In celebration of its 65th anniversary, trusted Filipino household company PHILUSA Corporation continues its commitment to making meaningful, healthy, and sustainable lifestyle more attainable for Filipino families through “Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino” campaign.

PHILUSA Corporation is a leading Filipino-owned company that is known for marketing and distributing fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical products through their iconic Filipino brands like RHEA, Babyflo, Cleene, MEDIPLAST, Albatross, Apollo, and more.

Dedicated to being a part of every Filipino household, PHILUSA Corporation marks its 65^th year by championing hygiene, health, sustainability, and giving back to the communities. The leading company commenced the anniversary campaign by supporting Luwalhati ng Maynila, a home for the aged in Marikina City. Led by the PHILUSA Family Council (PHILFACO), the initiative benefitted over 400 seniors in the institution, receiving kitchen equipment and supplies, household products, hygiene kits, medical kits, and more.

“PHILUSA Corporation strives to inspire volunteerism in others by creating a meaningful impact in the community. Our company has helped different sectors over the years through social development efforts and relief assistance, and PHILUSA continues with its commitment of touching the lives of Filipino families through these initiatives,” said PHILUSA President and General Manager Neogin Evangelista.

Through the “Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino” campaign, PHILUSA Corporation continues to uphold its core values of putting its customers’ needs first, achieving timely and quality results through innovation and continuous improvement, and doing everything with integrity through its initiatives in helping others.

The initiative strives to maintain the trust of Filipinos, featuring its three main pillars – Katuwang sa Kalinisan highlights the brand’s efforts to promote the importance of hygiene; Katuwang sa Kalikasan, on the other hand, showcases its commitment to sustainability; and, lastly, Katuwang sa Kalusugan advocates overall wellness in every household.

“We’ve always envisioned PHILUSA Corporation as every Filipino’s household partner, which is why we are very excited to announce our Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino campaign. This campaign is really a celebration of PHILUSA Corporation’s 65th year championing health, wellness and environmental sustainability to Filipinos everywhere not only through our products and brands, but also through our initiatives,” shared Mr. Evangelista.

 

The Katuwang ng Tahanang Pilipino campaign will be a continuation of PHILUSA Corporation’s efforts to pay it forward by releasing relevant content on its sustainability and hygiene-related initiatives, as well as outreach programs to promote and raise awareness about their advocacies of health, hygiene, and environmental sustainability.

 

To learn more about PHILUSA Corporation and their different brands and initiatives, visit their website at https://philusa.com.ph or visit their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PhilusaCorporation/.

Buying your first home is a huge life milestone. There are many steps to buy a house, and the process can be a long and tedious one.  

 

Our greatest achievement in 2021: Our first home!

How do you know if you’re ready to take this big step?

Your Debt is Under Control

You may still have some debt, but if you’re close to the finish line when it comes to being debt-free, now would be a good time to consider home.

Your Credit Score is on the Up and Up

As you pay down said debt, your credit score will rise, and your reliability as a borrower will strengthen.

 

Credit scores play a major part in the type of home loan you can acquire. You can qualify for most mortgages with a credit score of at least 620.

You Have Steady Income

You may have finally settled into your career and have a steady stream of cash coming in. Not only will this help in the way of being able to save money for a down payment, it’s also an important factor for lenders to see when considering you for a mortgage.

 

Calculate your debt-to-income ratio. While there is no absolute requirement to meet with this for loans, most lenders like to see a ratio of under 50%.

You Have Money for A Down Payment

Typically, 20% is what’s thought of for a solid down payment on a home. However, nowadays you can buy a home with as little as 3% down on a conventional loan or 3.5% down on an FHA loan.

 

A large down payment has benefits, as one of 20% down will eliminate the need for you to pay for private mortgage insurance, which protects your lender if you default on your loan.

You Are Aware of All the Costs

Owning a home is much more than a monthly mortgage payment. There are insurance costs, property taxes, utilities, closing costs, and maintenance to consider.

 

Often surprises come up with new homeownership and you may find yourself needing to foot the bill for things like a broken appliance or roof leak that come out of nowhere.

 

These should all factor into your budget as you look at your financials.

You’re Emotionally Ready

Buying a home is a long-term commitment. Most mortgages range from 15 to 30 years. Though you don’t have to necessarily stay in your house for that length of time, you should really love the place and area you’re moving into.

 

You may find yourself with a steady career and income, no need to pick up and move to a new city, or comfortable in a current relationship.

 

You also have to be sure you’re ready to handle any required maintenance that comes with a home.

 

If so, these are all signs you are mentally prepared to buy a house.

You Need Space

Sometimes, you simply need a bigger residence to fit your lifestyle. Perhaps your family is growing and you need an extra bedroom or backyard now. Even a slight increase in square footage can make all the difference.

This 2-year pandemic has forced many of us to stay at home and cook more often than usual.  Personally I am taking it positively because it just means I get to spend more time with my family at home, I get to see them more than I used to when we all could go out and spend hours at work, and I can personally prepare meals for them.

Food is what makes the whole family happy.  Food is what bonds our family as well!  We love to cook and we love to eat as well!  My kids and I also bond over kitchen pretend play or culinary online games as well!  We love the challenge and the excitement each time we play cooking games.

Speaking of culinary games, I am so glad I discovered culinaryschools.org/ which is a website that offers a collection of culinary-related online games.  As a parent of young kids, I still supervise their gadget time and online gaming.  The games that we've tried so far on culinaryschools.org/kids-games are educational, encourages critical thinking, helps develop strategic planning and organizational skills, and many more!

Sharing with you some of our favorite games on that website!

GUESS THE WORD

Guess the Food is a simple spelling game where kids are given letter tiles to place in the correct order from left to right to spell the food pictured above. The default game is quite short as it only has 4 levels and a player can skip a level if they are unsure of the answer.

What we like: It helps improve kids' vocabulary and spelling.  It's educational and challenging as well.  It's recommended to kids ages 5-7.

Play the game here: https://www.culinaryschools.org/kids-games/guess-the-food/

TAP SUPERMARKET

Tap Supermarket is an isometric game where the player must manage a grocery store including restocking produce, expanding the line of goods sold, and checking out customers. As you proogress through the game you can unlock new displays. Don't forget to scroll up to the stock room in the upper left corner of the game to keep it stocked as well.

What we like: It's challenging and quite rattling in a good way to keep on restocking items from the store room while at the same time making sure we check out all the people queuing in the counter.  We would have liked it a lot more if there's a goal that's set to reach to move on to another level.

Play the game here: https://www.culinaryschools.org/kids-games/tap-supermarket/

PENGUIN CAFE

Penguin Cafe has you play a penguin on skates rushing around to serve guests and meet the daily goal. While the aesthetics in this game are cartoony the difficulty level increases quickly after the first couple levels.

Remind students playing this game customer gratuity makes up an important portion of a waiter's livelihood. That makes it crucial for servers to maintain a positive attitude in spite of frequently dealing with overwhelming stress and demanding customers.

What we like: We love online games that has something to do with meal preparation and service.  It's exciting and it taches kids to always reach for their goals.  The game also teaches patience, gratitude, and honesty in everything we do.  It also teaches players to always have positive mindset no matter how challenging any situation may be.

Play the game here: https://www.culinaryschools.org/kids-games/penguin-cafe/

More than a decade ago, I almost accepted a job I was offered in Canada.  The job opportunity just came to me and my then-boyfriend-now-husband.  We didn’t really apply for it.  I’ve always believed that some opportunities knock just once, that’s why we grabbed it right away without any second thoughts.

We were supposed to migrate here - Edmonton, Alberta, CA

It just sank in to me a few days after submitting the required documents to our employer that this decision would also mean leaving everyone and everything behind.  Back then our eldest was just two years old and I couldn’t bring him with me.  I suddenly doubted my decision.

Part of me wanted to pursue that dream of finally being able to give our family a better future.  But the larger part of me didn’t want to leave my son.  The contract with our supposed employer stated that we’d have free board and lodging, and meals for the two-years we’ll be working for them.  But that we cannot bring the rest of the family just yet.

To cut the long story short, maybe also due to some divine intervention, we didn’t leave for Canada because of employer-related issues with some of the applicants in the batch we were supposed to leave with that year.  I may doubt my decision, but never the plans of God for me.  I knew it wasn’t for us.  We were able to let go of it without a heavy heart.  But there were some what ifs. 

Should everything had ran smoothly before:

I must now be a mortgage professional.  We were supposed to be hired for a mortgage company because of my past working experience in this field before.  I had little but for sure I’ll learn fast, like I always do.  And as long as there are CRM tools such as Blumortgage.ca that’ll make data entries easier, schedules, and tasks easier, I’d be able to ace this job.

My husband must now be a top commercial agent.  I must’ve shared about our dream house many times in this blog.  And a huge part of the planning and knowing what’s a good deal or not because my husband has a huge interest in residential and commercial real estates.  Finding a job opportunity in this field wouldn’t be hard especially if one has an experience and as long as there’s a site such as Truvizo that bridges buyers or leasers to commercial agents.

Our kids’ health care and education are guaranteed free.  This was one of the most important considerations we were weighing on before.  But I just couldn’t leave my toddler back then, I. Just. Can’t.  If there’s one regret, maybe it would be this.

We’d be eating healthier.  I know so because my relatives would always share how important food safety and high-quality food is brought to the tables in every home is in Canada because of regulations set by their Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada.  We are what we eat so we want to always eat healthy, to be healthy. 

We must be vaccinated by now.  Canada being one of the advanced and first world countries has better and faster access to health improvements, treatments, or prevention such as vaccines. 

 

We almost left for Canada, but didn’t.  Maybe it wasn’t really meant for us, but who knows maybe when all of these are over, we’ll pay a visit to our relatives and my best friend in Vancouver.   

It’s one thing that we’ve decided to finally move out of where we currently live, and another thing to actually process the purchasing of land, talking to contractors, and computing all costs.  It may be a tedious series of processes in buying a house but my husband and I look forward to the brighter side.  What’s that?  It gets us excited to look for home pegs on Pinterest, look for house inspirations on some port credit townhomes listings that makes our hearts giddy at the sights of wonderful homes for sale.

Here are some of the houses we’re eying for:

Now, from the exterior, let’s paint the interior picture.  I’ve always been fascinated with the minimalistic modern Scandinavian interior designs.  This will be best for a well-lit interior.  I see macrame wall backdrops and plant hangers for my trailing indoor plants.  I can imagine lots of my big-leafed plants enjoying its presence as complementing focal points in the living room.   The couch should be comfortable, spacious, and have lots of soft pillows and furry blanket on it.  Since we’ve started living intentionally, we want to have pieces of sustainable furniture in our house so that we help the environment and have a sense of giivng back.

Now let’s talk about security.

My husband takes special note on the family’s safety and security.  He plans to install security cameras or CCTVs in and out of our dream home.  This way we’ll be notified if ever there will be any intruders, trespassers or if there will be any incidents that may happen that needs documentation.  We’ve had this unfortunate experience before and this time we want to make it right.  My husband is even eyeing for the best crossbow cocking device for added protection.  But I said, maybe a steel baseball bat would do.  Of course, husbands and dads know best on protecting their families, so this I leave it up to him.

 

We’re just waiting for results of our housing loan applications to make all these dreams happen.  I’ll make sure to update my blog when we get our approval, when building finally happens, and when we’re going to have our housewarming too!

Weekends are precious for our family that's why we make the most out of those two days doing two things:  relax and look for recreational activities.  Recently, we decided to indulge in an opportunity to experience The Garage VR Zone and Food Park plus some Dreamplay time at City of Dreams Manila (will write a separate blog post about this fun experience too!)
It was our first time at The Garage and we were greeted with families enjoying their meals or at least going around the huge food park and kids excitedly playing at the VR Zone. The Garage has a wide range of casual dining choices of food and beverages for the whole family presented in nice-looking trucks and trailers. 
Set in a 2,714-square meter cool and comfortable space located at the upper ground floor, The Garage stands out with its modern industrial interiors catering to a 563-seating capacity. Designed by award-winning Paris-based creative design agency, Malherbe Design in collaboration with Westar Architectural Interior Design, a group known for its strong sensitivity to contemporary design aesthetics, The Garage is further given life and vibrancy with graffiti works of two prominent names in the street art scene: Kookoo Ramos and DeeJae Paste. 
For me, it's a must-experience latest entertainment and dining attraction. The Garage is offering a selection of more than 10 food and beverage trucks and trailers: Chip Shoppe, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Katsu Sora, Pink’s Hotdog, Little Flour, El Chupacabra, Pizza Grigliata, Farmacy, Chocol8, The Roaster and Juiced. I also love that The Garage is also enhanced with the sustainability drive of City of Dreams Manila, where they used only eco-friendly, biodegradable and compostable plates, utensils and take-out bags.

Let me share with you what we had during our family's visit:
We were served food from the Chip Shoppe and we enjoyed the COD Save the Queen (battered COD fish), Calamari, Coco Prawn Fritters, Corn Dog, Spam Fritters and Fries.  For dessert, we tried their Banana Fritters with chocolate ice cream on top.

Calamari, COD Save The Queen, Coco Prawn Fritters, Smap Fritters, Corn Dog, and Fries from Chip Shoppe

Pizza Grigliata Manila

Four Cheese Pizza

Pizza No. Two surprised us with a little kick of spiciness and tanginess with every bite.

Lots of cheese, basil leaves and alfalfa sprouts - THIS is my kind of pizza!

Real deal Carbonara and Tomat0-based

Jasmine Iced Tea

A cup of my favorite Cafe Mocha or was this Capuccino?

The Chip Shoppe

Beverage Bar offers a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

The Roaster's giant roasting machine which they actually use but is in a glass case making it look like an exhibit or an artifact.  This is so cool!

The Roaster is the go-to outlet for an array of gourmet coffee creations made from freshly roasted Philippine beans. In keeping with the resort’s sustainability campaign, the beans are sourced from coffee growers and farmers in various communities supported by the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc.

Chocol8 is an award-winning chocolate shop which can be found in The Garage at City Of Dreams Manila

Chocol8 features handcrafted chocolates in a number of shapes and forms, and are enhanced with special ingredients such as fruits, nuts, and spices.

These chocolates were featured in a number of TV shows, I bet their chocolates are one of the bests in the country!

Farmacy Food Truck

Care for some Soccer game?

The VR zone is not for the faint heart and super full stomach.  It's recommended that you play either before eating or an hour or so after because if it's your first time, chances are you may get nauseated.  How do I know?  I can message it to you privately!  Hahaha!  It was an awesome experience overall especially for first-timers like my husband and me.

After having an awesome experience hanging out at The Garage VR Zone and Food Park, here are some of the reasons why we recommend this to families looking for a new place to comfortably hangout:
1.  It's spacious.  Spend time with the family at ease.  Having a spacious area means kids could run around, you don't worry much that you're disturbing another family, hahaha!  Honestly, this happens to every family with little kids in tow.  I love the high ceiling, and really the big space of The Garage.
2.  It has a wide selection of food choices.  There's literally something for everybody!  If you want finger foods that are easy to eat yet filling and satisfying there's The Chip Shoppe or Pink Hotdogs.  For Japanese or Mexican dish lovers like me, you'll be happy to try Katsu Sora, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka or El Chupacabra. Pizza and Pasta Day?  Then Pizza Grigliata Manila is the right truck destination.
3.  It's well-ventilated.  Space is big yet very cool.. I love the air-conditioning system because it adds up to the total happy customer experience for the whole family.  Indeed, anyone's stay or hangout experience is a comfortable one.
4.  It's clean.  Who wants to dine in with the family in an unkempt place right?  They've got you covered, from the dining areas to each of the food stalls, and especially their comfort rooms, totally clean.
5.  It's child-friendly.  I say this because the couches are perfect for sitting small children safely and comfortably.  Having a spacious area to hangout also is a plus point for being a child-friendly venue.  The selection of food even for our little picky eaters is friendly, so you're assured your little man or little girl will also be filled with food he/she will enjoy.
6.  It's pro-environment.  They use both reusable and biodegradable materials for serving food, from bowls, plates, wooden utensils, they are all impressively sustainable, making love for our planet and the future generation felt as well!  Good job City of Dreams! :)
7.  It's casual.  Lastly, no need to dress to impress!  This casual hangout place for the family makes the experience a lot more carefree, not restricting, and comfortable while making great family memories last a lifetime.  No social pressure, no venue pressure, just come as you are and be REALLY HAPPY with the family!  I love this about The Garage VR Zone/Food Park!

WHAT TO TRY NEXT:
What we want to try the next time we come here are the following:
1. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka’s well-loved ramen.
2. Katsu Sora's tonkatsu with rice and other side dishes.
3. Pink Hotdogs' intriguing "The Hollywood Legend" hotdogs and their burgers too.
4. Little Flour Café by the highly successful Wildflour Café + Bakery's rice bowls, delicacies, and grilled items.
5.  El Chupacabra's delectable array of Mexican-influenced dishes such as street tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and grilled chicken sticks.
6.  Farmacy Ice Cream - all flavors! :)

Operating Hours:
On Sundays to Thursdays, the VR Zone is open from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., food outlets at 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and The Roaster at 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and on Fridays to Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., the food outlets at 10 a.m. to 12 a.m., and The Roaster at 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Rates:
Single VR activity ticket is at Php 380; while packages are available for those playing in pairs or groups: Php 700 for two persons playing Ski Rodeo or Galaga Fever; and Php 1,300 for a group of four playing Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, Hospital Escape Terror or Winged Bicycle. For those who want to avail of three or five activities, the ticket prices are Php 1, 300 and Php 1, 650 respectively.

For more information, call (+63 2) 800-8080 or email guestservices@cod-manila.com or visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.

All moms have the same prayers for their families, to have a family that’s complete, safe from harm, and a family that’s healthy.  To live a highly comfortable life is secondary for those who know better.  When we talk about health, the first thing we think about is usually food, then hygiene.  We can make our husband and kids eat healthy food by following the food pyramid.  On hygiene, washing hands before and after eating or using the restroom make us less susceptible to sickness.  Good hygiene also includes regular bathing, brushing teeth, and sanitizing some body parts and even our surroundings.  Why do we do that?  Because we all believe that having a tip-top hygiene will save us from getting ill such as getting worms.
When I was younger, panakot ng parents ko sa akin ang worms when she would tell me to take a bath.  I would be really scared and get disgusted at the thought of crawling worms inside my body.  But now that I know better, I don’t use the same panakot to my kids.  Because I now know better that it’s a misconception that worms can only be obtained by having poor hygiene.  Guess what?  WORMS ARE EVERYWHERE!  Now that would be scarier to my kids if I use that line right?  Walang pinipili ang worms, kasi napapasa siya!

Bonding with your kids and creating happy childhood memories don't need to be expensive.  As simple as bringing them to the park, playing ball or dolls, or having picnic could result to a lasting memory they will cherish until they grow older.

My teenager constantly tells me how he remembers me bring him to the zoos, play cars and balls with him, sing and dance with him when he was younger.  He said he has always felt loved and complete.  I knew I was doing the right thing back then which I want to continue doing for my younger kids today.  So one day, we decided to bring them to Quezon Memorial Circle and have a picnic.

The Quezon Memorial Circle Monument, Quezon City

When I got there, I reminisced how it felt going there when I was a young child and as a teenager.  I had happy memories in that place and it made me think I did the right thing bringing them there last weekend.  I'm pleased to see that there are so much to do now in Quezon Memorial Circle for everyone in the family to enjoy and break away from the busyness of daily routines.  Sharing with you some:

1.  Picnic - Whether you go there early for breakfast picnic or late afternoon merienda, bring out those mats and food or use their picnic tables for free to share meals with your loved ones under the shadow of mature trees.  Enjoy meals and laughter with your family as you gaze your eyes upon smiles on other people's faces as they spend their times with their family and friends as well.

2.  Jog/Run/Zumba/Yoga - Jog or run around the elliptical area near the monument or just about around the whole circle to get fit and fab with your family or even with your running buddies for that health and wellness day.  Morning or late afternoon are the best times to go there for running.
3.  Workout using their manual equipment - there are several equipment available for use around the park near the picnic area.  Use them for free to keep your upper body, lower body muscles toned or defined (if done regularly) free of charge.  You just have to wait for your turn.  But don't worry, for sure you won't have to wait too long because there are many equipment there.

4.  Barbecue  - interestingly, we saw several barbecue grills/pits around the picnic area park for those who'd like to do a simple barbecue gathering or small party.  Enjoy fresh out of the grill pork or chicken skewers or pork chops or even grilled marinated steaks and barbecues while having a great time with family.

5. Bring kids to playground - Bring your kids to the enclosed outdoor playground area where you'll find a number of heavy-duty slide/swing/monkey bar sets.  Safe for kids because the whole playground area has a grass-like mat so kids don't easily get wounds should they tumble or trip or roll on the ground, like they always do when so engrossed with playing and running around.  Just make sure, you bring extra clothes for changing, towels to wipe their sweat, and water to hydrate because for sure, this is where the fun really is going to happen for them.

6.  Bazaar - While kids play in the playground, moms/dads could look around and score super tiangge prizes of clothes, footwear, cellphone/gadget accessories, and many more at the bazaar area found just outside the picnic and playground area where the oval is located.

7. Plant Shopping - I've seen celebrities and even my mom blogger/vlogger friends shop for their indoor and outdoor plants here.  You'll find so many succulents too which you could use as giveaways for parties/weddings or for your home decor too.  Sunflowers, Malaysian mums, and many more flowers are also available for sale.  You'll be able to purchase plants for as low as Php500 per pot here.  You'll also see pots and planting or gardening needs available in some stalls.  This is located near the bazaar area also outside the playground and picnic area.

8. Visit a Museum/Tomb of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon - If you're in for some historical experience, coming to the Quezon City Memorial Circle will give you that kind of experience too.  Near the parking area, you'll see some museums for your viewing pleasure.  If you're the type who wants to learn by looking at art and breathe in some historical facts, then you're in for a treat!

9.  Family Pictorial - Just like in any parks, as long as your pictorial will be for personal use, you may do so here freely.  Come with your photographer friends who like taking pictures/portraits, professionals or amateurs, and show those nice set of teeth or give the lenses different looks, moods or angles and you're definitely get good shots with trees, blue sky, grass, and wide space in the background.  Have your pictorial during the golden hours for good natural lighting.

10.  Scenic Viewing - If you just want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life, come to Quezon City Memorial circle for that much needed break and feel free to breathe in deeply and breathe all the stress and pressure out of your system.  Find retreat and relaxation by coming here while the sun sets or the led lights upon the fountain or monument turns on and just enjoy the view and take your minds away from your stressful schedule or activities.  Meditate, breathe, and pray as you enjoy the fresh(er) breeze in the circle.
There are so much more you could do in QC Memorial Circle, which we saw but wasn't able to try.  These are:

• Biking/Go-Kart-Ride- you can actually rent a bike for 30 mins to 1 hour, such as in Baguio.
• Dancing Lights - Magnificent to watch especially at night.  You don't need to wait til Christmas to let your kids experience dancing lights show.
• Boating - Again like Burnham Park in Baguio, they also have a smaller man-made lake for that boating experience.

GETTING THERE:
It's easy to get here coming from Quezon Ave., North Ave., Commonwealth Ave., just drive until you reach the elliptical road where you'll spot right away the tall monument.  If you're bringing your car, entrance or parking is only Php15.00 and if commuting, just trust your Grab driver or tap your friendly app called Waze to guide you and the cab driver for easy navigation.  It's also accessible to jeepney and buses too.  You may also look for an apartment in Quezon City that's available for you to stay for a night or a longer basis, for better accessibility to Quezon Memoial Circle.

Again, making new memories with your family especially the children need not be expensive.  The important thing is to make time, to commit to the time, and be present (please use your phones only for taking photos, post later!) all the time.  Quezon Memorial Circle is just one of the places your family could go to without having to spend too much.

Keep creating great memories with your children, remember they all grow up faster than imagined.  Happy bonding everyone!  God bless you!