My Very First MAFBEX Experience

Hello, hello!

MAFBEX, or Manila Foods and Beverage Expo has been an annual event for a decade now, but it was this year (June 8) that I was able to experience it, thanks to my sister who invited me.


Though not really my first time to attend a food expo, I am still very much excited to see different food products from all over the Philippines. Ticket price was 100 pesos, but they have special rates for students and senior citizens. Attendees also get a free MAFBEX eco bag, but one has to surrender their ticket and fill up a form before getting the bag.



The World Trade Center is a very huge place, so they were able to hold different food demos simultaneously, given that they were very far apart. These food demos were sponsored by different products, and those who attended were able to get free recipes and food tasting. Sadly, my sister and I didn't really sit down to watch a full demo as we already got there 1pm and we had to leave before 5pm to avoid the traffic rush.




So many things related to food were available during the expo. Aside from these pictures I shared, there were also concessionaires selling dining sets and utensils, some selling cookwares, different kinds of equipment for home and restaurant, even delivery trucks! If you own a business related to food, I highly recommend you check out different food expos.

As we were just ordinary foodies, sister and I took time checking different stalls for food products. Some of the concessionaires were known and their products available everywhere, but there were also some that were new to us. Most of these stalls offer free taste, but be prepared to have a little bit of competition with other attendees. My sister and I experienced being hit in the shoulders and elbows, but it was part of the experience. Looking back, it was actually kinda funny.

So many good food, and I felt really bad that I didn't bring proper bags for this event as I truly want to buy the Cabanatuan Longganisa and some of those ingredients for hot pot...but given the distance and the travel time, it would be risky to buy such kinds of food. Next time, I might take the effort of bringing a small cooler or insulated bag.

Some products that stood out - the potato products (especially the potato nuggets) from Lutosa, the pork-mushroom balls by Wei-Wei, and the Mr. Ube fresh noodles by Eng Bee Tin.


My sister walked and walked around, without stopping to sit and rest in between. Being surrounded with so much life, we didn't feel tired actually... but one interesting thing was that, even if we got to taste different kinds of food, we still wanted to eat a proper meal (as we didn't get to eat lunch). Good thing, there were a few carinderia offering meals. From this stall, I decided to go for fried rice with chopseuy, and my sister had regular steamed rice and sisig. The food was a little expensive - 70 pesos for my meal and 100 for my sister's, but the food was so good and very delicious!

At 4:30pm, this was the first time we sat down, and while eating, we recalled the food we saw and tasted, deciding which ones to buy and take home. We bought:


Ensaymada
At 65 pesos each, they were priced just right given the size. My sister said the Ube Ensaymada didn't pass her taste, but mom and I loved the Ham and Cheese Ensaymada.

Taiwanese Instant Noodles
At 10 pesos per pack, it made us risk our money, and it turned out good. We already got to taste the Pork and Mushroom as well as the Soy Chicken flavors, and both were better tasting noodles compared the locally produced one.


Fruit and Vegetable Drinks
The seller was honest upfront saying these don't taste good as each bottle had garlic extract added to it, but he was passionate about the product, which made us buy some. Mom already drank her Guyabano Juice, and she said that the garlic had a not-so-good aftertaste, but it wasn't as bad she expected it to be.

Joey Prats Cake Mixes
My siblings and I are part of a Facebook community dedicated to all things baking, and many members raved about the Joey Prats mixes. When we saw one selling the products, we inquired about it and they let us taste different products made using the mixes. The brownie was the kind I wanted, and the chocolate cake had more depth in the taste. For the event, they offer the mixes for 170 pesos each (SRP is 190 - 200 pesos), but should one buy three mixes, they further reduce the price to 490 pesos. Not bad.


Super Q Pancit
We love pancit, we miss eating misua, and we wanted to cook Palabok at home again, so we bought this. The whole lot cost 100 pesos. Heavy and bulky to carry, but the money saved was worth it.

Sunflower Seeds
A healthy alternative to junk food.

Overall, it has been a wonderful experience. There were a few regrets and it sure was difficult to budget especially that we didn't have a lot of money to begin with, but we are now looking forward to the next food expo.

Energen Healthy Breakfast Movement 2016

We know for a fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but we often neglect it because of many reasons - getting up late, worried about being stuck in traffic, not having the "time" to prepare breakfast... and even if we do have the time, we sometimes prepare or eat whatever is available, therefore, we don't get the right amount of nutrition, and this makes us undernourished or in some instances malnourished. According to DOST-FNRI, 6 of 10 Filipino households suffer from poor nutrition as a result of our skipping meals and unbalanced diet.

I admit, I am guilty of such poor diet. We don't skip breakfast, but our meals throughout the day is often fried food and meaty viands (like Adobo and Dinugan, which don't have any vegetables). We do eat vegetables, yes, but not as usual as we should have. I think we need to plan meals as soon as possible.


Energen has been a good way to bridge the gap. At times when I couldn't sit down and eat breakfast, I would just fix myself a cup and it would be enough to calm my hungry tummy until I could finally have a proper breakfast. It tastes good, and it has a good amount of cereals, and it has essential vitamins and minerals.


Not a while ago, Energen launched its first leg of Healthy Breakfast movement at Brgy. Commonwealth in Quezon City, where people got to learn about the importance of starting the day right with proper breakfast, as good nutrition starts at home. I learned so much from attending the event. As what Greg Anonas (Energen Marketing manager) said, "Breakfast is the most important meal. Studies have shown that consuming a nutritious  breakfast helps ensure that children and adults will have the energy that can sustain their productivity throughout the day. It also helps contribute to the development of mental and physical abilities."



People sampled a cup of Energen paired with Pinoys's favorite breakfast - Pandesal. Did you know that even if you eat a lot for breakfast...if you don't pair it with B vitamins, energy from your breakfast will not be released? One more good reason to drink Energen at breakfast.



Energen will promote The Healthy Breakfast Movement throughout the year with its series of community-based events nationwide to educate families, and for them to have free one-on-one consultations with licensed nutritionists and from nutrition education talks as well as enjoy a fresh cup of Energen together with some fun activities.

Energen HEALTHY BREAKFAST MOVEMENT is a series of community-based events nationwide to educate families about the importance of eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast. In the Energen HEALTHY BREAKFAST MOVEMENT, families can have free one-on-one consultations with licensed nutritionists and learn from nutrition education talks, as well as enjoy a fresh cup of Energen together with some fun activities.

Read more at: http://www.girlandboything.com/events/energen-healthy-breakfast-movement/

Speaking of fun activities, attendees had the chance to win prizes (Motorcycle, TV, and cash), while bride-to-be Rochelle Pangilinan led a series of Zumba dance routines. She herself testifies that Energen has helped her feeling energized despite her hectic training and schedule for her upcoming teleserye.

Next round of Energen Healthy Breakfast Movement will travel to Cebu City (Tinago Sports Complex) on May 21 and in Davao City (Davao City Recreational Center - Almendras Gym) on May 28.

Make Energen a part of your daily morning routine. Available in three flavors - Vanilla, Chocolate, and Ginger, it is available in leading supermarkets and sari-sari stores nationwide at 6 pesos SRP per sachet.

#QCblogventure for Quezon City at 75

I have been a Caloocan City resident for about three decades now, but Quezon City is pretty much part of my life - I was born and baptized in Quezon City, our first residence is also in this city, and I attended my pre-school here as well. I have so many fond memories in this city, so when I received an invitation to visit Quezon City attractions in celebration of the city's 75th anniversary, I immediately said yes.


Us bloggers converged in Quezon City Hall, and from there we were divided into groups. Each group had our own set of itineraries. Our group was set to visit three places - La Mesa Eco Park, Erehwon Center for the Arts, and Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife.

Robinsons Townville Meycauayan is Now Open!

As a person who lives quite far from the heart of the Metro, I experienced how difficult it was to shop for goods, our family had to plan a time when to do grocery or clothes shopping. It is very fortunate that as time passed, things are slowly becoming within reach.

Such is what Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. is aiming for, by opening community malls in different locations nationwide. At the moment they are operating nine malls - Cabanatuan (Nueva Ecija), Pulilan (Bulacan), BF Ruins, Davao, Laguna, Dumaguete, Imus, and Dasmarinas (Cavite). Branded as Robinsons Townville, these group of malls is not just about convenience, it also connotes a sense of belongingness, being family-friendly, fun, and friendly.

Last Friday, the 14th of August 2015, I was one of the blessed one who witnessed another milestone when they opened their 9th branch - the Robinsons Townville Meycauayan in Bulacan.

Giveaway Alert! Win Awesome Prizes at Orange Magazine 5x5 Campaign

It is a known fact that I don't have anything much to offer, so any chance I could to help out, I try my best to help to best of my abilities. When blogger friend Jeman of Orange Magazine posted about the website's upcoming anniversary with a question whether readers might be okay to ask for a donation in exchange of raffle tickets, I immediately thought it would be an awesome way to pay it forward.


When Orange Magazine celebrated its 5th anniversary last July 1, I was one of the happy bloggers who attended the kick off of Orange Magazine 5x5 Campaign, in partnership with World Vision. In very simple explanation, attendees would donate 100 pesos per raffle ticket. There are no pressures in this campaign, one might donate just one hundred pesos and it will be received whole heartedly. Like I said, I don't have that much money, so I donated 300 pesos. I was given three raffle tickets to fill up, and I placed two of those in the bowl at the event.


After serving dinner, the program started - we learned all about this partnership as well as a background about World Vision. As a surprise, two awesome musicians performed - Lirah Bermudez (who once joined the TV Show Protégé on GMA-7 under the mentorship of Janno Gibbs), and rapper extraordinaire, Gloc-9. It was my first time to hear them perform live, and they are just super awesome! Gloc-9 already established his name in the music industry, and I already know he is a phenomenal rapper, but hearing him perform live was just awesome. They performed "Takipsilim," and I suggest you go check the song out on YouTube or Spotify, because it was one heck of a song - super powerful!

photo credits to Jude Ng and Orange Magazine

Anyway, both Lirah and Gloc-9 are the campaign's ambassadors, and this campaign is not only aiming to gather donation to help send five kids to school, World Vision also aims to help communities. In other words, they aim to help give kids the "fish" they deserve, they also aim to help communities "how to fish" so that more people will have better futures.

True, all bloggers who attended this party were asked to give donation... but it was actually a give-and-take situation, because in exchange of the donation we made, we stood a chance to win prizes worth more than the donation we gave.


I placed two raffle tickets, and I won an Energizer gift pack and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago's latest book, "Stupid is Forevermore." Very timely prizes to win, as the country is now under the rainy season and rainy season meant chances of power interruptions, and this flashlight and battery sets will definitely be useful. As for the book, well I am very happy to have won that because my mom bought the first book months ago, and now I have the second book! This will be a great addition to my growing number of books.

Other prizes given away were Tai-Chi gift packs, Veri-Fit gift packs, Doggie's Choice gift packs, Francis Magalona shirts, and signed Gloc-9 CDs.

Biggest prize of the night was an O+ smartphone, which I sadly didn't win, but I still have one raffle entry, so I will try my luck winning on the grand raffle.


Aside from the raffle - prizes provided by sponsors - Orange Magazine's main man Jeman Villanueva also shelled out personal items to help gather more donations. On a separate table, he lined up unused items - a Starbucks glass tumbler, a Madonna CD, an Urbanears headset, a watch that is the same brand and look that Katy Perry wore on her "Birthday" music video, and a Huawei smartphone. These items have their own price tags, and attendees were given the chance to buy a raffle ticket for each of these prizes. It was difficult for me to choose which I wanted to bid on, but in the end I chose the Starbucks glass tumbler because well... it was Starbucks and it was made of glass! It still had the original price tag (598 pesos), but I only paid 50 pesos for a ticket...and yes, I did win! Awesome!!!

As for the Bath & Body Works pack (it has hand soap, hand cream and candle - all apple scented), it was given to the earliest bird, which I also won. Just a little bit of explanation, I arrived at the World Vision building quarter past 5pm, and since the event would start at 6pm, I felt I arrived way too early, so I stayed in their lobby and read an eBook for a while. When I heard someone asked the guard where the Orange Magazine event venue was, I decided to stand up and joined the person. :)

Photo credit to Jude Ng and Orange Magazine

A very fruitful night for all of us - tummies filled (thank you to Goldilocks, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's for the food), ears and hearts entertained, and bags filled with goodies, but the most fulfilling part of the night was knowing each of us helped (or will help) people in as little possible way that we could. Yes, the prizes I took home were more than the amount I donated, but I could sleep soundly at night knowing that the money I donated will go a long way.

Giveaway Alert!!!

Orange Magazine will have a bigger and better raffle happening towards the end of the month, and you can totally take part of it! All you have to do is donate as little as 100 pesos to these World Vision bank accounts:

BPI: 4251-0024-15

BDO: 000-2700-4341-1

PS Bank: 038-33200013-8

Metrobank: 060-7060-5186-41

and forward a copy (a picture) of your deposit slip together with your complete name, address and contact numbers to katrina_gratuito@wvi.org, wv_phil@wvi.org, online@orangemagazine.ph or fax at (02) 374-7660.

Every 100 pesos donation is equal to 1 raffle ticket, so you have a say as to how many raffle tickets you can earn.  The grand raffle (prizes include smartphones) will be on July 31, but of course any donation to World Vision after this campaign is very much welcome.

To know more about this campaign, please visit the  official website - https://www.worldvision.org.ph/5x5-campaign. If you have questions about the campaign, please check out Orange Magazine Facebook Page or the Orange Magazine Website.

*** Jenn ***