[Review] Starbucks Pour-over Brewer

here's the Starbucks Pour-over Brewer (priced at around Php 1,400), or in other words... a manual coffee brewer. pretty much works like your electric brewer except that it's not run by electricity, and you have to continuously pour hot water for your coffee to drip. oh yes, it's a drip coffee maker!

What you need to get this thing working (aside for the thing of course)

1. #2 cone style coffee filters
a pack of 40 costs around Php 150. that'll probably take 2 working months to finish assuming you use 1 filter a day, and you use it in the office hehe

2. ground coffee
if you're buying from coffee shops like starbucks or CBTL, you can have them grinded. as for the type of grind... i have no idea, i just told them i'm gonna use it for a pour over brewer. i think they'll reccommend a fine grind. if you're buying from the supermarket though, do you really have a choice? hehe

3. hot water

How to use it:

1. Place the ceramic cone on top of your mug (which is included in the set. nope you can't buy just the ceramic cone, the mug has to go with it ... which made it expensive! haha)

2. Put #2 filter paper on the ceramic cone. You may want to rinse it by letting a bit of hot water run through the sides of the filter paper. Then discard the water.

3. put around 2-3 tbsp of ground coffee. i usually use 3 tbsp.

4. pour hot water! but don't fill the cone too much, maybe just half to let the water seep in the coffee a bit, and allow it to bloom (meaning there's gonna be some cool frothing on yer grounds hehe!). you may want to pour slowly din pala if you want some drama lol. >XD and then you can carry on with more water as needed to bring your cup on full blast. lololol

The Verdict

I super love this product. it's a great alternative for an electric coffee brewer especially that we're not allowed to bring one at the office haha. i love how it's very straightforward to use and easy to wash. been using it for more than 2 months now and so far so good! :D

the only downside is you have to wait for your coffee to drip, and sometimes the water has already gone cold while seeping. eh kasi naman the hot water from our pantry isn't really fresh off the boil, so mejo mabilis nga lumamig. haha keri lang naman. >XD if you're using a new filter paper, you'll notice the water drips faster, but when you keep using it on the next drips... mejo nac-clog sya so bumabagal ung tulo. hehe

My mom actually gave this to me as a gift last year cos i've been stressing over a coffee maker eh ako lang naman mahilig mag-kape samin bwahaha >XD

too much negativity

i'm feeling so frkn depressed lately, for reasons which are definitely my fault. but maybe i'll throw some parts to the weather just so i don't get to carry all these (but it's already sunny, so...), but really it's majorly because i suck so much as a person. hay.

-1

i was down with some mild pneuomonia the entire week last week.

the good: i was able to finish my children's book project with ms. lia, but the process sapped me to bits. working in between fevers is the worst thing ever. argh. it was my fault i got sick though.

the bad: i had everything scheduled out for the completion of the project, i will have finished all the illustrations by saturday and sunday, add backgrounds and do the pdf layouting on monday, then finally pass on tuesday. problem was, i just had to exercise on saturday night (because i'm feeling all sleepy and in need of an upper), so natuyuan ako ng pawis, and the rest is histERy. i could have prevented that right?

the ugly: YES! i could have prevented that but i just had to be so careless! i hate myself. grrr could have saved myself 5 freaking leaves huhu. T___T;

-2

i finally got fed up with our helper and inadvertently cast her out of the house. i scolded her for yet again not washing the utensils properly, and for going out of the house maya't maya for long periods of time. she took the day off the next day (cos guess what, it was her birthday!), hasn't been back since, and couldn't be reached through phone. it caused a bit of a ruckus at home because of my bitching out about her for faults that i should have just overlooked na lang daw in light of her almost a decade long tenure and honesty to our family... but really now. i couldn't bring myself to regret her being finally gone... not if it meant we're having a new maid who can clean better, and is less layas. you really can't have it all. no one's perfect.

not being a total monster, i was depressed for a couple of days because of that. my mom hated me a lot for chucking out her favorite maid, now who's gonna blend her juices? who gonna wake up so early to make our baons? who's gonna iron her clothes? i abhorred the fact that i seemed kindof useless as a person, that a maid is a more important part of the household than i am, apparently. ang drama diba.

maka-first world problem eh.

starting the week without a maid was awkward and sad. not when you're so used to having someone wake you up for breakfast. but it just needs some getting used to diba. it's not like i don't know how to cook, or wash the dishes, or iron and stuff. hay ewan. haha!

during those days i kept on looking for ways i could separate myself from our house. good thing i was on midshift so i didn't have to avoid people lololol cos it frkn feels like everybody hates me. i even felt like my dad hates me too because i gave mom a hard time with the house because shempre si mommy na yung gigising ng maaga and stuff. henako!

i was also even looking for possible places to rent out because hello real world! haha it was the most emotionally distressing quarrel i had with my mom kasi it's the first time it went for more than 24 hours! if we're not talking to each other within a day that's frkn alarming.

-3

my mom and i are okay now, we're eating together na. PERO BAKIT NADEDEPRESS PARIN AKO. ah i know, wala parin kaming katulong. haha ang arte arte ko talaga nakakainis diba.

-4

thinking about the amount of time i'm held prison in this company makes me sadder than ever. i'm not an A performer so chances are my salary isn't going to increase substantialy within the next 2 rotting years. i won't be able to provide for myself considerably, and it sucks so much. i really wanted to get to the level of financial independence where i could already buy a house and a car. haaay life.

during my feedback session with my manager i was revealed my corporate rating, which is you know..."C performer" or "meets expectations" or "probably not getting a raise this year". one of (the only, actually) the negative things that was pointed out about me was my extracurricular activities which disabled me to work longer hours and deliver end-of-day tasks. i was thinking tuloy, if we have an EOD task, are the extra hours were putting for that counted as OT? in my experience kasi, NO. so to hell with EODs! i'm not being paid extra anyway!

it was funny though, you know how the ultimate goal is to really load myself with so much sidelines such that my regular day job becomes my extracurricular instead? BWAHA. joke lang. in time. wooot.

on the plus side

waking up 2 kilos lighter than usual for almost a week now excites me like crazy. depression apparently saps out my fats too!

“Asia’s Got Talent” Premiere Tops Philippine Ratings

“Asia’s Got Talent” Premiere Tops Philippine Ratings Manila, Philippines –AXN’s highly anticipated “Asia’s Got Talent” premiere collectively topped ratings among English Pay TV channels in Southeast Asia. 

During the show’s two hour debut on Thursday, March 12 at 8:05pm, AXN delivered more than 10 times the ratings of the next English general entertainment channel across Singapore, Malaysia and the  Philippines.

“Asia’s Got Talent” was the top AXN program year to date in the country. During its telecast, AXN ranked #1 with more than 80 per cent share amongst all English general entertainment channels, and ranked #2 amongst all Pay TV channels. 

In Singapore, “Asia’s Got Talent” led the ratings chart in its timeslot for English Pay TV channels and AXN was also the top English channel for the night on StarHub. 

In Malaysia, “Asia’s Got Talent” was the #1 rated show in its timeslot across all English channels on Astro. AXN dominated the timeslot with over 80 per cent share across all English general entertainment channels.

Billed as the biggest talent competition in the world, “Asia’s Got Talent” features some of the region’s most breathtaking, jaw-dropping and mind-blowing performing artists competing for the coveted winning title. The premiere episode was a kaleidoscope of quirky characters and stunning talent, with many acts winning the hearts of viewers across the region. 

Hui Keng Ang, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said,“Asia’s Got Talent is off to a thrilling start on AXN as we bring together millions of viewers to celebrate the diversity of talent and dreams of contestants from over 15 territories in Asia. The response to the premiere istruly incredible and after the success of both The Amazing Race Asia and The Apprentice Asia, AXN continues its mission to create high quality and engaging content.” 

Driven by the strong performance of programs such as “Asia’s Got Talent”, AXN has maintained its top English general entertainment channel position in 2015 year-to-date. Collectively across the three Southeast Asian countries, AXN enjoyed a 30 per cent share amongst 19 English general entertainment channels during prime time.

“Asia’s Got Talent” is the 63rd adaptation of the Guinness World Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia. The  Source: Kantar Media Singapore & Philippines, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement Malaysia, 12 March 2015 8.05 – 10pm. Ratings in Malaysia are based on combined rating of AXN and AXN HD. Target is Pay TV audience 4+ 2 Kantar Media Singapore & Philippines, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement Malaysia, 1 January – 12 March 2015. Ratings in Malaysia are based on combined rating of SD and HD channels. Target is Pay TV audience 4+. Prime time is 6pm-1am. “Got Talent” format is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.

Each act competing in “Asia’s Got Talent” will have to receive at least three “Yeses” from the esteemed celebrity judging panel comprising 16 time Grammy-winning Canadian musician David Foster, UK pop sensation and former Spice Girl Melanie C., Indonesian rock icon Anggun, and Taiwanese-American pop idol and actor Van Ness Wu. 

The four judges must select the most dazzling performances from thousands of hopefuls from 15 territories across Asia. Those who make it to the semi-finals will contend with an even tougher judge, AXN viewers at home who will ultimately decide the winner of “Asia’s Got Talent”. 

A grand prize worth USD$100,000 is up for grabs, along with the opportunity to return and perform at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, Asia’s leading entertainment destination – where the semi-final shows and finale will be held. 

“Asia’s Got Talent” spans 10 weekly episodes, including five audition episodes, three semi-finals, a finale episode and aresults gala. In addition to enjoying the performances, audiences can get to know more about their favorite acts as “Asia’s Got Talent” tells the life stories behind some of the most colorful individuals and groups in the competition. 

“Asia’s Got Talent” is proudly presented by Marina Bay Sands, Big Cola, Pantene, Caltex, Jetstar and GrabTaxi and brought to you by KFC, Globe and Cherifer in the Philippines. AXN is a leader of regionally produced original content in Asia, with notabe ratings successes including four seasons of the International  Emmy-nominated “The Amazing Race Asia”; the Asian Television Award-winning “Cash Cab Asia”; “The Apprentice Asia”; “Cyril: Rio Magic”; “Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition”; and the Asian Television Award-nominated “Cyril: Simply Magic”. 

“Asia’s Got Talent” airs Thursdays at 8.30pm (SG, MY, PH, HK) / 7.30pm (JKT, BKK) - First on AXN 

Connect with the judges, hosts, and your favorite contestants through videos and photos, exclusively on the Asia’s Got Talent official Facebook page. Catch behind-the-scenes footage of the auditions on Facebook at http://facebook.com/AsiasGotTalent

www.AXNAsia.com/AsiasGotTalent

MUNI Market Day

MUNI Market Day promotes healthy, sustainable living with a fun, community vibe

Now on its 3rd run, MUNI Market Day continues to bring together mindful merchants and conscious consumers, this time on March 28, 2015, 9AM-5PM at Capitol Commons. True to its mission of providing not just an avenue for sellers, MUNI Market Day continues with its goals to educate guests on how to introduce healthier, more sustainable options into their lifestyle.

Apart from feasting on wholesome food and buying local or eco-friendly products, interested attendees can sign up for workshops on Urban Farming by Bahay Kubo Organics, Plant-based Nutrition by The Superfood Grocer, Vegan / Gluten-Free Cooking by Jertie’s Kitchen, and Indoor Planting by The Green House Project. Also, one of the unique draws or highlights of MUNI Market Day is the selection of musicians who bring a lot of good vibes throughout the event.

MUNI Market Day is brought to you by MUNI, a collaborative community that has been working to promote mindful living through events like this, meetups, forums, or other workshops, design collaborations, and content, which can be found on www.muni.com.ph, or their Muni PH Facebook page.

For more inquiries or possible collaborations, e-mail the Muni team at events.muni@gmail.com, or merchants.muni@gmail.com for interested merchants. For more information visit www.muni.com.ph/MuniMarketDay3.

Website: www.muni.com.ph 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/muni.ph 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/muni_ph 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muni_ph 

Must try: Slappy Cakes Lenten Specials

Who said Slappy Cakes are all about pancakes and nothing else? For a while I thought they were just one of those fancy all-day breakfast chains, but last week I got to try the restaurant for the first time and discovered that it's not all about the batter!

March 5, 2015 --- Slappy Cakes, the popular international all-day breakfast joint originating from Portland, Oregon, recently introduced its offerings for Lent. Apart from its pancake fare, Slappy cakes is offering no-meat alternatives which are both tasty and fulfilling.

You can start off your meal with these Slappetizers: Cheese Sticks, Mango Ponzu Salad, and Tomato Soup. Then choose from these Pasta dishes and Slappy Plates: Pesto Pasta with Anchovies, Salmon Pasta with Cream Sauce, Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich, and Fish Bites, or indulge in their All Day Breakfast with Salmon Benedict, Seasonal Vegetable Benedict, and Garlic Bangus.

Fish Bites

Cheese Sticks

Salmon Benedict

Pesto Pasta with Anchovies

Mango Ponzu Salad

Carlic Bangus

Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich

Salmon Pasta with Cream Sauce

Seasonal Vegetable Benedict

Tomato Soup

“Given the timeliness of our offering of these non-meat fare, we believe we are giving our diners more alternatives that are in accordance to their preference,” said Karen Caballero, General Manager of Slappy Cakes.

Patrons who are looking to try out these delicious offerings, can visit any of the Slappy Cakes branches in Eastwood Mall from 9am-10pm (9am-11pm during Fridays and Saturdays), SM Aura Premier from 10am-10pm, SM North Edsa The Block from 10am-9pm (10am-10pm during Fridays and Saturdays), and SM Jazz Mall from 8am-9pm. For Holy Week, they are open from Palm Sunday until Holy Wednesday and resume their operations on Black Saturday.

About Slappy Cakes

Since opening in 2009, Slappy Cakes has become one of the most popular breakfast spots in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. by offering a one-of-a-kind dining experience in a fun and interactive setting. What sets Slappy Cakes apart from any other breakfast restaurant is that there are griddles built into each table, giving customers the opportunity of cooking their own pancakes right at their table. This creative and interactive experience is what Slappy Cakes is about - offering a fun-filled dining experience of the kids, and kids at heart. People of all ages, both children and adults, can enjoy the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that Slappy Cakes brings.

After the success of Slappy Cakes in Portland and in Tokyo, Japan, Slappy Cakes is capturing the hearts of Filipino breakfast lovers.

Aside from the do-it-yourself pancakes, the breakfast selection with all-American flavor, Slappy Cakes also caters to the Filipino palate with their Filipino breakfast offerings. Whether you're up for either an American feast or your usual Filipino favorite, Slappy Cakes is sure to bring a pleasant and memorable breakfast dining experience, any time of the day. 

For more information, visit www.slappycakes.com.ph.

About Mother Spice Food Corporation

Mother Spice Food Corporation is the parent company of local dining spots Mango Tree, Mango Tree Bistro, COCA Restaurant, COCA Cafe and Slappy Cakes.

Follow Slappy Cakes:

Instagram: @slappycakesPH

Facebook: SlappyCakesPH

Twitter: @slappycakesPH

hey hey hey

long time no personal post! it irks me that there are already five consecutive PR posts on the first page... like whaaaat?! wala na ba kong ma-share?! so let me break that a bit by updating you on what's up with my life lately! after all,  this is still a very personal blog. not a very PRsonal one. BWAHA so punny.

1. my mom wouldn't allow me to buy a bike

well, she would if i promised to stay within the walls of our village... which means no. so depressing. i was planning on cycling it to the office cos there's free parking for bikes. plus i get to save half of my allowance daily. the risk, of course, is surviving commonwealth avenue. worried the heck out of her. as usual. grrr. i'm too old for this! i can't buy an expensive road bike because she'd think, 'no, that's too expensive i'm sure your taking that out'. guess what mommy... that's the plan!!!

if i could only convince her that i'm gonna be safe. that the only part of Commonwealth avenue i would ride is from Don Antonio to Technohub, and that's freaking 5 kilometers only!

thinking about getting a bike excites me so muuuuch, like having a major crush hahaha. imagine the workout i could get with that, the money i could save, the places i could go to without paying for faaare! aaaaah i can get a mani pedi nearby without having to include pamasahe on the budget! so convenient!

and also, i could frkn be a triathlete na! homaygaaaas my athletic frustrations are being acknowledged finally! chos.

2. for a freelance artist, i suck at planning

i don't seem to have a solid work process to follow. mehn, this project is so agile. there are critical dependencies and i have to rework almost all the time. but then i'm really really happy to be doing this. no bull. i love drawing. hihi it's my happy place :D

3. new food phase: Chili's rice

grabe lang! it's already my 3rd time dining at chili's this year and it's only february. on my first visit, their beef salpicao took my heart... but really it's more of the rice haha. last valentines, jeckie and i dined there... i ordered beef salpicao and was once again taken by the flavor of the herbs oozing from every bite. hahaha basta ang sarap. ang mahal din. not a good phase cos a bout of craving would set me back 1k already, juicecolored. T___T

4. have you tried CANVA?

here you go: www.canva.com

check it out guys, i'm naming it as my official graphics buddy for stuff i need in a jiffy. it's very easy to use and is extremely handy for those who want to place fancy text on their pictures. it has tons of templates for different social media formats: facbook cover, instagram post, google + banner, twitter header, presentations, invitations, business cards, etc. you don't have to worry about the dimensions!

i'm also very impressed at the amount of design options it offers, it will frkn turn you into an instant graphics/layout artist i swearrrr. WHICH IS SOBRANG NAKAKAINIS if you ask me, cos artists are fudging elitists and it's not cool how they make it easy to become one. like how you hate calling someone a photographer just because he sports a punchdrunk panda strapped DSLR. odiba.

but even with all the bitterness, i'm all for the promotion of a beautiful web and if it takes a sudden spike of so-called artists due to canva, so be it! i love looking at beautiful graphics! haha

i'm a photoshop loyalist pero baka poser lang din ako, cos traditional artists be like hating on the digital peeps. haha

----

hmmm... that's it! i should be back to illustrating.

how are you?? :D

MTRCB Launches its 2015 TV and Film Infomercial

Have you seen MTRCB's latest TV infomercial featuring celebrity couple Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos? >XD

2015 marks the 30th year of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). To kick off the celebration of its anniversary, MTRCB formally launched its new infomercial on 23 February 2015 at 2:00 p.m., MTRCB Building. Directed by renowned film and television director Jose Javier “Joey” Reyes, Jr., DGPI and conceptualized by Mr. Erlito “Lilit” Reyes, the infomercial features actors-spouses Ryan and Judy Ann Agoncillo in a typical morning situation at home. In such scene, their depicted child picks up a word from a TV feature and asks the elders in the house what it means.

The infomercial aims to challenge parents and responsible adults to be aware of the media content our children are exposed to, and to be mindful of the MTRCB’s classification ratings. Parents are also reminded that the primary duty in guiding their children as to the media the latter see still rests in them.

Details of the infomercial were discussed by Director Joey Reyes, Ryan and Judy Ann Agoncillo, Lilit Reyes and MTRCB Board Members Bibeth Orteza and Manet Dayrit, the latter being Co-Chairpersons of the Infomercial Committee.

The launch was culminated by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the TV Networks and theater operators to ensure showing of the infomercial and to continuously empower the general public towards discerning viewership and thus, among other objectives, inform parents as to the media and entertainment their children may see.

The infomercial will be aired in all television networks and theaters nationwide starting 25 February 2015.

So have you chanced upon this commercial? What do you think? :D
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