Free Groceries and Exciting Deals for Rustan’s Supermarket’s 48th Anniversary!

Press release:

Rustan’s Supermarket celebrates their anniversary with amazing treats and deals for you in their annual Anniversary Sale until November 4, 2018!

In line with their celebration of their 48th anniversary, Rustan's has awesome discounts, buy one take one promo deals which they loyal customers can enjoy. There are lots of promo deals as you shop for Rustan’s Supermarket’s premium meats and produce, international wines, breakfast favorites and snacks, pantry staples, home and beauty essentials, and more! The Anniversary Sale will be having different exciting offers, so don’t miss the first wave of exclusive deals and savings available until October 23! Watch out for the next set of offers to be revealed on October 24. 

 Also, 500 loyal cardholders will also get to bring home their groceries for free with the Your Groceries On Us promo! Applicable for customers with a Fresh, Marketplace, or Sapphire card, all you have to do is purchase least P500 worth of sponsor products from Dove, Nestlé, World o’ Noodle, CDO Funtastyk, VitaPet, Veneto, Papa Alfredo, Cadbury, Selecta, Lucky Me!, Magnolia, Top Café for a chance to be one of the lucky winners.

As part of its anniversary celebration, Rustan’s Supermarket is also donating 48 wheelchairs to 48 children with serious illnesses in partnership with Make a Wish Philippines, the first and only non-profit wish granting foundation in the country.

Promos and deals are until November 4, so don’t miss the chance to celebrate the great deal and steals from Rustan’s Supermarket’s Anniversary Sale!

For more info, visit www.rustansfresh.com, follow and like rustansfresh on Facebook, and @rustansfresh on Instagram and Twitter.

Finally: Life Insurance for Senior Citizens and the Elderly

I once read somewhere: “If the weather forecast says there is a 50 percent chance of rain, would you bring an umbrella? What if I told you there is a 100 percent chance you will die; how much life insurance would you get?”

For most Filipinos, they think getting an insurance sucks because they feel like it’s a bummer to their planned budget travels or because it sounds oh-so repetitively advertised by almost everyone, that even their distant weird relative tries to get in touch with you after a long time. Insurance may feel like a scam that agents out there seem out to rob you of your money. Insurance sucks because it sounds so morbid and it doesn’t even add up to your bucket list of skydiving or seeing the northern lights. Insurance sucks because we all hate 

being sold to and you don’t want to give your hard-earned money to those annoying people who keep telling you to save. 

For the millennials, insurance sucks because you are forced to become an adult when you’re still quite unsure if you’re way past your puberty. Insurance sucks because suddenly you need to think about others when you just want to think about yourself. Insurance sucks because despite that you hate it, you know you need it. Insurance sucks because if ever you don’t start today and something does really happen, you wish you’ve started earlier. So look no further, find that annoying financial adviser who can guide you in insurance. Trust me, it’s a necessary pain in the ass. But we all need them. 

Senior citizens had something to be happy about! Finally, a health and insurance coverage for seniors (age 50 and up) with SUN SENIOR CARE!

Senior citizens had something to be happy about

Money Tricks for the Homemaker

Frugality is not a bad word and so does being kuripot. It’s all about sensible spending and cutting down  on luho (luxury).  To ride out the tough times, squeeze that peso until Dr. Jose Rizal squeals.

So how exactly should we handle our money? Here’s a simple guide to your financial happiness. According to financial experts, only 10 percent should go to our WANTS (which includes travel, gadgets, clothes, etc.), 10 percent goes to EDUCATION (training, seminar, workshops), 10 percent goes to ASSURANCE FUND (Safety fund, HMO, Health fund), 10 percent goes to LIFESTYLE FUND (luxury living, cinema, spa), 10 percent must go to TITHES (church, charity, donations), 40 percent must go to HOME (Necessities, Food, Transpo, Bills) and another 10 percent is for YUMMY (young millionaire investments and business.).

Note: Percentage shown in each purposed are just examples, you may change it base on what you need and what you want. Just make sure that the total percentage is 100%. 

We have to pay our monthly bills before it's due date

The sad part is that in terms of financial priorities, 52 percent of young families place expenses such as cable and cellphone bills ahead of buying life insurance. Think about what matters most. 

How an Accident Made Me Change the Way I look at Insurance

This is how our ATV went turtle on the rough roads of Sandbox in Pampanga

My mom and I almost died when we met a vehicular accident in an adventure theme park in Porac, Pampanga back in 2014. That’s the ordeal I had to go through in order for me to learn the value of being insured. I wouldn’t want anyone to experience such in order for you to learn the value of having an insurance that’s why I’m sharing this story. I realized insurance was something I should’ve done long before I needed it. 

There is no way to really describe accidents accurately. I don’t remember anything at all; I don’t remember the ATV taking a sharp turn to the right either.  I just remember the sound of crashing ATV against my back, and then silence. My lumbar was hit by the ATV itself, I was frozen for only a moment, screamed at the top of my lungs asking nearby people for help, as I thought about my mom who was later found a few meters from where I was, unconscious with a fractured femur. 

Mom and me before the accident

Those who rescued us asked if I was okay and I got up after the ATV was removed off my back, my lumbar felt some tremendous pain but I ignored it. “I’m fine, is my Mom okay?”

My arm was filled with scars, burns and bruises right after the accident.

My mom was badly hurt. “At least she was alive. That is what’s important,” I said to myself.

My mom suffered a fractured femur and had to undergo operation/surgery for partial hip prosthesis

The Marketplace brings sophisticated shopping to Iloilo

Press release:

Iloilo shoppers rejoice! You guys now have access to all the freshest and finest products that The Marketplace has to offer with the premium grocery’s first opening in the area at Festive Walk Mall. As The Marketplace seeks to bring its refined offerings across the archipelago, the public can now shop at the world-class chain’s newest store.

“We are excited to finally be bringing The Marketplace to Iloilo,” says The Marketplace CEO Arleen Aldaba. “With our unbeatable assortment of quality products from here and all over the world, wide range of fresh choices, beautiful and spacious store, and impeccable customer service, grocery shopping will never be the same.”

Fresh meat

Iloilo shoppers now have access to all the freshest and finest products that The Marketplace has to offer with the premium grocery’s first opening in the area at Festive Walk Mall.

Dry seafood section

The Marketplace has transformed the ordinary grocery experience into a whole new world of premium grocery and lifestyle shopping, with its unique selection of local and international products including exclusive and well-known brands like Waitrose from the UK and Casino from France, attractive in-store promotions, and a comfortable and stylish store. Its grand opening in Iloilo marks the chain’s latest effort in bringing sophisticated shopping to more Filipino families.

Ready to cook section

Shoppers from Iloilo with a carefully-cultivated palate and acute sense of taste will particularly enjoy shopping in The Marketplace. Food lovers will relish choosing from a world of delicious delights among the world’s best gourmet brands, high quality fresh products, and even freshly cooked meals daily within The Marketplace’s aisles. Discover and enjoy a more vibrant grocery experience at The Marketplace Iloilo!

For more info, visit www.rustansfresh.com, follow and like rustansfresh on Facebook, and @rustansfresh on Instagram and Twitter.

The Marketplace are located at San Antonio Plaza, Rockwell Power Plant Mall and Central Square Bonifacio High Street, Connecticut San Juan, Eastwood City, Shangri-La Plaza, Paseo de Roces, Santolan Town Plaza, Three Central, Westborough, Leonard Woods and Festive Walk Mall. Also, visit Rustan’s Supermarkets at Makati Area: Glorietta, Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Magallanes, Alphaland Makati Place, Paseo Center, Century City Mall.  North Area: Gateway Mall, Katipunan, Tomas Morato, P. Guevarra, Corinthian Hills, Village Center Antipolo, The Grove by Rockwell, Ayala Malls The 30th. South Area: Ayala Alabang Village, Evia Lifestyle Center, Uptown Mall BGC. Cebu: Oakridge Business Park, Ayala Center, Arcenas Estate CDO: Ayala Centrio Mall.

Sabor Bar de Vinos Opens at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center

Right in the heart of the bustling commercial district of Araneta Center in Cubao, this newly opened Sabor Bar de Vinos at the ground floor of Novotel Manila boasts of endless things to see, do, eat and drink. Purple Plum Fairy recently had the opportunity to visit this new spot where wine-loving locals will surely enjoy visiting. 

With an epic wine list paired with Spanish bistro-inspired foods, you can drink and eat to your heart's content. Get in early to snag a table or if you're more of a night owl, come in for a midnight feast as they're open until 2AM. 

With the impressive wines on the list, some of them by the glass, Sabor Bar de Vinos wine list is the must-go place to find out what’s at the forefront of winemaking industry. As their name implies, Sabor de Vinos means Taste the wine. So go ahead, gulp up, taste their wine at its finest. Salud!

Caritas Manila Holds Celebrity Bazaar lead by Heart Evangelista on October 18 at SM Megamall

Would you like to help the needy yet dreaming to own preloved items (ukay-ukay style) from your favorite celebrities? Yes, you can do both and more when you shop at Caritas Manila's Celebrity Bazaar happening this Thursday, October 18, 2018 at the 2 level of The Mega Atrium in SM Megamall. The said charity bazaar will be open from 1:00PM until 10:00PM. Entrance fee is Php500 per person. 

Caritas Manila Executive Director Fr. Anton CT Pascual with Ms. Heart Evangelista-Escudero, Caritas Manila Celebrity Bazaar event ambassador

The bazaar will feature pre-loved luxury items up for sale from generous celebrity donors Heart Evangelista, Alden Richards, Ruffa Gutierrez, Dr. Vicki Bello, Scarlet Snow Belo, Cristalle Bello, Bang Pineda, Teacher Georcelle, Toni Gonzaga, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Vice Ganda, Iza Calzado, Divine Lee, Jinkee Pacquiao, Manny Pacquiao and premier designers Michael Cinco and Cary Santiago. Heart Evangelista is this year’s Event Ambassador.

Heart Evangelista was all-smiles as she was welcomed and introduced to media guests

"For me, a project such as this is no-brainer. I've always been happy to help in whatever way I can. Being looked up to by a lot of people, as an artist, I know I have the means as well as I can encourage more people to lend a helping hand to those in need,"said Heart during the press conference. 

On how Caritas Manila made Heart said yes to this project, this is what Heart has to say:

Proceeds from this year’s bazaar will be given to the Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program (YSLEP) of Caritas Manila. The program sends and supports less fortunate but deserving students nationwide to their college or university of choice.        

Caritas Manila Executive Director Fr. Anton CT Pascual tells how the bazaar funds their educational program

“We at Caritas Manila are so grateful for the generosity and enthusiasm of these celebrities to help YSLEP scholars,” comments Fr. Anton CT Pascual, Caritas Manila Executive Director.  Their assistance will go a long way in proving education and support can help realize the potentials of our future leaders coming from the ranks of the poor.”

Heart Evangelista says she is very happy to help send the underprivileged youth back to school

Now on its second year, the very first Caritas Manila Celebrity Bazaar was held two years ago with former beauty queen and Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach as the Event Ambassador. The said bazaar alone has earned enough funds to support 5,000 YSLEP Scholars. There are between 3,000 to 5,000 YSLEP scholars nationwide. They are provided with a college or vocational degree which allows them 98 percent chance of helping their respective families to overcome poverty. 

To date, more than 10,000 YSLEP scholars have graduated from college and vocational schools nationwide especially from the poorest provinces.

Caritas Manila is one of the biggest non-profit organizations in the country led by its chairman, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Here, Heart Evangelista invites everyone to come and visit the Caritas Manila Celebrity Bazaar:

For more information, visit Caritas Manila at 2002 Jesus Street, Pandacan, Manila or call 562-0020 to 25, email caritas_manila@yahoo.com, or log on to www.caritasmanila.org.ph.

Mastercard lets you travel to the best destinations with Thai Airways

Press release:

Traveling has become a major part of Filipinos’ lives as an exciting and insightful exploration, and a way to break down routines or break away from the monotony that usually occupies our every day. Now, here's the piece of good news from our friends at Mastercard: Mastercard differentiates simply traveling from traveling well with one-of-a-kind experiences and great offers, as well as safety and security features that ensure protection for all your electronic transactions, so you can have the peace of mind to freely enjoy every adventure you go on.

Partnerships with leading merchants in top destinations across the world means you can always pay with confidence because your cards are widely accepted. Mastercard also lets you enjoy exclusive offers that enrich your trips – from flights, accommodations, to unique experiences – in your travel destination.

With the year about to end, now’s a great time to check off a few more destinations on your list. Fly to and explore places you’ve never been to before in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East with Mastercard and Thai Airways’ exclusive fare promotion. 

Commune with nature in Vietnam

 You can plan your highly anticipated trip –or even trips– safely and seamlessly by using your Mastercard to book flights through Travel with Thai from October 12 to 21, 2018.

Kats Happy Food 1st Flavored Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix in the Philippines

A cup of warm chocolate is perfect while reading your favorite book

Are you excited for the Christmas Season? I'm sure you do. Let me share with you the best hot chocolate I recently discovered that will make you excited for the cold weather. Allow me to introduce, Kats Happy Food Flavored Hot Cocoa Mix in the Philippines. When the weather outside is frightful, there's nothing better than cozying up with a warm mug of hot cocoa, so I've rounded up the best hot cocoa flavored mix from Kats Happy Food which are perfect for those cold nights. 

It's that time of the year where the Christmas drinks are on. Red cups are back at your ól time favorite coffee shop. Yup, for many aficionados, it's that sticker-time again to get that elusive 2019 planner. Coffee cups everywhere are wearing festive Christmas jumpers. But one drink that recently caught my fancy was Kats Happy Food first flavored homemade hot cocoa mix. Having a real sweet tooth and love of chocolate, I couldn't wait to try this one out. 

This is the best hot chocolate drink I have ever had. Yes, move over Hersheys and Swiss Miss. It comes in a resealable packet filled with ready-to-drink-powder-just add-water and stir till it becomes a delectable froth. Because I am diabetic, the nine-tablespoons to water ratio suggested by the packaging doesn’t make for a mug quite sweet enough, so if you too have developmentally stalled taste buds, I recommend using your own tastebuds to adjust the taste.

Arki's Grill in San Miguel Bulacan: A Taste of Authentic Mookata Dining Plus More!

Arki's Grill in San Miguel Bulacan is along the highway so it's perfect for a stop over. 

Have you ever had a Mookata dining experience? I've just had them recently for the first time at Arki's Grill in San Miguel Bulacan. Imagine fresh meat, seafood and vegetables grilled right on your table with a light and steaming broth simmering at the sides of the special dome grill. 

Arki's Grill has a lot more to offer than just grilled food items. 

A visit to Arki's Grill was part of the two-part heritage and culture tour of the town of San Miguel in Bulacan where we also had the chance to attend and witness the recent San Miguel de Payumo Festival. Arki's Grill is owned by Architect/restaurateur Ervin Garcia and wife Kat Payawal-Garcia. 

Architect and restaurateur Ervin Garcia, owner of Arki's Grill

Arki's Grill offers Thai-Mookata style dining experience as well as Korean Samgyupsal among many others on their wide range of food choices on their menu. Thus, it gives diners a whole new and refreshing way to rediscover different cuisines. Indeed, Arki's Grill is another flavorful dining destination awaiting to be discovered in this bustling food scene in the town of San Miguel, Bulacan. Read on and take a tasty peek at some of Arki's Grill's signature and mouthwatering dishes...

On specific nights, Arki's also entertains guests with a live performance by local singers

With a cozy and homey vibe, Arkis'Grill welcomes guests with a smile

Arki's Grill also offers daily buffets at a very affordable price

Thai cuisine is known for its seamless blend of contrasting flavors with umami, sweet, sour, salty, and refreshing bitter notes capped by a soothing layer of heat in one dish. And that's exactly what you'll get at Arki's Grill when you order their Mookata meal. 

See those smoking Mookata flavorr cooked right in front of our table?

Arki's Grill Mookata is composed of grilling fresh ingredients delivered right on your table. With fresh shrimps, beef, pork, chicken, kani, enoki mushrooms (my all-time favorite!), meat balls, vermicelli noodles, and fresh greens--is the perfect set to get acquainted with Mookata-style dining. 

Purple Plum Fairy with blogger friends Mercedes Maata and Daryll Dial Villena having fun at Arki's Grill as we cooked our Mookata.

Do you know that your Php1,000 can get you an investment fund?

 Sun Life Asset Management recently held its 2019 Market Outlook and Bright Offerings press conference for media and online bloggers. I listened intently to what was being discussed because I have plans on investing for me and my family's future as well. And I was surprised to find out that nowadays it isn't difficult to get an investment fund! Yup, contrary to what we have been made to believe, Sun Life says that all it takes is Php 1,000 to be able to start an investment fund. And we're not kidding at all! It's absolutely true! 

The imperative question would be: "How far will your Php1,000 go in this day and age?" Usually, it could buy you a few day's meal or perhaps two bucket of fried chickens from your favorite fast food joint. But with the rise of inflation and our Philippine peso spiraling down the drain, we had to wise up on how we will spend each centavo that we have worked so hard for. 

Muang Thai Restaurant Revamps their menu

Muang Thai welcomes guests

At Muang Thai, you’ll be surprised to find what is almost certainly one of the best Thai food Quezon City has ever seen. And certainly better food than most of what I ate in other Thai restaurants I've been to the past few years. Lest that sound a little grand, anyone who has been to Muang Thai will attest that this charming Thai restaurant along Diliman is one that awaits to be discovered by Thai food aficionados. Muang Thai may look elite from the outside but upon getting inside the resto, you'd be reminded of the streets and markets at the coalface of Thailand’s insatiable appetite for food are where any Thai cuisine fan would be at his happiest.

Pad Thai

What’s even more important is the kitchen team. With the relaunch of Muang Thai, and months refining a menu that works around what Thai produce they can source in Manila, it is truly impressive how quickly this place has hit cruising speed. Despite the pressure of a full reservations diary from day one.

Bagoong Rice or Khao khluk kapi

Muang Thai interiors

Reasons Why You Must Visit San Miguel Bulacan

San Miguel de Mayumo festivity with Hon. Mayor Marivee Mendez Coronel, town councilor Nica Santiago, the bloggers and heritage enthusiasts and Architect Ervin Garcia

I recently had the best and tastiest sightseeing culinary and heritage tour, or a Food Trail Tour in San Miguel, Bulacan. On my recent visit to the quaint town of San Miguel,  where i had attended the San Miguel de Mayumo event, I not only got to experience delicious local foods and delicacies, but also got to tour a growing mushroom farm and watched several food demonstrations on how they do pickled papaya (achara), cottage cheese (kesong puti), a well-loved rotiserrie (lechon manok) patronized by the local for years, and even sweet pastillas (made from carabao’s milk)—giving me such memorable experience. 

The lovely smiles of the San Miguel youth

I guess I was indeed lucky enough to be part of San Miguel Bulacan’s Culinary and Heritage tour organized by Architect Ervin “Arki” Garcia of Arki’s Grill in cooperation with Hon. Mayor Marivee Mendez Coronel and other entrepreneurs. The said tour had given me a glimpse of the kind of hospitality and warmth this town has for visitors and guests. So what makes the town of San Miguel Bulacan worth your visit? Check out my many reasons why. 

·         I have said this so many times but I won’t mind saying it again: I had never seen such amazing hospitality as I had experienced here in San Miguel. I won’t elaborate much because it’s best to experience them first-hand. But you could really feel the warmth of its people. 

The San Miguel municipal hall was adorned with festive ornaments

·         The native delicacies and local foods: I’ve been through the different foodie stops here and there are two things I’ve noticed, one is that they DO NOT SCRIMP on INGREDIENTS, and two, they DON’T DO SHORTCUTS here.  Now, what do I exactly mean here? It means to say that no matter how difficult the process of making a dish, they still do it manually and as naturally done as possible. Therefore, they prefer not to make use of anything conveniently “instant” such as MSG and other flavored seasoning. In fact, Sir Arki’s aunt Tita Lucila “Lucy”Payawal who is in her mid-70’s painstakingly makes her famous native recipes even up to this day. She manually does her pickled papaya and creates to-die-for Kalamay (sweet glutinous sticky rice) with latik. She does heirloom recipes that’s worth publishing and sharing in books. And she proudly says she does these with TLC. “It’s not for everyone (what she does), because it requires not just patience but hard work and extreme dedication as well,” explains Tita Lucy. She hopes someday that she will be able to pass on the said legacy to younger generations that’s why she has agreed to do the food demonstration despite her age. For someone in her mid-70’s, I truly admire Tita Lucy’s strength and vigor.  She still had that bunny energy in her that may even rival that of a millenial’s.

A bottle of Achara or Pickled Papaya

I never realized the efforts one has to give in order to make this bottled pickled papaya or achara as it is known locally. It was only after the food demo made by Tita Lucy Payawal that I learned it's not an easy thing to make. It takes not just patience but creativity and one has to really put her heart into it in order to make one. Definitely not for the lazy ones like me. It has to have some TLC from the process of making up until the bottling. 

Experience the finest wines straight from the vineyard at the World of Wine Fair at the Shang

Press Release: 

Marketplace by Rustan’s is curating the best in wine under one roof at the World of Wine Fair from September 28 to 30 at the Shangri-La Plaza Grand Atrium. Featuring premium wines sourced directly from estates and sold at exclusive rates, the event boasts selections from 8 different winemaking countries, including Italy, France, USA, Chile, Argentina, and more. Shoppers will also have the special opportunity to learn more about wine culture from 15 of the most respected international winemakers and wine experts in the business.

Both aspiring sommeliers and avid wine enthusiasts will be delighted to explore a unique, specially curated selection plucked directly from the wine estate where the wines were produced and stored—an important factor that ensures the wine’s quality, as well as the best price. Among the featured wines are the iconic Torlasco Barbaresco DOCG 2013, the exceptionally rare Château Léoville Las Cases Saint Julien 2010 (rated 98 and 99 by the famous wine critics Robert Parker and James Suckling, respectively), the world-renowned and iconic Terre Di Pozzo Amorone Della Valpoicella DOCG 2014, and several others.