Bee's Knees

The path of typhoon Glenda (photocourtesy of PAG-ASA)

A glimpse of Quirino Avenue (photo courtesy of Noel Alamar, DZMM)

Parked cars struck by SM's metal structures (photo courtesy of Ayie delos Santos)

A vast area if Luzon under Signal #3 (photocourtesy of rappler.com)

Buzzzzzzzz.

Busy as a Queen Bee, I haven't been able to update my blog for a number of reasons. First, I forgot which e-mail address and password I used for this site, thanks to epidural. Second, my darling toddler blew the laptop by giving it a cup full of fresh orange juice, bravado! And lastly, I had such a busy, busy summer.

Holy week, summer, Kole's first birthday and Kier's first day of school have passed. All my drafts are still pending to be posted. So many reviews I need to write about, but time is so elusive for this busy mom of two juggling mommy duties and running two businesses. Slowly but surely though, I will keep this blog updated hereon.

For the time being, I pray for our fellow Filipinos as we face this calamity brought about by typhoo n Glenda. Amidst all these pouring rains, flying debris, hurling and howling winds, let's all keep our faith and orat for each other's safety. Like my grandmother used to say, "This too shall pass".

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South PiNanays' My Super Yaya Seminar

It was one scorching Saturday and I'm 30 minutes late already. I needed to finish and settle a business meeting first with a couple of wedding clients before we could move on to the establishment next door. As soon as we were done, we hurriedly went to McDonald's under the glaring sun to attend a seminar. The My Super Yaya Seminar spearheaded by the founder of South PiNanays (SPiN), mommy Nina, was already taking place. I checked my BlackBerry, 3 Viber messages, 1 on WeChat, 2 text messages and 1 missed call. Oh dear... As soon as we stepped foot at the second floor, my dear husband was baffled in awe. There were a lot of moms and babies everywhere! Oh this is fun, I thought. He'd have a glimpse of what makes me happy lately, having newfound mommy friends and a new mommy-social life finally! Before we could settle in, I heard my name out loud. Somewhere in the crowd shouted my name asking if I have brought with me some of our MommyBakes Lactation Cookies. Uh oh! That I forgot since I only baked Hershey's cupcakes the night before meant for the food tasting with the wedding clients. It's a good thing I thought of baking some extras to share with the mommies. Lifesaver. I honestly didn't know where to start and who to mingle with first, there was such a gaggle of lovely moms chatting here and there, babies giggling and babbling and dads lounging around. I could almost feel my claustrophobia kicking in so I freshened up first in the loo before mingling with the mommies and other babies.

My Super Yaya Seminar's poster

The seminar has already started before we even got there, and how I wish we had a yaya to register who could take part in the event and learn several useful information she could make use of. Though we, mommies, are not allowed inside the conference room where the seminar was being held, we are all confident that the talk would bear positive results. One may ask, why should we send our yayas to such seminars? Why spend extra when they should already know what their job is all about? The answer is simple. INVESTMENT. Most households, if not all, who have yayas/nannies are households of working moms and dads. Other moms who are considered as SAHMs or WAHMs may or may not have yayas, unless they truly practice being a hands on mom. Why investment? More often than not, we hire nannies to have someone help around the house and also to take care and tend for our children while we are away at work or are busy. We leave and entrust our most treasured possessions in the care of our household angels, our children. Having nannies around allows us to tend to other important things. Having said so, it is just imperative that we make sure our children are getting the proper care they deserve and need. Our children need to have people who knows and can give what they really need. Apart from us, as their parents, they also need someone who could help guide them properly in our daily short absence while we work. So why not invest in something that will beneficial to both employer and employee, right? After all, our little ones deserve only the best, and thus such investment is important. The seminar was all about how yayas or nannies can effectively broaden their knowledge and skills in caring for our precious children. It involved informational discussions and hands on activities on how to properly care for newborns and toddlers, basic knowledge in first aid training, personal grooming, hygiene and personality development and nutritional diet/feeding for children. One more important topics discussed was how to handle scammers, opportunists and other people involved in modus operandi that pose as threats to our household. We all know how dangerous other people can be nowadays, they will grab every chance they can at helpless individuals. Including such topic in the seminar was timely and very handy. Arming our nannies with the proper knowledge to help protect our household and children may not be the highlight of the seminar, but it is one of the most useful topics everybody could benefit from.

South PiNanays mommies
(L-R) SweetSheryl & baby Ria, Me & baby Kollin, Nina, Lisa & baby Jacob, A-Khei & baby Leica,
Jerelou & baby Joaquin , Kring & baby Yeunel, and  Dea & baby Audrey

The Glow of Motherhood suits  Mommy Marge perfectly

A Mother's heart beats as one with her child, Mommy Lulai and the pretty little Ria

Legs, legs, and more legs of breastfed babies 

While the yayas were inside the conference room participating in the seminar, the lovely mommies and doting dads were in another area catching up and getting to know some of the new members of the SPiN group. As we wait for the seminar to finish, we busied ourselves in our own happy bubble. Some were chatting with fellow mommies, others can be seen nourishing their little ones through breast feeding, learning more about babywearing, attached parenting, baby led weaning and others discussing about the thrills and adventures of cloth diapering. There were truly a lot of us in there and it was hard to decide who to talk to first or what to do. So busy we all were that we forgot to have a full group photo shoot. If not for the urging of mommy Lulai's jolly husband, we wouldn't have remembered to do so. Good thing he was there eagerly taking photos around while all mommies were oh so busy with their own businesses. If not for him, SPiN wouldn't have these lovely photo remembrances from this successful event.

Baby wearing 101 w/ Mommy Lulai and Mommy Tin using a K'tan

Peek-a-boo w/ my baby Kollin (daddy went overboard w/ the grease on his hair hehe)

My dear husband baby wearing Kollin
Gotcha! Caught amidst yawning (was so tired baking the night before)

Little ladies catching up w/ the latest gossips :)

Our very own lovely Mommy Nina, the founder of SPiN and event  head
 of the My Super Yaya Seminar  

Why hello there gorgeous! 

Who says a mother can't be fab and chic in the simplest ways?

I'm so sorry, just can't get enough of her cuteness :)

Motherhood brings out the best in a woman, her smiles sweeter, her laughters resounding,

her  love unconditional 

Beautiful moms catching up,
SPiN brings moms together and builds a family who share the same values

Supportive Daddy Photographers Daddy Jay Suan and Daddy Aldrin Valencerina

Baby wearing made effortlessly chic and fun by Mommy Tin

It was only my second time to attend a SPiN's mommy meet up. Though I'm still considered new to the group, I am glad to have found new friends within the community and meet other moms from the South. The mommies I first met in the group are really nice, warm and helpful. They made me feel accepted even if they barely knew me and even helped me and baby Kollin out when we had take a weeklong break from breast feeding when I fell ill. Yes, they were there for us, helping complete strangers without asking for anything in return. These moms are angels and I'm thankful for them. Thanks to SPiN too, not only I gain knowledge, support and friends from the group, it also allowed me to have that elusive social life when one's already a mom. Barely 3 months old in the group, I'd say I have found a happy place closer to home. Thank you SPiN mommies! Mwah mwah!

My first SPiN's mommy meet up :)

To mommies Patricia, Nina, Kat, Marge, Shine, Lulai, Christine, Janice, Pinky, A-Khei, Kring and Dea, thank you ladies for making me feel at home

My first SPiN's mommy meet up :)

The Super Yayas w/ their certificates :) 

All photos in this article are courtesy of Ingente- Valencerina Photography
follow them at  http://ivphoto.weebly.com/

REVIEWS: Project Pie (Alabang)

Who doesn't like pizza? Well, I for one does not know anybody who wouldn't have a go for a slice or two. I think it would be safe to say that everybody loves pizza. Cheese, New York, Hawaiian, All Meat, Deep Dish...oh I'm drooling already!

Even the A-List celebrities during the recent prestigious Oscar Awards had their fill at it when Ellen Degeneres did rounds to offer slices from Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria. Yes, even Meryll Streep sank her teeth into her slice while Brad Pitt jumped from his sit to get his share for him and his wife Angelina. Who wouldn't have a go once you've sniffed the heavenly smell of freshly baked pizza, piping hot with lots of gooey mozzarella and spiced pepperoni. Oh dear!

What else could you ask for in a pizza? One might wonder, wouldn't it be great if you could customize your own pizza to your liking? No, not just great, that'd be marvelous!!! And lo! Yes it is possible now! James Markham, the maker of Project Pie is a genius! He's gotta be real pizza lover to have thought of a custom pizza parlor. No more plucking unwanted bell peppers for the choosy ones or grunting over pulling out onion rings when all you want is an all-meat pizza.

Located along Commerce Avenue in Filinvest City Alabang, we decided to hold our business meeting with our wedding clients over pizza for lunch. The pizzeria was strategically situated right beside Jollibee and McDonald's, probably to lure in customers who'd rather have some real food over greasy fast food. Project Pie is the very first international franchise of the company outside the United States. They first ventured into business in 2012 and instantly became a success. And now, they are making waves here in the Philippines, first along Shaw Blvd., and now in the South.Our first try at custom made pizza at Project Pie was shared with a couple of friends. Mabelle and Melan, one of our bride and groom to be clientele friends for the month of April 2014.

We were there to do some contract signing and food tasting for their wedding cake, together with my darling husband and our little boys. My team loves pizza, especially my oh so adorable little Keiran who prefers eating his pizza upside down. I don't know why, but he prefers to have all the flavors directly touching his taste buds as soon as he bites through a slice. Needless to say, he too had his own custom pizza, ordering his way to his own liking. It was refreshing to see that Project Pie also offers greens for the health conscious and the health buffs. This was a good thing for our Mr. and Mrs. to be since Mabelle already informed me ahead of time that her husband-to-be prefers fish and vegetables and she herself is trying to eat healthy for their big day. I wanted to have salad too, but I held back since I'm actually craving for Banapple's Super Caesar, next time maybe.

So, off we went to discover the rave about this new pizzeria for ourselves. The place was almost packed at 11am, so we opted to be seated at the 2nd floor where it was more spacious. The second floor was more ideal to hold a meeting, with less excited buzzing and musings from customers ordering their pies.

Keiran decide to have a red pizza (with tomato sauce), topped with his choice of ingredients; mozzarella, ricotta, feta, parmesan, pepperoni, grilled chicken, bacon and more ricotta on top. Since he's having a red one, I decided to go for white pizza (olive oil base). I wanted to experiment with my pizza, but decided to go with toppings I am sure to love, mozzarella, ricotta, feta, parmesan, red onions, mushrooms, black olives, fresh basil, pepperoni, prosciutto, bacon, italian sausage and more ricotta on top. We also had some soda priced at P65 and bottled water for P50. The soda was refillable, I was advised that it's up to three refills only, but by the looks of it, one can refill as much as they can since nobody is really in charge of keeping watch at the refill station. I would have loved to have some Chardonnay, but since I am still very much into being a breast feeding mom to my 8 month old Kollin, I resisted the temptation.

What we went here for, Artisan Pizza

This machine presses the dough balls into thin round pizza crust ready to be prepped.

From doughy balls into scrumptious pizzas...

This guy is in charged of taking down notes of EVERY ingredient on every customer's personal pizza. He kinda messed up with our orders, got Keiran's pizza switched under my name and vice versa.

Busy, busy staff. See how much pizzas are waiting to be baked and eaten?

The pizza oven. Caution: It's really, really hot!

Chilled drinks beside the counter.

I would have loved to have some Chardonnay, but since I am still very much into being a breast feeding mom to my 8 month old Kollin

Organized  and tidy :)

Trial and Error. I guess this is the staff room slash main kitchen slash stock room.

The soon to be Mr. & Mrs. Bajada

Our custom artisan pizzas, at P285 a pie, not bad. Keiran's Super Pizza...

...and Rika's Scrumptious Pizza

Wall of inspirations? It's actually scribbled with quotes from various people which kept diners amused while waiting for their pizzas.

Mabelle's choice of pizza, Pizza #8 by Kat Cruz, the Pizza of the Month.

Melan's healthy meal, a salad of course.

For food tasting (please excuse how weather beaten they are due to  the scorching heat that day) Hershey's chocolate cupcakes with Dark English Ganache and Creme de Menthe Ganache

Our pie plates after we've wolfed down the pizzas

Friends since College Days (Shh, baby Kollin's discreetly enjoying his lunch of breast milk)  

The Menu

My take on Project Pie? The thin crusted pizza was great, really delectable and crisp. However, once cold, it becomes rather chewy and hard to bite through (but it's still good). Service was good, friendly and prompt staff, though the lady staff who took our orders was a little hard at hearing, we had to repeat our choices a lot (well, the place was packed with buzzing customers, so it's forgivable). Like I've mentioned, our orders got switched, but the server was nice enough to fix it for me with a courteous smile. Though the cashier said our orders upon paying will only take three minutes to serve, I waited downstairs for about at least 15 minutes. The place was really clean and organized, they could use some improvements though with their music as it was a little too loud for those who wants to have some little chit chats. Overall review, Project Pie is worth a try for pizza lovers and definitely worth the money. Our dining experience was considerably good, we'll be back soon definitely.

RECIPES: Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry

Spice.

This word reminds me of three things, Spain, India and the famous all girl British pop act, the Spice Girls. 

(grabbed from Google)

(grabbed from Google)

No, seriously. I was also once a fan of these girls clad in flimsy dresses and towering heels. They are well known for the cheeky acts and the different persona they portray as they belt out about Girl Power. Who hasn't heard of this girl act? They must be one of the most famous music act in the world (after The Beatles and The Backstreet Boys), Sporty Spice (my first favorite tomboy), Baby Spice (the cute one), Scary Spice (I'm not sure why she's branded as "scary". Is it coz she's always clad in leopard or big cat prints? For me, she has the most beautiful face of the five), Posh Spice (the ever chic and elite, now my favorite) and Ginger Spice (the cheekiest redhead of them all)...all five of them make up one empowering girl group. Different personalities combined makes the Spice Girls one interesting music act.

This is just the same with food. We incorporate different tastes, aromas, spices and textures to make one delectable dish. When we say spice, often, chili is what pops to mind, ain't it? Of course it is. But little do we know, there are a whole lot more when it comes to varieties of spices. There's hundreds of them, and most of them are usually, if not always present, used in Spanish and Indian dishes. So, yes, let's talk about Indian dishes. Their dishes are always loaded with spices and I suppose they don't have a tongue for bland or light dishes. Brimming with strong flavours and aroma, Indian dishes make for one of the most flavorful food in the world, and the most famous of them would be Curry.

A common curry dish we Filipinos make is none other than Chicken Curry. Some like it green, some like it yellow. Whichever color it is, they both taste wonderfully aromatic.  But did you know that our love for this dish came not directly from our Indian brothers? Yes, it was handed done to us from our Hispanic colonizers. In their search for spices all over the world, the Spaniards came upon India and discovered the strong flavor it gives to dishes. This discovery was then brought to the melting pot of Asia, the Philippines. The Spaniards first brought the spice to the Philippines long before the Indians were able to barter or trade the said spice to our country for a living.

What makes a curry dish special? It is the blend of various spices, vegetables, coconut milk and meat combined into one flavourful viand. Just like the Spice Girls, it's a medley of different characteristics/flavors. What I love most about it is how the coconut milk gives it a creamy texture and a hint of sweetness from the carrots. But of course, since my dear husband's tummy is sensitive to coconut milk, I often resort to the commercialized coconut milk in powder form. There are several versions of Chicken Curry, this one that I'll share with you is what my boys love the most (ahem!)  I like my chicken curry a little hot, but since I have little boys, I omit the chili flakes from the dish and just add it to my own fish sauce for condiments. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small ginger, julienned (ginger is optional)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into cubes
2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed
1/4 kilo potato marbles, peeled and halved
5pcs (1/2 kilo) chicken breast fillet, cut up and washed
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp curry powder (can use commercialized or pure curry powder)
1 cup fresh coconut milk OR 1 packet of coconut milk powder
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
Chili flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a wok or skillet on medium heat.

2. Add carrots and potato marbles. Give it a good stir until vegetables are subtly browned on the edges. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside.

3. In the same wok or skillet, saute garlic and onion (and ginger) until soft.

4. Add the chicken and cook until browned or until juices run clear.

5. Add curry powder, coconut milk and chicken stock. If using commercialized coconut milk powder, dissolve coconut milk powder and curry powder first in chicken stock. Make sure all lumps are dissolved before adding to wok.

6. Stir gently, cover and let simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the chicken cooks thoroughly and does not stick to the pan.

7. Add carrots, potatoes and bell pepper. Add fish sauce to taste, if desired. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Remove from heat and serve hot with steaming rice. (If desired, fish sauce with red chili works best as a condiment for this dish for those who loves to have more spice.)

Spice up your life :)