games!

And thank you so much, Mommy Janine for all the effort in putting up my party, for bringing me into this world, and for all the love you give me!  

Party supplies and balloons are all available at Fascino!  Visit us today for fun party packages at Gomez St., Ozamis City (beside Mom's Sweet Delight, across Kinny's Bakeshop).   

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Monday Matters: Top 3 Reasons Why One Should Choose Pharmacy

Monday Matters is dedicated to all things that matter.

Our youth today are fickle-minded!  This I've come to learn since I was seated in the position as an admission officer in Medina College.  They make decisions in a haste but change their minds instantly.  They are not focused on what they want and still rely on their friends' or parents' decision.  As such, incoming freshmen students are so undecided on what course they would take!  They want to be plenty of who-they-wanna-be in the future!  So as an aid to them, let me share these top three reasons why one should choose Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy:

                      

Reason #1  Be your own boss!

If you are the entrepreneurial type, the pharmacy business is one of the most profitable enterprises ever!  Medicines are always in demand because people do really get sick (well, this is just reality, right?).  You can never run out of customers in your pharmacy because medicines are needs, not wants!

Reason #2  Be a high paid industrial pharmacist!

If you are not that financially blessed in putting up your own biz, you can still get high salaries by being an industrial pharmacist where you can work in big pharmaceutical companies.  In here, your job is more like those of scientists where you conduct research and experiments and analyze the end results of the drugs or medicines manufactured.

Reason #3  Work abroad!

Pharmacists are now in demand in the US.  After the deluge of nurses hired abroad, pharmacists now go next in line!  Pharmacists abroad function as hospital pharmacists where they act as an essential part of clinical ward who provide the doctors and nurses effective advice on medicine use.  They are regarded as health care professionals who earn as much as the nurses do!

                                                                                           

So, I hope this post will give light to you my dear student readers.  Choose your course wisely so you won't end up wasting your time, money, and effort.  Enroll now at the School of Pharmacy in Medina College for a bright horizon in modern education!

See you here! :)

Photo credits to Robert Christopher Dimagiba

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Feature Friday: Fascino Party Packages

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

The most affordable party packages are now offered by Fascino!  Here's a list of our Inatô Party Packages that you can avail at very reasonable prices:

Aside from these Inatô Party Packages, we also cater balloon arrangement or balloon art deco for any special occasion!  We offer the lowest prices in town as follows:   

To make your event more fun and extra special, we have high-class add-ons that will make your party the talk of the town!  Here are our most requested activity and food booths that'll surely do the works: 

So, visit us at Fascino along Gomez St., Ozamis City (beside Mom's Sweet Delight, across Kinny's Bakeshop) where we can assist you in making your event, your choice, your design!

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Whimsical Wednesday: Heart From My Inbox

Whimsical Wednesday shows my fancy in a myriad of beautiful things.

Sometimes, there are things that would brighten up your day!  That out of the blue, you'll receive something like this.....

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Feature Friday: Engr. Jose Marion Torres Ybañez

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

Sa wala nay daghan pang storya, akong ipaambit kaninyo mga kahigalaan kong taga-Ozamis ang plataporma ni Engr. Jose Marion "Mar" Torres Ybañez.  Isig alagad sa Ginoo, si Engr. Mar nanghinaut nga iyang dad-on sa konseho ang kahadlok sa Diyos.  Iyang ipasiugda ang 7K Prayer Program nga:

Kalinaw

Katarong

Kaligdong

Kaluwasan

Kaalam

Kahimsog

Kalamboan

Kining akong blog post karong adlawa kay hamubo ra pero akong pasalamatan ug dako ang inyong suporta!  Ayaw kalimti pag-shade ang ika-numero 21 sa balota para konsehal sa Ozamis!  Daghang salamat! :)

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Lambing-Soft Moment

This lambing-soft moment with my 3-year old nephew was captured by him.  It was so picture-perfect given that he took it using the back camera of my iPhone.  It was taken during a birthday party of my uncle when Reija realized that no one's looking after him.

Reija was born in Japan last October 19,2009.  He was a God-given blessing to my cousin who wanted to have children so much but had the difficulty in making his wife conceive.  Thankfully, God answered our prayers and gave us a very healthy baby boy who always gives us joy!

And it was a great joy to have Reija under the custody of my cousin's parents for the meantime here in the Philippines.  My cousin and his wife left Reija and his baby sister last January of this year because they found it too hard to raise two children in Japan.  They couldn't afford to have their children be overseen by some random babysitters for they wanted personal care and personal touch from people who would truly care.  Moreover, it is a hassle for their daily lives to have two children at home for both of them have to go out and work for a living.

Anyway, back to my uncle's party.  Reija was playing with the other kids.  He was having too much fun that he didn't take notice of me and just snobbed me.  When eating time came, the kids were being hailed by their moms and Reija was left all alone.  I was just observing him and saw that he was perplexed with what was going on.  He just looked from one kid to another with their moms holding their hand and asking them what would they like to eat.  He was baffled why there was nobody to get him up.  Until he saw me watching from a far.  Then he ran up to me, sat on my lap, and hugged me too tightly.

It was so heartbreaking to feel his hug!  It was as if he wanted to tell me that he misses his mom so much but he couldn't utter the words.  I felt that he wanted to tell me how he wants to go back home but he didn't know what to say.  So I just hugged him back so tightly and so tenderly.  He did not cry while I was about to cry.  But I stopped the tears that welled up my eyes from falling for I don't want him to understand that the situation is pitiable for him.  All I wanted was to make him feel loved and being taken care for.

After the hug, he grabbed my phone.  I told him, "Let's take photo nalang" and switched on the camera.  Then he took the phone and snapped this lambing-soft moment.  A moment that will be forever etched in my heart with my nostalgic nephew who found refuge on his tita!  Maybe he will not remember this moment as he will grow up.  But even just for that time-fleeting moment, we had shared something very special.  A quick bond that could boost the morale of a child, reminding him that he is being loved! :) 

Join Palmolive Naturals Soft and Moisture Lambing Soft Moments contest by clicking here!

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Tapioca Pearls Recipe

Here's another delectable way to enjoy tapioca pearls aside from the conventional pearl coolers.  It's so easy to prepare, light on the budget, and proudly pinoy-made dessert - the Tapioca Salad!  Now, bring down all the ingredients!  (Candy Crush line lang po.....)

                                                         1/4 kg      tapioca pearls
                                                         1 kg         mangoes cubed
                                                         1 jar         nata de coco cubed
                                                         1 bar       Eden Cheddar Cheese diced
                                                         1 can       condensed milk
                                                         250 mL   all-purpose cream

Then, here's how:

Boil the tapioca pearls until tender.  Stir occasionally so pearls won't stick together or into the pot.  Replenish with water so the mixture won't dry out to have that perfect consistency and al dente finish.

Mix all ingredients in a ref-friendly container according to the order listed above.

  
Chill tapioca salad before serving.

Enjoy eating the chilled salad to cool you down this summer season.  Kids and adults alike will surely love this recipe for its blandness and sweetness.  Plus, it is very healthy for its high calcium content from Eden Cheddar Cheese.  

Truly, being pinoy means being very inventive and creative.  From machinery and equipment to food, we are just one of those adventurous guys who'll take the risk in experimenting whatever might be of good to put together.  Just like this recipe, it is a mix of anything that might be of good taste and luckily, the ingredients complement each other thus making it another pinoy favorite panghimagas!

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Tech Tuesday: Viber is Out, LINE is In!

Tech Tuesday tells about the techie side of me!

Upon the introduction of Viber, I was greatly amazed by its free calls and free messages service.  You could just download it in your smartphone, connect to Wi-Fi, and you're on the go to get connected with your friends worldwide!  Using Viber helps you save on IDD and NDD calls given that you can now get free Wi-Fi access anywhere at anytime!  

But here comes the newest app which I am gloriously using right now - LINE!  LINE also offers free calls and free messages service like Viber but LINE is uniquely different.  It has added fun and exciting features that you'll surely fall in love with!

Feature #1  Fun Stickers

These are cuter and far better graphics than emoticons or Emoji keyboard!  You can express your feelings even more by adding more color and zest in your messages.  LINE has a deluge of sticker sets to choose from that you'll go gaga over which one to pick!

Feature #2  LINE Games
Play the newest and most challenging on-line games with LINE.  You can compete with your LINE friends for the highest score or team-up to play together virtually!

Feature #3  Instant Photos
Send instant photos to forward your latest updates to your LINE friends. 

Feature #4  Video and Voice Messages
Not just normal calls and messages, LINE also caters video and voice messages.  Just record your video and voice then tap send.  In an instant, your friend can receive your message wherever he/she is in planet earth!

Feature #5  Timeline
Just like Facebook, LINE has its timeline feature where you can post your latest status, shout-outs, and photos.  You can also create your profile to showcase who you are all over the world! 

So make LINE one of your most used app.  It is very convenient for it covers an all-in-one service for all your social networking needs!  Register now and add me up as your first LINE friend!

   LIKE below if you are already using LINE!

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Feature Friday: Konsta Groceries and Drinks

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

If you're a resident of Brgy. Bañadero and you happen to run out of grocery supplies at home, then Konsta is the place to be! Konsta has a complete and wide range of grocery items so you don't have to go to the city proper to buy that sachet of shampoo which you found out dried up while taking a bath. More so, you don't have to go from one sari-sari store to another to look for that missing ingredient in your recipe while cooking 'coz Konsta has already got anything that you'll ever need! 

Not just a convenience store, Konsta also provides a space for quick refreshments. It serves ice-cold soft drinks, beers, and a variety of ice cream goodies to choose from. 

Not only for Bañadero residents, Konsta is also convenient for motorists for it provides a parking area along Ozamis-Pagadian road. Additionally, you'll get to access their free Wi-Fi if you're leisurely hanging out with a friend or two. It's a relaxing place where you can also have tiny chitchats and do some catching-ups with one another. 

So for a hassle-free grocery shopping at very reasonable prices, visit Konsta at Bañadero Highway, Ozamis City and make it your one-stop grocery shop!

With Store Manager, MM and JCI Past Presidents Sharon and Ritchie

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Labor Day: Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18

Outskirt of Ozamis City lies a small barrio, Brgy. Bongbong.  It is a relocation site for the previous inhabitants of the coastal area of Baybay Triunfo after its big fire last 1997.  Concrete houses were given by the government with the help of a foreign non-governmental organization.  Then these homeless people had the opportunity to start their lives all over again.  Step by step, they stood up after their fall.

And after 16 years, the Bongbong inhabitants had developed into a community of simple and humble living.  They had also grown into friendship and love through the teachings of the Bible.  As an outreach leader of the Happy Church, Maria Lourdes T. Putis gathered her neighbors for weekly fellowship.  At first, they held it in a small nipa hut.  Eventually, the attendees grew in number so they transferred and squeezed into her small piggery.  Now can you imagine listening to the word of God with pigs around?  Well, they had managed and survived it for years until the group decided to pray for a meeting place for them to be more comfortable.

So the small group started praying and being faithful in their tithes and offering.  They saved whatever amount of money they had managed to collect in every meeting.  They brought a piece of this, a piece of that, just anything that could be of help for the construction of their mini house of prayer.  They started from total scratch until last week, they had agreed to start laying down their plans into something tangible.  After years of waiting, finally they had started building up the foundation for their weekly meeting place of worship!

The Happy Church Bongbong Outreach in Worship

In unity, the group started piling up hallow blocks for the foundation.  Then a good-hearted member contributed rocks to fill the foundation.  In order to save up for labor, all members complied to take the load of carrying these rocks.  The mission was to get what you can manage to bring from the heap of rocks to the construction site about ten to fifteen steps apart.

Truly, the bayanihan spirit of the Filipinos prevailed.  Everybody helped - men, women, adult, youth, and children alike.  There was even a pregnant woman doing her share too!  Everyone was so willing to help and happily doing his or her job.  

The lolos and lolas didn't mind their aching backs, the happy-go-lucky lads took a break from their basketball game, the pa-cute lasses ignored the scorching heat of the sun, and even the little kiddos considered it as their playtime!

After successfully transferring the rocks from its pile to the construction site, the neighborhood shared a big pot of steamy hot sweet chocolate rice porridge a.k.a. champorado (just to make it sound sosyal).  

Champorado + hearty talk + good laughs = true Christian fellowship.  That equation made their day after their toilsome labor!

Truly, answering God's call takes a lot of sacrifice.  But sacrificing for the love of God and brethren is being rewarded eternally.  Like the Happy Church Bongbong Outreach, living a life in simplicity and contentment is greatly accepted at its best.  They may not be rich in worldly riches but they are rich in love.  What they did for each other in building up their meeting place is indeed a labor of love.  The foundation had been laid out and there are still walls, ceilings, flooring, etc.  Through faith, they are fervently praying for the completion of their "home".  And they are positive that they will and they can finish what they had already started! 

This is Only the Beginning

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