Gilas Pilipinas, Lumalaban Kasama ang Max's!

When one speaks of "Filipino Restaurant," or "A Restaurant that Serves Filipino Dishes," it is for sure that Max's Restaurant will be part of the short list. The restaurant is known to serve real good Filipino dishes - ranging from the classic ones like Crispy Pata and Kare-Kare as well as the fusion of foreign inspired dishes - like Pancit Canton and Lumpiang Shanghai. Their signature dish - the Max's Fried Chicken may sound a little foreign, but ever since, fried chicken has been a staple in Filipino celebrations, and is considered part of the Filipino cuisine as well.

More than just a restaurant, Max's also take part in various activities, and was recently named the Official Restaurant to the Bruno Mars' "Moonshine Jungle Tour" here in the Philippines. Now, they are embarking on a new journey, as the Official Restaurant of the Team Gilas Pilipinas, on their way to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup that will be held in Spain on August - September.




Last week, I was one of the selected few to meet and greet Team Gilas Pilipinas as they practice at the Meralco Gym in Ortigas. I couldn't contain my happiness as I got to exchange smiles with the people who provide courage and inspiration to its people, with the way they handled their game against South Korea during the FIBA Asean Championship held here in the Philippines last year. Growing up, I always hear all sorts of commentaries about the way these two countries clash for the FIBA World Cup, always losing against South Korea... and 2013 became their year - exerting courage, as well as their hearts and souls, to finally beat South Korea. It may just be basketball, but for many Filipinos, it was pure inspiration!



We got to watch them practice for a while, cheering them on as they shoot the balls, wishing them well as they make their appearance on the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Behind them is going to be Max's Restaurant (and it's group of food chains), and should you want to show support to the team, please feel free to share messages and images on your social networking sites with the hashtag - #PusoToTheMax.

Isang Pulso, Isang Puso...
Gilas Pilipinas Lumalaban Kasama ang Max's.
#PusoToTheMax!

* Jesz *

Max's Restaurant is Giving Away Tickets for the Bruno Mars Concert

We Filipinos are always happy and proud whenever someone with Filipino blood make it big time, especially if it meant penetrating Hollywood or the US Pop Charts, so when Bruno Mars etched his name in the music industry, the whole Filipino nation was elated about it.

As far as I remember, he already staged a concert here in the Philippines, but wasn't able to attend it. This year, he is going to have another concert, but from what I heard, tickets were selling fast and it is now difficult to score a ticket, since his concert is a few days away already.


Fret not, because we all still have a chance to get tickets for the Bruno Mars "The Moonshine Jungle Tour 2014" here in the Philippines. Max's Restaurant is giving away 2 tickets everyday! No need to buy anything, no need to dine at the restaurant... all you have to do is like their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant) and click on the link that will lead you to the contest form. So easy!

The concert is going to be on March 22, so there are only a few days left... hurry and join now. Good luck to us! To be up to date with promotions and new dishes, do visit their website (www.maxschicken.com).

Part of the proceeds from this concert will be given away to the Yolanda survivors.

* Jesz *

My Valentine's Day Nails

I am not big on nail art as I don't have the talent, but there are events that calls for special nail art - Christmas and Valentine's Day. I was able to create simple nail art last Christmas, but wasn't able to share it here on the blog as I became very busy and my netbook suddenly gave up on me, so I told myself I will not let Valentine's Day pass by without sharing a special manicure. Well, it's been a week since VDay, but it is still the love month, so here was what I wore last hearts day:



I hoped to create hearts and other elaborate yet easy designs, but I just can't get it right, so I ended up with a very simple design. I went back to doing ombre nails, featuring two pink nail polishes. For this I used OMG Nail Polish in First Date and OMG Crystal Sand Nail Polish in Quartz. If you don't know how to make the ombre nail design, all you need are sponge (a lot of nail art enthusiasts use make up sponge, but for this I used the ordinary sponge used in soaping the dishes) and sticky tape (either scotch tape or masking tape) to wrap around your fingertips for easy clean up. Just cut a reasonable sponge size, brush a small amount of nail polish across it (two lines - one for each color) and dab the sponge on your nails, until you get the desired ombre effect.

Some would go for a different route - paint all their nails with the base the color and dab the sponge with the second color halfway through their nails. Either way is okay, just go with what you think works best for you. As for me, I decided to swatch both colors on the sponge and work on my nails one at a time.

As a topcoat, I used Christmas Polka by Caress Nail Polish... and a little bit of an experiment, I applied a coat of matte top coat after a few days and it looked great, too.

Ombre nails doesn't need to be just two colors; you can work with more colors if you want, as long as you go for the lightest shade to the darkest. Next time, I will go for three.

* Jenn *