Live better, healthier and be an achiever with Alveo Land & the Azkals

It’s so hard to maintain an active lifestyle when you’re living in a compact city where parks that are supposed to be filled with luscious green trees, wonderful bike trails and breathtaking views are simply turned into multi-level car parks.

James Younghusband showing some of his football moves.

Azkals right winger James Younghusband shares his thoughts about this.

“In the city, it’s hard to find places where you can play football. I think that’s why football is also more popular in the provinces than in the cities here in the Philippines. But I do think it’s important for kids to have a place where they can play sports and maintain an active lifestyle.”

True enough, it really is a rare opportunity to be able to live in a community that encourages its residents, both children and adults, to live out an active lifestyle. And during the ‘Kick Off: The Azkals Invasion’, this was greatly emphasized. The event mounted by Venare, Alveo Land’s newest multi-active lifestyle community in NUVALI South, showcased the importance of living a full and highly-driven life, together with the superstars from the Azkals.

Being an active achiever

The Azkals’ striker Phil Younghusband, together with his elder brother James, both started young when it came to their involvement in sports.

The Azkals for Alveo Land

“We started kicking when I was three years old,” Phil shares.

Their teammates, Azkal striker Ian Araneta and forward Yanti Barsales, also experienced the same good fate. Both hailing from Iloilo, the football capital of the Philippines, both players started playing at a young age because of how their families have exposed them to sports and an active lifestyle during their growing up years.

The practice of living an active lifestyle stayed with the Azkals that it’s no wonder they have become the spirited, energetic, and highly-driven team that they are today. The success they gain from scoring on the field and their passion to bring forth the Philippines in the international football spotlight is really all because of their active lifestyles.

Making room

Unlike any other urban residential community, Venare in NUVALI South provides an environment that is conducive for young achievers to live a sustainable active lifestyle that’s enough for anyone to be the next Phil or James Younghusband in their own right.

Against a picturesque view of Mt. Makiling, Laguna de Bay and Tagaytay Ridges, Venare will be approximately 75 hectares of gently rolling terrain with five multi-active thematic zones that will address every facet of an active lifestyle.

For the ultimate sports enthusiasts, the Go Zone will offer an outdoor soccer field, covered basketball court, an indoor badminton and table tennis area, as well as jogging and fitness trails, providing a wide range of high-octane athletic and recreational pursuits for its residents.

The 3-hectare Central Park will feature the Aqua Zone, with free-form pools for residents to enjoy swimming in on any hot day. It will also house the E-Zone which will house a variety of multimedia entertainment such as game rooms, a library lounge, and an outdoor theater.

The Green Zone will be all about nature-inspired outdoor activities -1.5 hectares of tree-filled landscapes featuring lush forest parts, mountain bike trails and camping and picnic grounds for the whole family. There will also be a Me Zone where residents can have a serene venue for energetic workouts or tranquil exercises while enjoying magnificent views of nature.

Choose to live an active and exciting lifestyle in a neighborhood where modern families can be as fun and spirited as those of the Azkals.

Phil and James Younghusband for Alveo Land

As Phil said, “An active lifestyle is the answer to everything –life expectancy, health issues, even social issues.” So choose to be active and pro-active and live a healthier life at Venare by Alveo Land.

For more information, visit www.alveoland.com.ph, email info@alveosales.com.ph or call (632) 848-5100 (Metro Manila) and 1-800-10-8485100 (Outside Metro Manila).

Better options served fresh at Café Verde

“We are what we eat.”

I’ve heard this saying several times before but I never thought I could ever really relate to it until now.

Just recently, I had to start going on a diet again. I’ve been having some health problems and shedding a few pounds and getting my diet back on track should really be helpful in my quest to becoming healthier.

After a week or so of eating less red meat, sweets and stuffing myself more with fruits and vegetables, I have come to truly realize the true meaning of that quote. What we eat is defined by our lifestyle, and our own personal choices. But in the cities where we live in right now it’s just so difficult to make the best food choices with all the famous fast food chains conveniently hovering us with the usual food options that are bad for us if we have too much of it.

Thankfully, there’s a new addition to the growing number of restaurants offering better food options –the newly opened Café Verde. The first vegan cafeteria offering fresh alternatives to those who want to make healthier choices. Located at the 3^rd floor in the Sports Loop of Robinsons Galleria, Café Verde is Manila’s first vegan quick-service restaurant serving appetizers, rice meals, sandwiches, pizza, pasta and more.

Zucchini Sticks

They’ve got a lot of new and exciting dishes to you can try such as the Bean and Cheese Taquitos served with homemade salsa and sour cream which is surprisingly very light despite it being a deep-fried dish. Same with the herb crusted Zucchini Sticks served with rich tomato sauce –I liked this appetizer because even if it’s also deep-fried (they deep-fry everything in vegetable oil), there is still some crunch in the zucchinis, ensuring freshness in every bite.

Café Verde’s main dishes are also winners in their own right for their unique flavors. I really enjoyed their Caramelized Onions and Cheese Panini which was slow cooked onions and cream cheese in a pan de sal panini. Their Veggie Burgers are an interesting find too. These are mini burgers made of mushroom and tofu patties that were light in the tummy but heavyweight on taste.

Caramelized Onions and Cream Cheese Panini

Veggie Burger Sliders

The Layered Beancurd with Rice meal is also a delight for those who just can’t do away with eating rice and who still want to eat something meaty. And of course, Café Verde’s also got something familiar to the palette such as their Tomato Garlic Spaghetti which was as tasty as ever.

So the next time you’re hungry, think first before ordering and choose the better options served fresh –just like the dishes served at Café Verde. Always choose what’s best for your health, eat with an open mind and an empty stomach!


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Filling the gap with ZestAir

For a novice Filipino traveler, going to Baguio and La Union is a must.

I think that it should be considered a requirement before someone adds “traveling” to his or her list of interests or hobbies. These places are one of the first on the “must-go-to” list of experienced travelers because of Baguio’s cold climate and fun family activities and La Union’s beaches and surfing hotspots.

ZestAir Airbus

That’s why it was such good news to find out that Zest Air has paved the way to fill the gap faster and much easier for people in the Metro to travel to Baguio and La Union without the hassles of driving 5-7 hours via car or bus. Because ZestAir is now flying to 20 destinations including La Union, and soon enough it will be flying to more places here and abroad.

Goodbye, road trips

Say goodbye to long hours on the road and say hello to traveling for an hour or less to the famous vacation spots in the north!

If you value your time and your money, and you’re still up for a quick getaway to cool down in Baguio or relish the summer heat in La Union, what better way to fill the gap from point A to point B but by flying to your destination –which Zest Air can do just for you.

Thunderbird Resort, La Union

Zest Air flies regularly to San Fernando, La Union which will take you less than 30 minutes to get there, and has available land transfers waiting for you if you’re planning to go to Baguio which will then take you there in only an hour or so. With Zest Air helping you fill that gap, you have more time to spend on the things you want to do during your vacation, and less time on actually getting there.

The Manor Hotel, Camp John Hay in Baguio

Maybe you can stay at Baguio’s The Manor Hotel and have a fun and relaxing time with your family while enjoying all the other amenities inside Camp John Hay. Or have a few days off and spend a night or two with your special someone at La Union’s exclusive Thunderbird Resort and enjoy the great views and the ultimate peace and privacy that the resort boasts off.

Better late than never

It’s not too late to book your flight and experience summer 2011 to the limit because

no matter what you’re up for –whether it’s golfing, playing at the casino, partying or relaxing at the beach or in your hotel, make it happen for yourself with the help of Zest Air.

Zest Air flies to 20 Philippine destinations. It flies five times daily to Cebu and twice daily to popular stops such as Bacolod, Davao, Iloilo, Tacloban, Tagbiliran and Puerto Princesa. Zest Air also has regular flights from Manila to Boracay, La Union, Legazpi, Busuanga, Calbayog, Catarman, Kalibo, Masbate, Marinduque, and Mindoro. Passengers can also avail of their international flights to Incheon and Pusan in Korea, and to Shanghai China.

Soon there will also be local flights to Zamboanga and Cagayan. Zest Air will also be acquiring two more Airbuses and 2 B-777s for their long haul flights to the Middle East later this year.

For more information, visit the Zest Air website at www.zestair.com.ph or call Zest Air’s customer reservation hotline at (632) 855-3333.

Worry-free weddings at the Legend Villas

I would never admit it (and if you ask me, I will deny saying it), but having a grand wedding not a cliche.  

Someday when I find ‘the one’ for me, just like any girl it’d be nice to experience how it is to be a bride –all the grandeur and celebration, the glorious feast and utmost merriment with family and friends. But when I really think about it, eventually I tend to back out on the whole idea because just the thought of planning every detail makes me feel like it’s going to be a never-ending feat and the essence of the wedding will be lost throughout the process.

But after finding out about The Legend Villas’ Crystal Wedding packages, I realized that preparing for a wedding can now be as worry-free as simply going to someone else’s party and enjoying yourself, not thinking of the fact that it is actually your wedding you’re going off to!

The Wedding Package

You’ll be surprised at the extent of what The Legend Villas’ Crystal Wedding package has done just to create an offer that any bride and groom will be foolish not to consider. For a starting package rate for a 100 persons which only costs P155,000.00, you can have that wonderful wedding that you’ve been waiting for to happen because The Legend Villas’ has got it all covered for you.

 

The couple can choose from two lovely themes: The whimsical Quartz theme, and the stylish Onyx. The Quartz package is reminiscent of a fairytale-like wedding with classical table settings and luminous décor. The Onyx package is a little bit more modern. Its monochromatic theme evokes drama and class for the simple yet elegant couple who want something different for their special day.

Together with the theme options, food and catering will not be a hassle for the bride and groom as well because the The Legend Villas offers sumptuous feasts served buffet-style, which is already enough to kick-start the wedding celebration.

The wedding package will also include the personalized scented soap boxes as souvenirs, wedding day coordination kit, and the services of a wedding day coordinator and a master of ceremonies.

Topping it off

If you prefer an enjoyable wedding celebration without the hassles of moving from one venue to another, you may hold your nuptials within The Legend Villas hotel ceremonial hall which will have a very intimate set-up for the couple’s solemn exchange of vows. 

And besides all the wedding reception offers, an overnight accommodation with breakfast for two in a Villa Suite Deluxe prior to the wedding and an overnight accommodation with breakfast for two in a Honeymoon Suite on the night of the wedding will also be included in the Crystal Wedding packages. If the couple would like to get rooms for their family and friends, the hotel will give a 40% discount on the published room rates. Now isn’t that just wonderful?

As The Legend Villas’ Chief Operating Officer Ginger Villavicencio said, “Stressful weddings are now a thing of the past as The Legend Villas is now your one-stop shop for worry-free weddings.”

Indeed. With the luxury of personalized service, set-up and wedding feast that The Legend Villas has to offer, the thought of planning a grand wedding doesn’t have to be too dreadful after all.

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Of bags, beer, and Pinoy pride

 We Filipinos are known for a lot of things. One thing I’m sure of however is that we are known for our ingenuity. No matter where we are, what we’re going through or how much we’re given, the power of our creative imagination screams Pinoy pride.

This is exactly what has occurred in Greenbelt 5 just recently, as former fashion model turned entrepreneur Tina Maristela-Ocampo, entrepreneur husband Ricco, San Miguel Brewery Inc. President Bobby Huang, SMB EVP Keisuke Nishimura with SMB National Sales Manager Debbie Namalata and Pinoy international fashion designer Josie Natori unveiled the installation art inside Ocampo’s Celestina shop on the mall’s ground floor. The piece, which occupies practically the whole shop, is called “The Filipino Heritage: Transcending Time and Boundaries.”

 

Highlighting San Miguel’s tradition of excellence that has lasted up to more than a century, the installation art also puts a spotlight on Celestina’s use of Philippine-intrinsic raw materials, and both brands’ global appeal. Tens of thousands of San Miguel Pale Pilsen in cans were artfully stacked in the shop and served as platform to Ocampo’s internationally-acclaimed and much sought-after bags and fashion accessories under the Celestina brand.

While San Miguel Brewery, Inc. brews the best beers that has become an iconic Pinoy brand, Celestina makes bags and fashion accessories that showcase Filipino skill and creativity by using only local materials sourced out from Baguio, Pampanga, Zamboanga, Bulacan, Palawan and Cebu, crafted by at least a hundred artisans from all over the country and sold here and abroad at high-end boutiques such as Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman.

From beers to bags, skilled workers and inventive minds, to Filipino heritage and Pinoy pride, there’s nothing that can stop us from showing the world what Pinoys are truly made of –only the best of things.  

The Celestina flagship store in Greenbelt 5 will display the installation art until April 9, 2011.

Mad for mangoes

Have a sweet summer with the world’s largest ice cream chain as Dairy Queen gives you their new line of cool treats you can have to help you cool off on a hot day!

Dairy Queen shows off the delectable Mango, the Philippine’s national fruit, with all the yummy desserts and drinks that they have which you can enjoy, no matter what it is that you’re craving for.

If you’re a sucker for cheesecakes but want something cooler, you can literally have one with Dairy Queen’s Mango Cheesecake Blizzard. This is my favorite no doubt, with the generous amount of cheesecake chunks surprising you out of nowhere, and the sweet mango slices blended together with DQ’s signature soft-serve vanilla ice cream –it’s definitely a delight you can risk getting  a brain freeze for! You can also try the Mango Pineapple Blizzard with all the pineapple chucks for an ultimately fruity experience.

 

If you want actual cake, opt to share the cooling sensation that every bite of DQ’s Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake has in store for you. It’s a fusion of DQ’s signature ice cream treat with the blend of creamy vanilla ice cream on top of a lovely fudge filling and chocolate cookie crunch center. At first glance you’ll think it’s such a small cake but once you try slicing through it, you’ll feel the heftiness of each layer ready to satisfy your sweet tooth until the very last bite.

Of course, you can’t miss out on smoothies during a hot summer day! Why not try out DQ’s Mango Premium Fruit Smoothie –a blend of fresh orange, mango and soft serve vanilla ice cream, or the Mango Citrus Cooler that’ll definitely give you all the refreshing flavors of summer with the blend of lemon, mango, and soft serve vanilla ice cream.

With Dairy Queen going mad for mangoes, nothing can stop you from having a sweet and cool summer ahead!

  

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Find true beauty at The Spa

Imagine going through treatments such as facials, peels, dermal fillers, skin-whitening, body contouring, and hair removal done only by highly-trained skin doctors accredited by the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) with the use of only state-of-the-art dermatology machines and medicines in a venue that doesn’t make you feel like you’re in a hospital or a clinic –that imagery simply equates to the experience you’re sure to gain at SKIN Dermatology and Laser Center exclusively at The Spa Wellness at The Fort.

For more than a decade, The Spa has been around providing the most relaxing venues and the most luxurious pampering experience for the ultimate urbanite. From massage therapies, various body and facial treatments and fitness programs, The Spa has constantly been the hub for divine relaxation.

With seven boutique branches to date, The Spa continues to offer the latest in premier pampering services and now, even the latest in skin care and more with the Skin Dermatology and Laser Center as The Spa has achieved its aim to combine wellness, beauty and health all in one place with only the coziest of atmospheres for utmost rest and rejuvenation.

Whether you’re in it for simply enhancing your features or for maintaining your natural beauty, you’ll find something that will suit your needs and wants at The Spa’s SKIN

Dermatology and Laser Center.

Enjoy the latest treatments at a budget-friendly cost with the availability of packaged treatments. Each package is based on the optimal number of treatments needed for maximum results, and it comes along with 1 to 2 free sessions of the treatment of your choice. And the best news about this is that there is no expiration date, so you can avail of the treatments anytime and at your own convenience.

As a special opening treat, you will get a free The Spa membership with privileges that include special rates for massages and free access to wet floors when you purchase any SKIN face or body package.

Other than this, brides, debutantes or those attending their class reunions will also have special bundled packages that will include both The Spa and SKIN services to make sure that they get the right pampering they need months before their big day.

For the ultimate urbanite, the multi-tasking supermen and women, or just for the tired and stressed individual, you deserve to have time off to take care of your mind and body. So leave it to the experts to give you just the right treatments in just the right ambience and simply call it a good day at The Spa and SKIN.

Visit SKIN Dermatology and Laser Center at The Spa Wellness at the Fort, Bldg. 8, 908 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. For inquiries call (02) 403-8000, 0917-8092399 or visit www.thespa.com.ph


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