Amazing Health Benefits of Aratiles or Kerson Fruit

Aratiles or Kerson Fruit

Growing up as a child in the 80s, I was introduced to this cute fruit called Aratiles. We used to have a tree in our backyard where kids like us used to play. But it’s been almost three or four decades since the last time I had eaten such fruit. Hence, I was thrilled when my officemate Richie thoughtfully sent me aratiles via Lalamove while we are all under quarantine and lockdown.

Aratiles also known as Jamaican cherry or Kerson fruit is probably one of the least popular fruits. In fact, even my nephew Kyle didn’t know anything about it. Millenials nowadays grew up differently from my childhood years and sadly they had no wonderful childhood memories of this fruit as I did. I was surprised to learn the amazing health benefits of Aratiles.

With its scientific name, Muntingia calabura, Aratiles is a fruit from a tree whose individual fruits resemble American cranberries, which are from shrubs.  A young Filipina from Iloilo named Maria Isabel Layson won the National Science and Technology Fair after she found out the good qualities and health benefits of this wonder fruit but often overlooked—Aratiles. Allow me to share with you the awesome health benefits of Aratiles. Check it out below:

Hotel SOGO Supports Our FrontLiners

Hotel SOGO Supports Our FrontLiners

Our love and support to our courageous front-liners facing the battle against #COVID19. Let's protect our Frontliners in the government and medical community, and do our part in order to help them. #StayAtHomeForUs

To date, Hotel Sogo already donated P60 million worth of room accommodations for health workers during the ECQ. The donation of 800+ rooms for the use of front-liners is in cooperation with 11 Hospital Directors and the Mayors of Alabang, Caloocan, Makati, Manila, Molino, Naga, Pasay, and Quezon City.

We are one with the country in fighting the battle against Covid19.

#HotelSogo

#SogoCares

#DahilMahalKitaGustoKoSafeKa

#SoCleanSoGood

#WeFightAsOne

#SalgadoPR

The Manila Hotel Offers Best Deals Room Vouchers without Expiration + FREE SUITE UPGRADE!

Looking forward for the Enhanced Community Quarantine to be lifted? I'm sure you're like most Filipinos out there. We're one month way past our usual summer time and it's been really such a difficult time for us all. We had all been greatly affected by the pandemic COVID-19 virus. I know it may not be the right time to do so, but when you take advantage of this hot deal from the iconic The Manila Hotel, you're also helping the hotel industry which had also been hit hard by the quarantine and you're also helping the hotel staff as well. 

If you're a wanderlust and a true-blue traveler, The Manila Hotel is making a great offer that's hard to resist: When you purchase a room voucher for a Superior Deluxe Room for Php5,000--it comes with a free breakfast for two [kids from 0-4 years old can stay for free while 5-12 years old are eligible to 50% discount]. When you pay on or before April 30, 2020, you also get a FREE SUITE UPGRADE [That's worth Php13,000 worth of room!]. Best of all, the vouchers are ideal gifts as they DO NOT HAVE EXPIRATION DATE and THEY ARE TRANSFERABLE. 

Such a great deal it is, right? So call them now at 8527-0011. Physical vouchers may be picked up at the Concierge when the ECQ is lifted. Vouchers has no expiration but booking is subject to room availability. 

Disclaimer: I am not compensated with this post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

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Get on that quarantine bread baking wave with The Maya Kitchen

Pandesal is a Filipino breakfast staple.

Suddenly, people are baking bread. From sourdough starters to swapping tips, making bread from scratch has been gaining popularity. Let us note though that baking, long before COVID-19, has always held a kind of calm, reassuring, even “therapeutic” energy for those who do it. So it may not be at all surprising that many have turned to this activity while trying to deal with everything the community quarantine has both brought and barred us from.

Right now, it’s also a great way to feel like you are doing the same thing with friends, except apart and at home. If you’ve decided to join in the bread baking frenzy, but don’t know where to start, The Maya Kitchen is breaking it all down to help inject a sense of joy, connection, and accomplishment (small victories!) during this socially distant time.

Quarantine Cooking Hacks: Make the Most Out of Your Pantry Staples

Cooking in the kitchen

The kitchen has never been busier now that everyone’s staying at home. The thing is, options have also been limited with the community quarantine in place. With most of us stocking up on canned and instant food for their long shelf life and convenience, you won’t be alone when finding yourself out of ideas on how else to serve these pantry staples. 

Sharing with you a couple of ways to jazz up and make do with whatever it is you may have as stock in your kitchen:

Corndog Bites

The Manila Hotel's Cafe Ilang-Ilang now offers Take-Out and Pick-up Food Service + Menu

The ongoing crisis that we all now experience (not just in the country, but all over the world), because of the pandemic Covid-19 virus that has plagued most parts of the world which had caused thousands of deaths made us all stay home. The enhanced community quarantine gave us limited time to buy our own food. So it's like having a ray of sunshine when you hear that your favorite all-time buffet restaurant, Cafe Ilang-Ilang from The iconic Manila Hotel now offers take-out and pick-up service. 

It may be a limited menu from The Manila Hotel's Cafe Ilang-ilang, but it will surely satiate your cravings of Filipino comfort food. The Manila Hotel Cafe Ilang-Ilang Takeout Menue may also be booked through pic-up services like Grab Express, LalaMove etc. The said takeout food service officially kicked off last Friday, April 3, 2020. 

Here, allow me to share with you the special limited Cafe Ilang-Ilang Takeout Menu from The Manila Hotel: 

SM Distributes PPEs and Medical Supplies to over 50 Hospitals Nationwide

Through SM FOUNDATION. SM is donating over PHP170M towards the fight against COVID 19, surpassing its initial allocation of PHP100 M to help ensure: Healthcare workers in hospitals nationwide are armored with personal protective equipment; Testing is made more widely available; Providing ICU-grade ventilators to help hospitals manage patients with severe cases.

Among the hospitals that received PPE donations as of March 27, 2020 are the following designated COVID Hospitals: University of the Philippines PGH, Lung Center of the Philippines and Jose N Rodriguez Memorial Hospital.

Major government hospitals are: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), National Kidney and Transplant Institute, San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical.Center, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, National Children's Hospital and Rizal Medical Center.

Other hospitals include Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Chinese General Hospital, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Memorial Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, University of Sto Tomas Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Ospital ng Muntinlupa and more.

Several shipments of PPEs are also on their way to provincial hospitals nationwide.

SM has committed to be of service to the Filipino public, its hospitals, and its government, in ensuring that we all contain and overcome the COVID-19 crisis together.