Experience Wellness at Le Spa

One Saturday afternoon, I was introduced to a most relaxing and nurturing spa rejuvenating experience at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.  I went to Sofitel's Le Spa for an hour of Sérénité, a Filipino Pride Massage, hoping to be relieved of the stresses of work and of life in general.

Bold branding behind the spa reception counter

Relaxing sweet ginger tea

Upon arrival at Le Spa, I was asked to fill out a guest card with my personal and health details as I waited to be assigned my treatment suite.  I was served sweet ginger tea that immediately relaxed me, while bedroom slippers were given for me to wear and they took care of storing my shoes.

Modern vibrant lounge welcomes guests at Le Spa

I took the opportunity to snap some photos of the Le Spa lounge and of the treatment suite, which was a good sized room with two massage beds, two foot spa lounges, a sink and wardrobe.  The music I chose was of the Nature kind, with the sounds of gushing water and chirping birds.

A touch of France

What came next was a glorious hour of deep full body massage done by able trained hands.  With the rhythmic strokes and the calming music, I felt myself slowly slipping into sleep. 

To cap off the massage was a special facial treatment -- I was told it has anti-aging benefits and was asked to refrain from washing my face for the rest of the day. 

Foot bath stations 

Comfy massage bed

At Le Spa, they are now offering facial treatments with Thémaé -- an exclusive range of treatments based on the properties of tea, long considered as one of nature's most effective elixirs. It has the potent powers of four tea extracts, namely: the regenerating white tea, stimulating black tea, soothing red tea and the anti-oxidant green tea.  Why tea?  Tea actively contributes to slowing the skin's signs of aging by neutralizing the free radicals that break down collagen and elastin.

I say, with this magic Le Spa has cast on me, I felt like a million bucks and ready to face the world once again.

For those who want to try Le Spa, call (632) 551-5555 or email lespa@sofitelmanila.com for inquiries and reservations on Sofitel's beauty and wellness services. Visit www.sofitelmanila.com.

Beer Festival in the City

It is that time of the year for beer lovers -- Oktoberfest!  And Megaworld Lifestyle Malls is staging a big celebration of all things beer this October.

The month-long Eastwood City Beer Festival begins with a star-studded kick-off event on September 27 where beer lovers can get to sample a diverse collection of imported and craft beers being offered by different merchants while partying to live performances of popular bands Urbandub, Pupil, and Up Dharma Down, and Rico Blanco.

Beer Festival launch at Publiko in Eastwood City

All Thirstdays of October will give patrons great beer promos from restaurants and bars in Eastwood City and live performances from bands and artists such as Never the Strangers, Sheila & The Insects, Taken by Cars, She's Only 16, The Bloomfields, Tricia Garcia and Ebe Dancel.

The Beer Tent rises on October 18 until the 19th in Eastwood Central Plaza, where guests can indulge in their favorite beers while watching hilarious stand-up comedians from Comedy Cartel or enjoying music from rock groups Kenyo and The Dawn.

Eastwood City Beer Festival will climax in a spectacular finale on October 25, where guests can groove to the beat of live party music from Deuce Manila and DJs Funky Avy, Ace Ramos and Ron Poe.

Non-beer drinkers, like me, can also enjoy the festivities with the different beer-themed attractions: the giant wall art made out of beer caps, giant beer barrel and the beer exhibit, where guests can learn about the different beers served by merchants at the festival.

Will share my beer experience in one of my future posts so stay tuned.

My Ideal Protein Journey - Part 2

I hope I was able to hold you in suspense on my previous blog entry.  Here I am sharing more about the Ideal Protein Diet I am on.

Let me take you through what my food intake is for one week:

DAY 1: 

Breakfast - IP Crispy Cereals

Lunch - Fish plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Peanut Butter Protein Bar

Dinner - IP Leek Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

DAY 2: 

Breakfast - IP Capuccino Drink

Lunch - Pork plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Pink Lemonade Drink

Dinner - IP Chicken Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

DAY 3: 

Breakfast - IP Chocolate Pancakes

Lunch - Beef plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Cran Granat Protein Bar

Dinner - IP Mushroom Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

DAY 4: 

Breakfast - IP Fine Herbs & Cheese Omelet

Lunch - Chicken plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Peach-Mango Juice

Dinner - IP Leek Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

DAY 5: 

Breakfast - IP Maple Flavored Oatmeal

Lunch - Fish plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Milk Choco Pudding

Dinner - IP Tomato-Basil Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

DAY 6: 

Breakfast - IP Chocolate Drink

Lunch - Pork plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Raspberry Jelly

Dinner - IP Vegetable Chili Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

DAY 7: 

Breakfast - IP Capuccino Drink

Lunch - Beef plus 2 cups vegetables

Snack - IP Cran Granata Protein Bar

Dinner - IP Leek Soup plus 2 cups vegetables

The regimen is simple but has to be followed on time -- 7 am: drink 1 glass warm water (to wake up the digestive system); 8 am: breakfast plus supplements; 12 nn: lunch; 3 pm: snack plus supplements; and 6 pm: dinner plus supplements.  If dinner at 6 pm is not possible due to work, dinner should not go beyond 8 pm (to give time to digest food before going to sleep).

My first week went great and I lost 10 lbs easily.  My succeeding weeks however were a little hectic with work and so I missed the appointed times for meals. I also missed a couple of snacks because I did weekend afternoon siesta to rest from a tiring work week and missed a dinner when I was stranded on my way home due to heavy rains and flood.  My next losses averaged 4 lbs a week.  Not bad, you might say but that's only half of the Ideal Protein Diet target of 7 lbs losses per week.

Yeah, that's me...lost 28 lbs in 6 weeks.

I am very happy with my progress because I know that even though I am losing weight rather fast, I am sure that I remain healthy and still eat well.  For just being in the programme for 6 weeks (three weeks if one needs to lose only a few pounds), I have lost 30 lbs and inches from my body.  I and the people around me now can see the changes -- I regained my jaw line, I now can see my neck, my wrist watches and bracelets need adjusting, I now wear clothes that are 4 sizes smaller and I can now wear my old clothes which I stopped using since 2010.

I will be going to phase 2 of the programme which is the weaning stage. Will share that once I know what I'll be doing to still lose some more weight while keeping off the weight I already lost.

Read My IP Journey - Part 1

The Ideal Protein Diet is available in Diana Stalder Face, Body, Skin Care outlets.  Contact coach Dina dela Paz-Stalder will be very happy to guide you through the programme. 

Cignal Introduces TV-To-Go OTT Service

First there was just radio, then television and after a few decades came the advent of cable tv and since then, home viewing is never the same with clear viewing and lots of channels to choose from around the world.

One brand braved the cable tv scene about four years ago and has since reached several milestones -- Cignal Digital TV.  Under the PLDT Group of Companies, Cignal has been aggressive in its sales and marketing efforts that it has surpassed the 500,000-subscriber mark.  A High Definition (HD) cable provider, Cignal continues to push for new technology that will change the television viewing experience (and even viewing habit) for Filipinos. 

Noel Lorenzana, President & CEO of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc.,
welcomed guests at the Cignal TV-To-Go launch

At the recent launch event held at the Conservatory of the Peninsula Manila, Cignal introduced a new way to watch tv shows while on the move: Cignal TV-To-Go.  It is Cignal's new service that allows viewers to watch real-time broadcast feeds of Cignal channels on their broadband connected Smartphones or Tablets.  Now, Cignal Digital TV subscribers can watch their favorite shows while in transit to work, while waiting in a cafe or while on vacation in the province.  

"The shows that you follow will now follow you."
- Annie Naval, Managing Director & COO of Cignal

Since the Cignal TV-To-Go launch is currently on its beta phase and is offered for free to all Cignal Postpaid subscribers with Android devices on the Smart or PLDT broadband networks. The service will initially be available on mobile devices that run on the Android Jelly Bean operating system but it will be open to more Android devices and even iOS devices in the next few months.  

Top executives of the PLDT Group of Companies led by
SMART Communications and PLDT Chairman and Cignal founder
Manny V. Pangilinan did the ceremonial toast
during the launch of Cignal TV-to-Go

Cignal TV-To-Go is PLDT Group's first multimedia, multiscreen answer to evolve side-by-side with technology and the growing needs of its subscribers.  This OTT service can be a future worldwide trend in multimedia viewing.  

Cignal Postpaid subscribers can visit www.Cignal.tv to register.

My Ideal Protein Journey - Part 1

I've been chubby most of my life, except in my early teens when I was average and in my 30s when I ballooned to obesity.  I love good food, whether I'm cooking or just eating, and that is the problem.  I have tried some diets like Atkins and even went Pesco-Vegetarian for 2 years, where I lost 45 lbs but gained it all back 2 years after when I stopped. 

A few weeks ago, I learned about a new formula that is not only a diet programme but teaches you to make the right food choices and live a healthy lifestyle.  It's called the Ideal Protein (IP) Diet from Diana Stalder Face, Body, Skin Care and the owner, Ms. Dina dela Paz-Stalder is the health coach.  She herself underwent the programme and had an amazing transformation.

Ms. Stalder's amazing transformation.

In a nutshell, the Ideal Protein Diet was designed as a means of preserving lean body mass, including muscles, bones and other tissues, while losing fat.  The IP diet limits carbohydrate and sugar intake, supplementing with important electrolytes and vitamins and teaching the body to live off its stored fat.  To accomplish this, a line of high-protein, low-fat, low-carbohydrate products (prepackaged protein powders) that are eaten along with healthy food options like leafy green vegetables and lean protein and supplements such as multi-vitamins, calcium-potassium and calcium-magnesium.

The Ideal Protein Diet package of Diana Stalder

Prepacked protein powders

The supplements to ensure maximum health

I started six weeks ago with an open mind and hoping for will of steel that I will be able to finish the programme with good results.  I am (or was) a heavy rice eater and pasta lover that I thought I would not be able to give up the carbs for good.  But I did and now I lost my cravings for anything with carbohydrates.

I would like to share with you what my meals are like in a week's timeframe but let me reserve that for my next entry, together with my full body progress photos.  I still have to complete my last week on the programme.  In the meantime, here are before and after (taken last July 19) head shot photos.  

The Ideal Protein Diet is available in Diana Stalder Face, Body, Skin Care outlets.  Contact coach Dina dela Paz-Stalder will be very happy to guide you through the programme. 

Collection: UK Makeup Invades Manila

Heavy rain and traffic did not deter Manila's hip and trendy crowd from making their way to the Rockwell Tent to witness the unveiling of another British brand to hit the market.  

The invitation said to come in sweet, colorful or edgy attire so upon arriving at the venue, the same vibe was seen and felt by guests -- from the design of the tent entrance, to the interior of the tent which was transformed into a colorful London high street.

This latest British invasion is Collection, one of the biggest makeup brands in the United Kingdom and is set to conquer the hearts of fashionistas with its beauty must-haves: the season's fanciest and quirkiest trends in makeup. The product displays were a big hit among the guests who tried out hues to determine which will suit their style.  They have a wide array of makeup for the face, the eyes and lips that is surprisingly affordable.

Collection product display

Collection makeup for the face...

...and colour palettes for the eyes and lips

A hip and edgy makeup brand, Collection celebrates individuality and encourages everyone to flaunt their personality in a variety of makeup colors.  These attributes and more were echoed by LF Asia's  SVP for Marketing, Licensed Brands, and Distribution Mr. Mario Salvatori, and Collection Regional Brand Manager Ms. Donna Dewhurst as they welcomed the guests and introduced the Collection brand in the Philippines.

(l-r) Mr. Mario Salvatori and Ms. Donna Dewhurst

For the launch, three styles/personalities were highlighted and by the Collection brand ambassadors: 

Collection brand ambassadors

pastel clad fashion blogger Camille Co for the sweet and elegant SOFTLY NATURAL look, whose favorite is the Lasting Colour Lipstick Sweet Tart; 

Camille Co

techno aztec inspired fashion blogger Laureen Uy for the hip and colorful POPPING PASTEL look, who raved about the Bedazzled Eye Palette; 

Laureen Uy

and rocker styled model/actress Solenn Heusaff for the the sultry and edgy ROCK CHICK look, who loved the Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner in Black.

Collection is available in fashion and beauty boutiques in Manila. Check out their website www.collectioncosmetics.com.ph for the list of stores, product descriptions and tutorials on how to achieve the Softly Natural, Rock Chick and Popping Pastels looks. Like them on Facebook at facebook.com/CollectionCosmeticsPH and follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/CollectionPH to be updated with the latest Collection products and news.

Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013: Happy V. Andrada

Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013 proved to be another exciting showcase for Filipino designers.  One such designer that I always look forward to seeing a new collection is Happy V. Andrada and this season didn’t disappoint as models sashayed on the runway wearing tops, bottoms, jackets and dresses in fine woven fabrics with interesting architectural details.

PFW Holiday 2013 Happy V. Andrada Collection

Happy’s new collection highlights creations that promote eco-ethical fashion – using natural dyes in 100% organic woven fabrics indigenous to the Philippines – which enable her to help support local skilled artisans from various communities that produced the fabrics.  Happy muses, “I used environment friendly resources to create a collection that supports the Filipino artisan worker. Everything is 100% Philippine made.” In muted color palette of lilac, gray, red and black, Happy worked her magic using Abaca, Pineapple, Pineapple Silk, Pineapple Crepe, Philippine Dupioni, Jusi, Bamboo and Waterlily.  “I plan to use other colors that would fit other seasons for future collections.”

When asked what inspired her to come out with such patriotic collection, Happy shares, “I got invited to showcase my designs in Czechoslovakia, United States of America and Japan and so I decided to highlight Philippine made fabrics to say I am a proud Filipino and at the same time, these fabrics are saving the earth because they are eco-friendly materials and ethical in the sense of production, labor, etc.”

And does the collection have a name? “To be honest this Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013 collection doesn’t have a title, it’s just babies of my winning entry from FDCP Weaving the Future Smart Choice Award, where my collection was called Barong Reinvented. From there, my designs just evolved,” Happy volunteers. “I also played around with shapes like triangles, so I could call it Triangular Evolution, too.” 

With her wearable art ready for the market, she’ll definitely be on top of the list of fashionistas who are advocates of a healthy earth and giving back to society.

Designer Happy V. Andrada (extreme right)
with models at the PFW Holiday 2013 at SMX

About the Designer

Happy took fashion courses at Central Saint Martins in London. A dynamic young designer, she has been joining and winning shows and contests here and abroad – won as Emerging Designer at the 2012 Miami International Fashion Week International; won two major awards in the last 3rd Asian Weddings and Arts Competition in Hong Kong; won grand prize at the Swatch’s My Rabbit Story and Smart Choice Winner in the Weaving the Future competition by the Fashion Design Council of the Philippines, among others.

The creative lady behind her own fashion label is also an entrepreneur who co-owns F*ART Fashion ART with her equally talented and beautiful sister, book author Viva V. Andrada.

Want to wear her designs and be absolutely happy? Check out Happy V. Andrada’s Ready to Wear line at www.shop.happyandrada.com and you may also try out her creations at her store, F*ART Fashion ART.


As published in BusinessWorld's HerWord.com:
http://herword.com/fashion/happy_andrada_2013/index.php