Events

Things To Do at the #OishiSnacktacular 2016

July 16, 2016 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

I don’t go to mall events often because I had my fill of them when MrC and I were working for retail. Yesterday, though, I made an exception, and headed off to the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall for the #OishiSnacktacular 2016. I’m glad I did because it really was so much fun. Plus, by chance, my friend Camille and her son (my godson!) Lucas were there as well, and so it became an impromptu bonding day for the three of us, too.

#OishiSnacktacular — Hanging out with Lucas and Camille

When I arrived yesterday, the first thing I noticed was how colorful and exciting all of the booths looked. This year’s event has an 8-bit inspired game, and it felt to me like I was in one of those video games I grew up playing. You even walk over a giant “Press Start” button when you enter.

So what’s there to do at the #OishiSnacktacular 2016? Here’s a quick rundown of the booths and activities.

Take a photo at the Oishi Pack & Pose. Don’t forget to post it online with the hashtag #OishiSnacktacular.

Go to the Make Your Own Snack booth where, for only P20, you can have a customized bag of chips and snacks made just for you.

Make sure to line up for the Oishi Snack Catcher. For P200, you get strapped on to a harness, and lowered into a giant pool of snacks. Then, you grab as much as you can, and whatever you get is all yours! Too bad I had to skip this because I was in a dress, but if the boys were with me, I’m sure one of them would have gone up.

Just like @ramonbautista, gusto mo din bang ma-try maging human crane and catch as many Oishi snacks as you can? Sugod na sa #OishiSnacktacular event at SM MOA Music Hall from July 15-17, 2016!

A video posted by Oishi (@oishiph) on Jul 14, 2016 at 11:29pm PDT

Cool down with some Oishi Choco Chug ice cream at the Oishi O-Twirl booth. Don’t forget to add toppings to your cup of ice cream for extra yums! All this for only P20.

The Oishi Snack Shack was my favorite activity. Here, you get to fill a 2ft tall Oishi bag with all of your favorite snacks! I loaded mine up with Bread Pan, cereal, Sponge Crunch, Wafu, and a lot of other treats. And the bag is really big, super sulit at P295! I got a lot of stares as I carried it around the mall.

Did somebody say baon??? Guys, you can also get yourselves a giant bag (it’s 2ft tall!) and fill it up with all of your favorite Oishi treats at the #oishisnacktacular at Mall of Asia Music Hall today, tomorrow, and on Sunday. Go na! ? #oishiowow #breadpan

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Jul 15, 2016 at 1:36am PDT

As if you hadn’t already filled your bags with enough snacks at this point, there’s more to be had at the Oishi Cuckoo Blaster. For only P100, you get to put on the Cuckoo Bird suit, and catch as many balls as you can. 1 ball = 1 snack for you!

After all that activity, treat yourself to a Smart C+ slushee for only P20 at the Oishi Slush C+ booth. The calamansi flavor is super good.

And, before you leave, check out the different Oishi snacks from all over Asia at the Oishi World of Wow area.

The #OishiSnacktacular 2016 is open until July 17, which means you still have a day and a half to go there, enjoy, and snack-attack away! Enjoy!

Moms Take the New Pampers Baby Dry 99.9% Dryness Challenge at Robinsons Place Manila

December 6, 2015 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Last November, Moms in Manila had the chance to take the New Pampers Baby Dry 99.9% Dryness Challenge at Robinson’s Place Manila. Those in attendance were given the chance to bet on either Pampers or their diaper of choice, and see which one was truly able to keep babies dry.

First, blue liquid was poured down a tube, straight to the diapers, so you could see how fast each one would absorb the liquid. While other brands struggled to take in the fluid, Pampers was able to absorb it all in no time.

As a mom of a kid with very sensitive skin, I can’t stress enough how important this is. The faster your diaper can absorb baby pee, the less time it spends in contact with their skin, meaning less chances of rashes. So that’s a win for Pampers in my book.

After all the liquid was absorbed, a paper towel was placed over the full diapers, followed by a 5lb weight. It was a win for Pampers again when, after the weight was removed, you could see that the paper towel stayed dry.

Meanwhile, on top of the other diaper lay a stained blue, soaking wet paper towel. What a nightmare it would be if the wet towel was your baby’s precious little behind!

Now obviously my Little MrC is no longer in nappies, so it’s been a while since I’ve had to fret over my choice of diaper. I did ask some friends, though, which brand they preferred, and a lot really said that they go for Pampers. My mommy blogger friend, Frances, is one, and she said she really super loves Pampers Baby Dry.

Kaity, another fellow mommy blogger, says, “Pampers is a trusted brand that’s why I use it for my 2 boys. I love that it doesn’t irritate their skin and keeps them dry for a long time. It doesn’t sag and it doesn’t have himolmol.”

One of my oldest friends, Jan-B, also bets on Pampers for her son, Noah. She says, “I use Pampers for my son because it fits him well enough to give me assurance that there wont be leaks. Pampers also has no weird smell, unlike some brands. I also like Pampers because my child can use it for a longer time compared to other brands.”

I’d most likely pick Pampers, too, if I had a baby. I mean, how could you go wrong with a brand that’s trusted by so many moms, right?

Betting on Pampers gave moms a chance to win great prizes at the Manila event, and today mommies in Cebu are getting to experience this as well. Next week will be CDO’s turn. What a great way to kick off the holidays! 🙂

*All photos used in this post belong to Fuentes Manila.

Mothers Who Brunch

September 8, 2015 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 15 Comments

Fact: I love it when other people cook for me.

I think that most moms will agree that it’s so nice when someone prepares a meal for us. Most of us are the executive chefs of our households, and so being able to sit and enjoy a home cooked meal that we didn’t have to make ourselves is just awesome. Right?

I also think that I totally won the lottery when it comes to having friends who cook well. See, I have Mish and Sab in my life. Imagine, Sab once had another friend, Marge, and I over for a wala lang lunch, and she served us no less than a bagoong paella with bagnet!

And then one time, when Mish and I were getting some work done at her house, she had a tray of truffle mac and cheese ready for us for lunch! I feel so spoiled.

I love the fact that these two brilliant cooks decided that it was time to collaborate so that they could share their amazing kitchen delights with other moms. And so Mothers Who Brunch was born.

It was so much fun hanging out with this group of lovely women. Mothers Who Brunch reminded me that spending time with your girlfriends is important, too.

I wish I could say that the photos I’m using for this post are mine. But I can’t. Because this little genius came to the event with a camera that was super duper lowbatt! Blame it on the crazy summer we had (the event happened in May, I know, so long ago) shuttling back and forth between Alabang and Cainta while my father in law was in town.

So before anything, I wanna credit Gilbert Gutierrez for the photos. Thank goodness Sab and Mish thought to hire a photographer for the event! I think it’s a nice touch, and a great way to make sure that the moms who were there got to really relax and just enjoy without any worries.

Bonus: We all got head shots, too! Yay, I finally have a photo that I can use (that isn’t from my wedding lol) when people ask me to send one.

I arrived pretty early and said my hellos to the moms I already knew. And then the lady standing next to me turned around, and all I could do was stutter and stammer like the true fan girl that I am of Joey of 80breakfasts.com.

Her blog and her column on Yummy Magazine were some of my go-to places for help and advice when I first started learning how to cook! Now we are friends, and I still feel kilig over it.

We started off with a quick tour of the Viking Kitchen showroom. Someday, when I get the chance to build my dream kitchen, I would love to have a Viking range. And fridge. And oven. And microwave. Even a Viking knife.

The whole place was basically every cooking mom’s dream come true, and I was as excited to try the equipment as I was about meeting Joey. Lol, fan girl overload.

Getting into the kitchen with the Mothers Who Brunch moms was so much fun, and everything that Mish and Sab picked for that morning’s menu was amazeballs. I had a little bit of everything, twice!

To be honest, I’m not yet super confident when it comes to my cooking, so I rarely cook for anyone other than family. When Sab and Mish first asked me to share a recipe for the booklet that they were making as part of the giveaways, I was thisclose to backing out. True story.

I decided to woman-up anyway and share my recipe for Banana Swiss Miss Muffins. I’m glad that I did because I’ve gotten positive feedback about it, which was a huge confidence booster.

The recipe booklet (printed by Imagemax Digital Printing) was only one of the many, many, MANY goodies that we got to take home that day. Nothing can compare the the Mothers Who Brunch swag bag. It really felt like Christmas in May.

Inside basket number two were gorgeous coasters from Boqueria Lifestyle Market (who also styled the venue beautifully), gift certificates from Bikram Yoga Alabang, Coco Nail Studio and House of Monogram, yummy stuff for the kitchen from A Vanilla Story, The Vanilla Co and Lucky Merchant Salt, pralines and a cake from Choco La Bella, a beautiful little cactus from Sombra Verde, and Hurraw Chai Spice Lip Balm from Cutieverse. Wow.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I feel like I won the jackpot with Mish and Sab. And no, I don’t mean that only because they feed me and make me happy.

These two are amazing women that I am proud and honored to call my friends. Through them and Mothers Who Brunch I’ve been able to meet more wonderful moms, and so I can say that they definitely make my life richer.

I can’t wait til the next one!

Cheers, mommas! ??@mommanmanila x @sinfullysabrina x @vikingrangeph #motherswhobrunch

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Jun 1, 2015 at 2:03am PDT

Celebrating The Mind Museum’s Second Birthday

April 5, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 21 Comments

The other Saturday, the boys picked me up from my mommy morning at ECHOYoga Shala so that we could go to The Mind Museum’s Media Family Day to launch their summer programs and celebrate their second anniversary. As soon as I said the words Mind Museum to my two guys, they got super excited because we never got to visit the place before, and they were both really looking forward to the experience. It was thanks to my super amazing Mommy Bloggers Philippines group that we were invited to this event, so I was also looking forward to finally meeting some of my online friends in real life.

I love how the agency behind this event was really so organized. I received my invitation through email, and they made sure to get all of our names. They also provided us with a parking pass, which is a godsend if you know what parking is like at BGC. When we arrived, the kiddo and I registered while MrC went to park. We were given a small parcel that reminded me of what Snoopy (as in the dog) carries around with him when he travels. This, apparently was the actual invite, and inside there was a mini microscope that we needed for the afternoon. Of course, the little boy immediately declared that all of the contents belonged to him.

We took a quick look around when we arrived, and then we decided to get something to eat while waiting for the program to begin so that we could go on and explore right after. There was a lot of food, all of which was yummy and fun to eat. Kyle’s Lab served nice sandwiches, tiramisu flower pots (which were both yummy and brilliant, if you ask me), and this super cool iced tea with spheres that burst in your mouth. I thought at first that they were sago, so when they erupted in my mouth, I got really excited like a little kid. Hahaha I’m mababaw like that. There also were panizzas and nachos from Uncle Cheffy, cupcakes, cookies and truffles from Sophie’s Mom, and ever-so-yummy Sebastian’s Ice Cream.

So glad MrC had his camera, too. More photos!

After a quick program, where I learned that most of the exhibits are either made or assembled locally (amazeballs!), we were given a Wide-Eyed Wanderer’s Exploration Passport which had a list of tasks that we were supposed to complete. The first to complete their assigned tasks would win a prize. Right off the bat, I knew we weren’t going to be one of the first because it was difficult to not get sidetracked by all the other things to see, do and read all over the museum. So we decided to take our time and enjoy all of the areas we had to visit instead of rush through them. I think that our experience was worth way more than any prize.

At the Life Gallery, where we met a few Neanderthals

Here’s a closer look at our kinda creepy new friends, through MrC’s lens

Mind Museum representatives were stationed all over the area, putting stickers on our passport for completed tasks, assisting us whenever needed and answering our questions. I love how they are all so knowledgeable about the exhibits and displays, and also how they really take the time to explain things to you. I think that this is super important so that kids and adults who come to visit really learn a lot. And there really is so much information you can pick up in just one afternoon at The Mind Museum. In fact, the boys still weren’t satisfied with time we spent there, and they already want to go back to see the stuff they missed.

One of my favorite stops was the new Space Shell Planetarium where we watched the newest show that they offer, “Back to the Moon for Good”. It is a story about the Google Lunar Xprize, a space competition where teams race to be the first people to successfully make it back to the moon.

Apart from the areas around the museum that we needed to visit, our passport also required us to go to each of the exhibit booths inside the function area. At these booths, we learned about the summer activities and classes being offered by The Mind Museum. This is a great option for parents who are still thinking about where to enroll your kids for the summer, especially if yours are older kids who are into learning and discovery. Here’s a list of the activities coming up this summer, as well as their corresponding schedules and rates. For Summer Program FAQs and full program details, email summerprograms@themindmuseum.org .

C.S.I. 101 (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM per day)

10-13 years old | April 8 | Php1,500/head
14-17 years old | April 11-13 | Php3,800/head
18-25 years old | April 26-27 | Php 3,200/head

MARINE SCIENCE CAMP at Anilao Batangas (Ages 7 and up)

May 1, 1pm-530pm | at The Mind Museum | Half day briefing & workshops
May 2-3 (2 full days, overnight) | at Aiyanar Resort, Anilao Batangas | Workshops, Dry & Wet activities
Rates: Php7,500/ head | Php7,000/head for a group of 2-3 | Php6,800/head for a group of 4
Rates inclusive of transportation, accommodations, food, and activity materials

Making a mini canon at the Junior Mind Mover station

JUNIOR MIND MOVER PROGRAM

7-9 years old | Apr 23-May 10, Wed-Fri, 9am-12nn | P2,500/head
10-13 years old | Apr 22-May 17, T/Th/Sat, 1pm-6pm | P5,000/head
14-17 years old | Apr 29-May 23, W/Th/F, 1pm-6pm | P5,000/head

SOCCER SCIENCE (Ages 13 to 22 years old)

May 14-15 | 9am-5pm at The Mind Museum, 6pm-8pm at BGC Turf
Php 2,800/ head. Inclusive of jersey bib, snacks and use of facility fees

If you’ve never been to The Mind Museum before, I suggest you wear comfy clothes and shoes when you visit. I made the mistake of wearing platform shoes, and so I eventually gave up and sat down with a plate of snacks while the boys continued to walk around. It looks like they had a lot of fun while I chatted with my bloggy mommy friends, coz they came back with the cutest set of photos. Warning: Photo dump coming in 3… 2… 1…

Yay I found photos of me in MrC’s camera!

MrC tells me that the kitchen display is made of fiberglass or something like that. Looks so real, right?

The two eventually got tired, and so it was time to head home. On our way towards the museum exit though, I remembered that I hadn’t seen Stan. Stan is the first T-Rex exhibit in the Philippines, and is cast from real dinosaur fossils. Super cool.

Like I said, the boys are really excited to go back to The Mind Museum. Lucky for us, they are offering a special Summer Day Pass Rate of P450/person for adults, children and private school students, and P150/person for teachers and public school students. What’s even luckier is The Mind Museum gave us a special token of four all-day passes that we can use on our next visit. Now, because I love you guys, I’m thinking of giving away two of these passes to one lucky blog reader, maybe as a giveaway on Little MrC’s birthday. What do you guys think? Who wants to go to The Mind Museum?

The Mind Museum
Website: www.themindmuseum.org
Facebook: #/themindmuseum
Twitter: www.twitter.com/themindmuseum
Instagram: @themindmuseum
Tumblr: http://themindmuseumblog.tumblr.com

Hey, hey, hey! I’m giving away 2 tickets to The Mind Museum to celebrate Little MrC’s birthday! Click HERE to join. Giveaway ends on April 20, 2014!

Chicdriven Women Empowerment Expo

March 10, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 14 Comments

One of the most important roles that I play is that of Driver Sweet Mother to my son. I take him to school and pick him up every day, and while that totals only about 50 minutes of driving time each week, it’s still driving, something that I have never been super fond of doing, but have to do anyway. I am glad that I learned how to drive, though, and that MrC pushes me to go out there and get myself to where I need to go instead of relying on him all the time. It gives me a certain sense of freedom, and that feeling of empowerment, too.

Admittedly, my driving skills don’t compare to those of my friends who are in charge of road trips out of town or regular trips to Divisoria. I can’t even go past Estrella on EDSA. My driving limit is from Alabang to Makati/BGC only, and I’ve never gone south-bound on SLEX. But that’s still a lot more that those who don’t get behind the wheel at all, right? I know it takes guts and nerves to be a driver, especially a female driver, on our crazy streets, and that’s why, for me, driving is an empowering thing. This is also why I totally love the concept of the Chicdriven Women Empowerment Expo, which is happening on March 28-30, 2014 at the Alabang Town Center Atrium.

I got super excited when my friend, Michelle, invited me to join her at the launch brunch for this event a couple of weeks ago at Romulo Cafe in the super new Azumi Boutique Hotel. I was hitting three birds with one stone – attending a blogger event, checking out a new staycation prospect (which I will write about in a separate post), and trying a new restaurant (which I will write about after a second visit with the boys). Host, Issa Litton, welcomed us as we arrived, and after a hotel tour, lots of storytelling with my new-found south mommy blogger friends, and a really yummy brunch, she and Jeanette Tuason started talking about the upcoming event.

What does it mean to be Chicdriven?

The whole Chicdriven idea sprung from Jeanette’s column of the same name, which basically is all about motoring but in women-speak. I love how she has been able to put something so manly – cars – into words that a girl like me would understand. Like, instead of describing a car based on how many cylinders it has, she would talk about how many strollers would fit into it. She describes Chicdrivers as women who can have it all. Being Chicdriven means striving for the best despite humps and hurdles and pulling it off, not necessarily in an effortless fashion, but definitely still keeping it chic. Don’t you just love it?

Issa Litton and Jeanette Tuason talking about Chicdriven

Here’s a bit more about the event:

In celebration of International Women¹s Month, Zest Asia Inc. has organized the Chicdriven Women Empowerment Expo happening in Alabang Town Center Atrium on March 28-30, 2014. This community development event aims to arm women with the different tools, information and skills to help them achieve having it all, the Chicdriven way.

Inspired by the overwhelming response to the Chicdriven Column in Philippine Daily Inquirer Motoring section, this celebration of women empowerment is supported by Alabang Town Center, Bridgestone Tires,Toyota Motor Philippines. The expo offers free seminars and workshops on topics such as road safety, auto maintenance, fashion, beauty, parenting, life balance, health and wellness. Other highlights include the Electrolux cooking demo By Chef Bruce Lim, and a Makeover station by BYS cosmetics. Partners including Standard Insurance, Marie France, Brabantia, Garden barn and Tuason Racing School will offer exciting booth demos and workshops during the expo.

“We wanted to make an event that will bring together different women’s group and advocacies in one celebration. We want the community to be engaged as active participants and not just passive spectators,” explains Jeanette Ipapo-Tuason, author of the Chicdriven and organizer of the expo. “Each seminar represents an advocacy and is co-hosted by a civic or advocacy group such as Zonta Club Alabang, Mommy Mundo, and parent’s associations of the different schools in the south.” she added.

The Chicdriven Women Empowerment Expo will run from March 28-30, 2014 at the Alabang Town Center Atrium and will be open during mall hours. The event is also supported by Fringe Salon, Fitness First, Melissa and Doug, Ogalala, Safety 1st, Pigeon, and Gluta White, Has Travel.com. Media Partners are Metro, Working Mom, Chalk, Lifestyle Chanel, E! and Motioncars.com.

I am so sold on this, I tell you, and I’ve already blocked off the event dates on my calendar. I totally need to attend the sessions on road safety and auto maintenance. Not that I’d really do the maintenance myself, but it would really help if I could actually understand what my service adviser at Ford tells me when I bring the car in, right? I really hope to see you guys there, especially those of you who live in the south!

For seminar schedules and more info, you can visit Chicdriven on Facebook or email jnt@chicdriven.com.

Hey Blogger Friends, See You At Blogapalooza!

November 11, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

After a 3-week unplanned blog hiatus, I’m officially back. Wheeee!!!

I’m starting things off by sharing how excited I am to be joining this year’s Blogapalooza happening on Saturday, November 16, 11am-9pm at Function Room 1, SMX Aura, BGC. Just so you know, Blogapalooza is a big Business to Blogger (B2B) networking event where businesses can interact with bloggers who, in turn, can help promote their companies, brands, products and services.

Blogapalooza Manila Business to Blogger Networking Event Philippines WhenInManila (9) — Blogapalooza 2013

In the latest event announcement, there are already 400 blogs on the list of attendees, and I can’t wait to meet everyone. I know a lot of my mom blogger friends will be there, so that’s something to look forward to. If you are a blogger, and would like to join Blogapalooza, you can still do so by signing up here: http://Blogapalooza.WhenInManila.com. There are only a few slots left, so make sure that you sign up now.

See you there!