KOREA'S ZOO COFFEE OPENS FIRST PHILIPPINE BRANCH

KOREA'S ZOO COFFEE OPENS FIRST PHILIPPINE BRANCH

Good news to all Filipinos who love everything Korean!  Yes, that includes you, you know who you are, Koreanovela addicts, Korean food lovers and K-Pop fans!

Hmmm.... Koreanovela addicts must be thinking hard where the heck they saw Zoo coffee (주커피) before! Well, you're not imagining things. You saw Zoo Coffee from the K-drama "The innocent Man" (착한남자).

All their cafe scenes were filmed at Zoo coffee, including those scenes where Kang Choco (강조), Kang Maru’s sister was working in the cafe.

The first ever branch of Zoo Coffee Korea is now officially open at Alphaland Makati. Just outside the cafe' is a towering life-sized giraffe! Whoahhhhh! The giraffe is so huge! He's practically a foot away from the ceiling!

This is the Zoo Coffee angle from inside the Alphaland Makati premises.  Outside seating and alfresco area are available on both sides of the cafe'.

The Coffee shop's view at the left side corner of the main entrance.

Safe and hygienic stuffed animals greets you upon entering the cafe. The life size stuffed animals throughout the coffee shop attracts not only the kids but also the kid at heart.

Meet my date at Zoo Coffee Mr. Panda. Like me, he loves the hot Ginseng Honey tea too!!!

Once inside you'll be transported to a whole new world of animal prints and stuffed toys! 

Starting with the jungle and Zebra light box counter that is very detailed and makes your imagination flies and transport you to a virtual African jungle.

Right beside the door from inside the mall, you'll be greeted by this enormous tree that dominates the landscape of the cafe'.  You would not miss this giant artificial tree smack right at the center of the cafe' with toy monkeys and snakes hanging on its branches.   This giant size tree has a real peels of Platycaraya strobilacea.  While inside the cafe, go ahead and touch it and feel the peel!.  While getting sugar and stirrer you could glance upwards and look at the branches with a snake that looks real.

At the side of the food counter, you would find a white tiger and a giraffe looking intently at those glorious food display. The presence of these stuffed animals and tree brings out the jungle theme of this one-of-a-kind cafe.

Not to be missed is the exotic wall silhouette (Barrisol)! I love its soft light. It is like a backdrop of a twilight in the African plain.

Inside the cafe' friends and colleagues could hold meetings and have a nice conversation. Look at those walls in zebra print.

Alone? Brokenhearted? Don't worry you can hug and have a coffee date with the cafe's safe stuffed toys manufactured by a company that manufacture non-toxic dolls.

customer having a tête–à–tête with a cute panda and a gorilla at Zoo Coffee. Well, he's checking his phone so I guess he's inviting his friends to join him at the cafe'.

Various pictures I took inside the Zoo Coffee.

The giraffe shelves is so cute!  I absolutely love this! The collectible mugs looks amazing on it!  Please take note of the little giraffe on its side. Isn't he adorable??? So cute!

The second picture shows the Zoo Coffee executive from Korea. He is cute too! Ha ha ha! Sir/ Mr. Executive please let me taste the bestsellers for free! I am not joking. Ha ha ha!

Zoo Coffee Philippines spokesperson hugging the famous Mr. Panda 

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Various food choices awaits you at Zoo Coffee. Prepare to shell out at least a few hundred bucks for a simple order.

The owners are so kind they let me taste their banana waffle for free during the blog conference.  It was good. The bananas are real and not the powdered banana.  But I am looking forward on trying their bestsellers next time around.

This taste like 7-11's hot dog sandwich. It was good. Please offer rice meals for us Filipinos in the future.

I have not taste this. I only took a quick photo of it when it was served to another blogger. Looks yummy though.

You have three cup sizes to choose from for your coffee or tea. Note the animal print on their take-out cups. So cute!

Gelato's different flavors at Zoo Coffee. I was not able to taste this because they did not served this to us.

The author together with Mr. Panda. You see, the various nooks and corners of the cafe' are very ideal for an instagramable selfie.

Verdict: 4 stars ****

The coffee is average. The prices are affordable. The service is friendly. An interesting place to have a cup of coffee.

The next time you find yourself bored and without a date try to drop by Zoo Coffee and enjoy its food and the atmosphere it has to offer. I think the zoo like environment of the coffee shop will help you educate your children about loving other God's creation.

Zoo Coffee
G/F Alphaland Makati Place, Ayala Avenue Extension cor. Malugay Street, Bel-air, Makati

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Note: I was given Php500 gift certificate when we covered the event in exchange for a blog post.  All words and pictures are mine.

Be a blessings to others.  Be God's vessel of grace.

Love.

Travelona

#ZooCoffee #ZooCoffeePhilippines, #ZooCoffeePH #Alphaland #AlphalandMakati

myPAL Roam Internet Everywhere

myPAL Roam Internet Everywhere

Hello there, Fellow travelers! I know that just like me most of you can't afford to be offline while you travel. Right? My friend L for example can't wait for a day or two to share her travel experiences! She wants to update her loveones and friends in real time! Yes! Up to date, real time picture sharing and Facebook Live is now the in thing! With the proliferation of games and activities on line most people can't afford to be offline. Well, fret no more! Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched a new service innovation called the myPAL Roam — a global mobile hotspot that provides easy, fast, secure and affordable mobile data anywhere in the world. Yehey! To my cousins who love traveling you ought to rent one when you travel again! 

The flag carrier's newest offering comes into reality through its partnership with Skyroam.

The airline’s newest offering was launched at Green Sun hotel in Makati City.

The one thing that I love about PAL is that they are fully aware of their passengers’ need to stay connected anywhere in the world. No wonder, the Philippine's flag carrier never stop to innovate to further enhance the travel experience of each one of us. 

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista told hundreds of attendees during myPAL Roam's formal launching that whether you’re flying across the country or halfway around the globe, PAL made sure that they’ve got you covered.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/175344247

Frequently Asked Questions:

How much is the rent of myPAL Roam?

A reasonable fee of only P490 per day

Where to rent myPAL Roam Wi-Fi device?

1. You could rent it at PAL boutique located in the PAL ticket office lobby, PNB Financial Center in Pasay City.
2. Or at the NAIA Terminal 2 departure area 
3. log in at roam.philippineairlines.com.

Do I need to make a deposit?

Yes! A Php4,000 deposit will be required for anyone who will avail of the mobile hotspot service, which is forfeited if one misplaces the device. Well, that's fair enough.

Where could I return the Wi-Fi device?

The device may be returned through the following channels:

1. PAL boutique
2. NAIA Terminal 2 arrival area
3. Home pick-up
4. Onboard return service.

Users may enjoy internet access using the myPAL Roam in over 80 countries. These are the following:

Argentina, Albania, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway,  Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saipan, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden,   Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela and Vietnam.

PAL ancillary business unit vice president  Kevin Hartigan-Go said “with almost everything just a click away, getting connected is key. This technology on connectivity has allowed us to be linked to virtually anyone, anywhere in the world.”

myPAL Roam is the latest addition to PAL’s service innovations, which already include the myPAL Player, myPAL Wi-Fi and the myPAL Mobile — components of the myPAL eSuite. 

The airline also recently launched the PAL boutique, an exhibit store featuring Filipino talent, coffee Table book and craftsmanship.

I can't wait to try this newest innovation! #myPALRoam #PhilippineAirlines #PAL

Philippine Airlines Launches Coffee Table Book

Philippine Airlines Launches Coffee Table Book 

The country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), has launched a coffee table book to mark its 75 years of flying to various destinations here and abroad at the Badjao room of Century Park Hotel last July 1, 2016 in Manila, Philippines.

The title of the 200-page book is “75 years of celebrating the heart of the Filipino, honoring the past, celebrating the present and innovating the future”.

Travel through PAL's 75 years of wonderful history when you browse through the pages of your very own copy of PAL's Coffee Table Book. 

Book lovers would surely love all the photos and trivia that could be found in the book. It contains a lot of history and information unknown to many. 

Be amazed on how PAL evolved since its maiden flight with only five passengers from the Nielsen Airfield in Makati City to Loakan airport in the northern part of the Philippines- Baguio City on March 15, 1941 to what it is now at present.

I learned that the first international stewardess was a Filipina named Rebecca Versoza Santos who was married to a PAL dentist.  Interestingly, the first female commercial pilot in Southeast Asia is also a Filipina! Her name is Aimee Carandang-Gloria,  who by the way was present during the launching. 

I personally love how the editor, Jonathan Gesmundo and his writers and staff lovingly put together and summarized in one book all of PAL's past and present airplanes type. Mr. Gesmundo successfully collated all data since 2011. He definitely captured each decade’s achievements and challenges. 

The book not only affirmed Philippine Airlines' place in aviation history but it also boast the sense of pride of every men and women who ever worked with the airlines. 

I strongly believe that every Filipino and PAL enthusiast should buy a copy of the Coffee Table Book because it is not only "siksik liglig at hitik na hitik sa inpormasyon" but also because for every book you buy part of the proceeds of book sale will go to PAL foundation that never stop lending a helping hand to our poor brothers and sisters in different parts of the world.

To learn more about Pal's colorful evolution grab a copy of PAL's Coffee Table Book! It is a collector's item! Teach your kids about the history of PAL! 

The generation to come will surely love PAL's diamond history summarized in one (1) hardbound Coffee Table Book available for sale at PAL offices and online for only Php1,975 through www.philippineairlines.com and via Facebook at Philippine Airlines Boutique.

 

Traveling by air has never been this good.DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Philippine Airlines (PAL) had an airplane with a lip mark on its nose? 


Pal pioneered sky beds for long-haul flights in 1979. 


My very first domestic airplane ride was with a PAL turboprop plane. Yes, that plane with a very noisy propeller (elise). 

#PAL #PhilippineAirlines #PAL75Years #PALCOFFEETABLEBOOK #TheHeartOfTheFilipino #ShiningThrough #Filipino's Trusted Airlines

Global Wellness Day Philippines 2016

Global Wellness Day Philippines 2016

July 11, 2016 marks the very first time that the Philippines participated in the Global Wellness Day celebrated every second Saturday of June every year worldwide dedicated to living well.

Finally, Filipinos can now proudly say that "We say YES to Global Wellness Day!" 

The organization's slogan “One day can change your whole life,” has confronted me to my face because of my health issues and largely due to the fact that at 5'6" I am overweight, I can't even see my neck anymore :-(  I have a standing offer from a good Samaritan to start my beautification "balik alindog" (back to shape) program but my brother keeps on urging me to go back home to our province to help out in our family business. Tuliro, di makakain, di makatulog, nakakapangit ang stress na ito! The event invite that I got is very timely indeed. 

So on the second Saturday of June, I woke up at 5 o' clock in the morning, took a bath then got dress, then put inside my backpack an extra pants and shirt plus my crocs slippers just in case I need to change. Of course, I also brought with me my make-up kit, brushes, eye make-up, eye lashes curlers, powder, cellphones, charger, extra batteries, basically almost everything inside my house. Ha ha ha!

Whether you admit it or not, all of us would like to be healthier, to look better, and to live well both physically and spiritually. Living well is almost the entire world’s shared dream. Even some bible verses had mentioned wellness as part of God's plan for all of us.

"Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body", according to the bible.

I was already panting like a dog when I reached Three Salcedo at around 7 o'clock in the morning and was instructed to climb the stairs, with my heavy full-packed backpack. With a heavy backpack errr heart, I glance at the stairs. It doesn't look like "the second floor" to me...shocks! I already walked a good one (1) kilometer trying to locate Tordesillas Street in Makati. I then slowly went up "the second floor" ( rolling my eyes here, it looks like it's "the third floor" ha ha ha!  Hello fellow attendees do you agree? Yeah? ) I heave a sigh of relief when I reached the top of the stairs, yes! Success! I immediately make a right turn and found the exact location of the event. I  then register at the booth and look around the gym. I don't recognize a single soul.  I then asked for a glass of water. The water I drank after that high flight of stairs tasted so good that I had to ask for another glass. Whoah! Then from out of nowhere, achi Joy appeared! Yes! My fairy godmother is here! She is the one who invited me and I immediately walk towards her and exchange pleasantries.  Sexy and a super mom personified achi Joy doesn't look her age. She exudes wellness in the real sense of the word! She's beautiful inside and out.

Firefighters, volunteers, fitness buffs, motorcycle enthusiasts, men, women and their children from all walks of life troop to FTX fun intense fusion training at the second floor of Three Salcedo at Tordesillas St., in Makati City.

We were then given food to nourish our body.  The wellness breakfast consists of organic bihon and malunggay pandesal served with coffee. Breakfast combined with yoga will give you a certain high. The meal is simple but delicious.  We were then introduced to the event organizer Vicky.  

The positive energy of the people who attended the activity rubbed off on me.  I totally enjoyed the exercises, the yoga and the inspiring talk given by Charmie De Leon of Healthway.  Christian Church pastor Manu Reyes aka the “Fitness Pastor”, fitness brand ambassador and consultant for corporate fitness solutions discussed how a good deed daily keeps you healthy. I particularly like the talk given by political satirist/ director/ commercial actress "Juana Change" a.k.a Mae Paner. 

As a political activist, we know Juana Change as the woman with balls. So, I was surprised when she shared to everybody that she's among the thousands if not millions of Filipinas who were brain-washed by commercialism into believing that each one of us must look like "Anne Curtis" who happens to be "maputi"  (fair skin) while a typical Filipina like Mae Paner has "maitim na balat" (dark complexion).  Anne has a "matangos na ilong"(prominent nose) while Mae has "ilong na pango" (flat nose).  Anne is sexy and Mae is 267 Ibs. at 5'2".  Anne has a long straight hair and most Filipinas has curly or wavy if not frizzy hair.

Well, can you blame her for thinking that way? No! Because, almost everyone, including me thinks the same way too!  Well, not with the "maputi na balat" (fair complexion) part though because I was never afraid to walk under the heat of the sun especially before when I can still travel. 

Where did this low self-esteem came from? Commercialism! ( Mismo!) Commercialism dictates who and what should be beautiful. Ika nga, ikinakahon ng commercialismo ang mga babae sa panahon na ito. ( Women of today became the girl in the box).

But, Mae found a way to get out of that box. She told her reflection that she is beautiful period. And boy was she surprised when her boy crush suddenly said that she looks different that day, that there is something about Mae that is different and that she looks beautiful!  She found for herself the ultimate key to wellness! It was liberating! The acceptance of what and who she is!  A beautiful creature of God. From then on she radiates that aura. 

Mae even posed nude to more than 80 painters. And she said that she even landed at the cover of playboy magazine in 2013 and became the lead star of a movie. Mae said she was the star at that "Boysen" commercial where she played as the nagger wife. Mae also shared with us that she's a Pieta actress and she had also directed several commercials.

Mae's realization was indeed mind blowing! It is in loving yourself pala, growing and flourishing in mind, body and soul that we attained physical, mental and spiritual well-being. We need to have an unconditional self-acceptance, an understanding of our own faults and acceptance of our imperfections while still trying to be the best version of ourselves. It is only by loving and accepting yourself that you could begin to love others as well.

Mae and Ms. Vicky awarded the spa gift certificate to the first raffle draw winner named Jewel, a motorcycle enthusiasts and volunteer who according to his mentor Mr. Mel has a pure heart, generous in giving help to other people. A jewel in the real sense of the word.

Living well does not only constitute physical fitness but also doing a good deed everyday.

You could see by the look on their faces that they are happy! They're ecstatic while dancing and loving it.

The husband and wife that exercise together stays together.

The singing firefighters?

The body needs to move in order to function well. Moving with spiritual intent leads to a healthy, blooming and develop body. A strong body is a foundation for a balanced physical, mental and spiritual lifestyle.

Manifest your vision into reality.

The children are never too young to start celebrating wellness with their parents.

There was also a free hand massage, make-up and half-body massage plus raffle prizes.

Thank you Mary Kaye for my hair and make-up! 

Happiness radiates from inside out.

I hope to be invited next time around. Thank you for the invitation achi Joy, I truly enjoyed the event. Thank you Ms.Vicky and to your friends who became my friends too that day! You helped me realized that I am beautiful indeed because I was made in the image and likeness of my God.  It was completely liberating!

Kudos to all of you for a job well done!

Be good to yourself. Treat your body well. Men, women, or whose gender is in between, together with your children, please celebrate with us the next time around!

#GlobalWellnessDay‬

The 7 Steps of the Global Wellness Day Manifesto

• Walk for an hour
 
• Drink more water
 
• Do not use plastic bottles
 
• Eat organic foods
 
• Do a good deed
 
• Have a family dinner
 
• Sleep at 10:00 pm