Taylor Swift fans not only get a chance to meet and greet Taylor Swift, they also get a chance to see her concert for FREE.

Summit magazine is launching Taylor Swift’s fan magazine, the launch will be on January 29, 2011. Please read mechanics or see more details at Facebook : candymag, totalgirl.ph, kzoneph, and astroplus1

I think I’ve been there around 4 times already since it opened considering that Eastwood is a little far from home. I do so love their noodles, reminds me of eating at stand alone ramen places in Japan where the only thing they serve in the restaurant is just ramen : )

I brought two more friends today and they were raving about how good the soups were.

We tried ordering Super Chasyu Ramen at Php 380 a pop. Not cheap but definitely worth trying. The chasyu is meat that’s been simmered and cooked slowly.

The soup is really good rich and thick, nothing artificial tasting as the soup is cooked for 20 hours. It’s nothing like the ones served in restaurants that serve thin tasting soups that taste suspiciously like Knorr caterplan broth powder. I love the soft flavorful tamago egg that’s been marinated for 48 hours.

We tried ordering RBS #1 which is the one of the most recommended dishes in the menu. It’s a mix of naruto (the white and pink fish cakes), dried seawood, onions, pork, pork belly and tamago (egg) with a dash of sesame seeds.

We also tried ordering their Seafood Ramen which is delicious as well, but not as complex in flavor as their RBS#1.

Our appetizers actually came out a little later than the ramen. We had their spicy kakuni buns which really stood out. I love the softness of the buns, the spiciness of sauce and texture of the pork meat which literally melts in your mouth. Pricey at php 180 for two- but worth a try.

We also had their karaage which is crispy boneless fried chicken with salt and pepper seasoning. Eat while hot. The crunchiness is something to experience. Pricey at Php 155 for 4 pcs of boneless fried chicken meat.

Lastly, we had tempura ice cream. It is probably the best tempura ice cream I have ever tasted from the texture of the tempura coating to the delicious chocolate sauce. As my friend’s daughter found it finger lickin’ good : ) She finished all the sauce, but politely refused a second round of tempura ice cream : ).

Sadly, I forgot to take a picture hahaha. It was so good, it slipped my mind as it lasted less than 2 minutes on the table. : )

When I got the bill, I was happily surprised to find out that using my Citibank card to pay for the bill did have it’s benefits. From a bill of Php 1700+ for everything we ate, they agreed to deduct the bill for my tempura ice cream since Citibank so kindly sponsored our dessert : ). Yehey, that’s a savings of Php 180.00.

Looking forward to eating at Ramen Bar again.

Ramen Bar
G/F Eastwood Mall, Libis, QC

I was so excited when I first saw Happy Lemon. It was another milk tea place to discover and hangout. Just this December alone, I think I’ve visited this place twice with friends and yes, for some reason, I keep forgetting to take pictures of the drinks.

They have a lot of funky combinations being offered, but the one I love the most and keep coming back for is the Green Tea Rock Salt and Cheese combination.

One of the owners manning the both, actually instructed us to “Sip it, don’t stir it.” I did as told and wasn’t disappointed I wish that the creamy milky cheesey rock salt part would never run out. Hehehe. End December, they actually did run out of stock of this flavor.

The 2nd one I tried is the Oreo shake combination which was delightfully delicious with the Oreo bits around, but the shocking amount of ice disappointed. The ice was almost more than half of my cup. Happy Lemon guys, if you ‘re reading this, please tell your staff not to put so much ice in the Oreo shake combination.

Anyway, I’m still going back to discover more flavors- I can’t seem to get over my milk tea fix. : )

Happy Lemon
Ground Flr Promenade Greenhillls (where Fully Booked used to be)

Good news to everyone who has been collecting their charge slips since BDO ‘s Bench promotion came out. This has been a rather good deal for me since I’m not limited to Bench items only. There are a lot of good stores to choose from. The promotion was so successful that even Bench’s Greenhills branch ran out of gift certificates to redeem.

So far, I’ve been able to get a number of gift certificates and I’m looking forward to getting more coupons redeemed. : )

Looking forward to buying those pair of Mothercare shoes for free: )

Promo extended until February 28, 2011
Redemption period until April 30, 2011

1. Visit participating Bench and Herbench redemption outlets.
2. Present your BDO Credit Card.
3. Submit your original charge slip. Minimum single receipt transaction amount of P2,000, P4,000 or P10,000 is required.

Print your name (as shown on the card) and your 16-digit BDO Credit Card number at the back of your original charge slip.

Promo Mechanics

1. The promo is open to all active BDO MasterCard, BDO Visa and BDO JCB Cardholders of good credit standing.

2. Cardholders must use their BDO Credit Card from October 18, 2010 to February 28, 2011 and reach the minimum spend requirement to redeem Bench Gift Certificate/s from select Bench and Herbench outlets.

For a minimum purchase of PHp 2000.00 you get a Php 100 Bench gift certificate.
For a minimum purchase of Php 4000.00 you get a Php 200 Bench gift certificate.
For a minimum purchase of Php 10,000.00 you get a Php 500 Bench gift certificate.

3. Redemption of Bench Gift Certificates is from October 18, 2010 to April 30, 2011 from select Bench and Herbench outlets.

4. The Bench Gift Certificate may be used and will be accepted in ALL branches of Bench, Herbench, Human, Bench Body, Kashieca, Charles and Keith, Aldo, Dimensione, La Senza, Celio, Pinoy Lab, The Face Shop, FOX, Mothercare, Lyn, CC-OO, Pedro, CPS, Superbench, Patchi and T Studio. It will not be accepted in any branch of Be Connected, Personal Care Exchange and Fix Bench Salon. Redeemed Bench Gift Certicates are valid for one year upon issuance only.

5. All domestic retail, installment and international purchases are qualified. The following transactions are EXCLUDED from the promo:

a. Internet or Online Purchases
b. Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO)
c. Transactions via Recurring Payment System (RPS)
d. Cash Advances via ATM or over-the-counter
e. Auto-Charge f. Charge on Demand
g. Balance Transfer
h. Balance Convert
i. Easy Pay Convert
j. Easy Pay Cash
k. Cash it Easy

6.To redeem, BDO Cardholder must present the following:

a. BDO Credit Card

b. Charge slips with at least P2,000/P4,000/P10,000 spend. Splitting into smaller transaction sizes and consequently requiring multiple transaction approvals will not be allowed.

+ Must be original. Photocopied charge slip/s are not allowed.
+ Must be electronically authorized.
+ Must be single-transaction only.
+ Card Number printed on the charge slip must match the Card Number of the BDO Credit Card presented.
+ Full Cardholder Name and BDO Credit Card Number must be written at the back of all submitted charge slips.
+ All original charge slip/s must be surrendered upon redemption.

7. Principal and Supplementary Cardholders are not allowed to combine charge slips for redemption of freebies.

8. Cardholders without original charge slip/s will not be qualified to redeem.

9. Only one redemption per qualified charge slip is allowed.

10.Treats are not convertible to cash and may only be availed at the merchant locations specified.

11.BDO shall not be obliged to recognize or replace any unissued, misplaced, lost or stolen charge slips.

12.The Cardholder will be charged the cost of the gift certificates redeemed should the Cardholder cancel the qualifying purchase or transaction at a later date. Similarly, if his/her redemption is found to be fraudulent, BDO reserves the right to charge the cost of the redeemed gift certificates to his/her BDO Credit Card.

13.In case of dispute such as, but not limited to Cardholder’s eligibility, coverage of dates, fulfillment, etc., BDO’s decision shall prevail with prior approval from DTI. All questions or disputes regarding the Cardholder’s eligibility for the promo or for any redemption shall be resolved by BDO at its sole discretion.

PARTICIPATING REDEMPTION OUTLETS

BENCH: ALABANG TOWN CENTER, AYALA CEBU, GLORIETTA 5, CYBERMALL EASTWOOD, FESTIVAL MALL, GAISANO ILIGAN, GAISANO ROXAS, GATEWAY – CUBAO, GREENHILLS, KCC GENSAN, LEE PLAZA DIPOLOG, MARQUEE MALL, METROPOINT EDSA, NEWPORT CITY, PACIFIC MALL LEGAZPI, ROBINSONS DUMAGUETE, ROBINSONS GALLERIA MALL, ROBINSONS ILOCOS NORTE, ROBINSONS LIPA, ROBINSONS PLACE MANILA, POWERPLANT MALL, SHANGRI-LA PLAZA, SM BACOOR, SM BAGUIO, SM BALIWAG, SM BATANGAS, SM CAGAYAN DE ORO, SM CITY CEBU, SM CITY TAYTAY, SM CLARK, SM DASMARINAS, SM DAVAO, SM FAIRVIEW, SM LIPA, SM LUCENA, SM MALL OF ASIA, SM MANILA, SM MARIKINA, SM MARILAO, SM MEGAMALL SM NAGA, SM NORTH EDSA, SM PAMPANGA, SM ROSALES, SM ROSARIO, SM STA. MESA, SM SAN LAZARO, SM SUCAT, SM VALENZUELA, STA. LUCIA EAST, TRINOMA, VIGAN, WALTERMART CALAMBA WALTERMART GAPAN, MARKET! MARKET, AMIGO ILOILO

HERBENCH: SM MEGAMALL, SM NORTH EDSA, SM SOUTHMALL

*Approved by DTI

Per DTI-NCR Permit Number 7338. Series of 2010.

For all those Taylor Swift fans who are dying for a chance to meet their idol, Astrovision and Astroplus offer a once in a lifetime experience to Meet her , Greet Her, Watch Her and Wear Her Bracelet.

Mechanics from Astrovision/ Astroplus are as follows. Here’s how:

PART 1: ASTRO PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR VIP SWIFTERS

The Taylor Swift Bundle Pack

1. Purchase a Taylor Swift bundle at any Astroplus / Astrovision branch

2. Find the raffle coupon inside the bundle and fill it up with your complete details

3. Drop it in drop boxes located at the counter of participating Astroplus / Astrovision outlets

NOTE: Please keep your reciepts and raffle coupons from December 27, 2010 onwards. Drop boxes shall be distributed to participating Astroplus / Astrovision branches first week of January! Once drop boxes have arrived, simply show your reciept at Astroplus / Astrovision branches together with the raffle coupon.

Make sure to like our Astroplus Facebook fan page for you to be eligible to join!

PART II: SPOT The 21911th Swifter Fan of Astro

HELP US REACH OUR 21911th FAN!

Wait for our Facebook fans to reach 21911 (the date of Taylor Swift’s concert) and e-mail us a screenshot!

1. Tell your friends, families, and all the people in the online world to become a fan of astroplus at www.facebook.com/astroplus1

2. Wait for our number of fans to reach 21911 (The date of Taylor Swift’s concert)

3. Once you have spotted that our fans have grown to 21911, take a screnshot of our page and email it to 21911swifter@gmail.com. To take a screenshot, simply go to our page and press the print screen button (PRTSC) and paste it on your email.

4. The first one to email us wins (1) meet and greet slot

5. The second one to email us wins (1) concert ticket

6. The next 15 to email us wins (1 of 15) official Taylor Swift silver aluminum bracelets

IMPORTANT: IF THE NUMBER OF FANS OF ASTROPLUS (www.facebook.com/astroplus1) DOES NOT REACH 21,911 ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 17,2011, THE PRIZES ARE ALL FORFEITED AND WILL BE RETURNED! MEANING THERE WILL BE NO WINNER! SO TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO BECOME A FAN OF ASTROPLUS NOW!

PART III: We are still working on something big for you swifters and hopefully more cost – effective so stay tuned!:) Please mark the first week of January as our announcement date. For the meantime, save save save:)

For more details, please visit www.facebook.com/Astroplus1

Hi people,

SALE time again. For those looking for outrageous discounts and great ideas to give to friends. Try to drop by the Megatent. Dec 15 is exclusive to Citibank cardholders while Dec 16 to 17 is open to the public.

Enjoy your Christmas shopping!

Address: 70 C Raymundo Ave, Pasig City . Call 9001537 for more details.

Don’t miss this show. It’s a two hour action packed show filled with artistic acrobatic stunts – 13 acts guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seats.

Over 100 award winning jugglers, aerialists, contortionists,and acrobats will be seen in this exciting event as it was seen on the Beijing Olympics.

PATRON VIP (Reserved Seating) 1340
PATRON SIDE (Reserved Seating) 1100
LOWER BOX (Reserved Seating) 950
UPPER BOX A (PREMIUM) (Reserved Seating) 750
UPPER BOX A (REGULAR) (Reserved Seating) 550
UPPER BOX B 350
GENERAL ADMISSION 150

Please see Ticketnet for more details on the time and dates.

Review: I just got to watch this show today and it is amazing. It is certainly worth the time and money to go there and watch the acrobats perform. My kids just loved this show. I was so surprised to find out that a lot of people from the provinces also came to watch this show.

A lot of seats were full and even the Php 550 tickets had a good view of the show. I wouldn’t recommend the php350 to php 150 seats though, they’re too far for me.

There’s a dolphin and sea lion show at the Araneta Center entitled Angels of the Sea. The show runs from Dec 25 to Jan 2 2011. Show schedules (5 shows day) 11:00 am; 2:00 pm; 4:00 pm; 6:00pm; 8:00 pm.

Ticket prices: VIP Php 742

Upper box Php 530

First come first served basis. No reserved seating so please come early!

Notes:
You can get your tickets at Araneta Center or call Ticketnet 9115555.

Note:

Please take note that there is NO RESERVED SEATING for this OPEN AIR event. Viewers are expected to come early.

There is much controversy regarding this event with regards to the dolphins and sea lions. We’ ve opted not to attend this event because of the concerns cited as well as the security concerns if ever from potential protesters .

For those who haven’t visited Manila Ocean Park and are looking for great deals this Christmas. : )