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Free Acts of God Coverage from Direct Link

September 26 2009 flashes back a scene of devastation and fear of what seemed to be an endless downpour that was tropical storm Ondoy. BMWs, Porsches, brand new and second hand cars submerged in thick mud, and upon rescue, stacked up on top of another like a boy playing his soiled and worn-out matchbox cars.

Somewhere in between fear and anxiety is the overwhelming reality that when nature strikes, there is no escaping. Ondoy literally swallowed up dream cars and dream homes. Its harrowing aftermath can be summed up as fruits of decades of hard work all gone in a matter of hours (nay, seemed seconds for those stranded on their rooftops or inside their cars).

While there can be no escape from nature’s anger, there can be freedom from the fear and anxiety that goes with the idea of “not being in control”. Car insurance, for instance, affords you peace of mind amid such unfortunate situations as when your car gets wrecked in an accident, if it got stolen, or an accident involving your car that left a property damaged or a person injured. All of these, without car insurance, can be financially crippling.

Having insurance is probably the smartest decision one can make at least to cushion the blow if and when the unexpected unfolds. Otherwise, driving becomes as wild as skating on thin ice.

However, for those with car insurance, checking the fine print goes without saying. There are perils (or causes of possible loss or damage) that are not automatically covered under the standard car insurance policy. Many learned this the hard way. A lot of Ondoy-related claims were denied because the insurance policy did not have coverage for acts of God or acts by forces of nature such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, volcanic eruptions and the like.

At the height of the Ondoy buzz, when every car owner seemed to want an AOG coverage in his insurance policy at all costs, one insurance brand, Direct Link Car Insurance, made an adroit response by offering it free of charge for a limited period of one week.

It has been almost a year since the devastating flood of typhoon Ondoy. Indeed the tragedy left many Filipino families grieving over shattered dreams. But the experience made us stronger as a nation, wiser and future-smart as individuals. Ondoy simply reminded us that emergency is a fact of life. Hence, building dreams entails making sure they are guarded.

In celebration of the many lessons from the country’s experience of Ondoy, one being heightened insurance awareness, Direct Link offers Free Acts of God coverage for those who will secure comprehensive car insurance within the month of September. For details and reservations, Direct Link’s hotline is 813-LINK (813-5465) or visit www.directlink.com.ph

Direct Link is Philippines’ pioneer in telephone-based direct-to-consumer car insurance marketing. Member of giant conglomerate UCPB Group, Direct Link has as of today over 10,000 happy customers and some of the most sought after customer service awards including, 2005/2006 National Shoppers’ Choice, 2006 Marketing Excellence Award for Most Outstanding Car Insurance and 2009 Asia Brand Excellence Award for Best Online Car Insurance.

Modern Filipino Brunch at Sentro 1771

Serendra offers various restaurant choices from fine to casual dining.

That Sunday afternoon we settled at Sentro 1771 to have a cozy and relaxed brunch.

We ordered Tofu ala sisig

A very creamy and healthy appetizer.

Green Mango Salad topped with sweet dilis

The sour mango coupled with the sweet dilis was really good.

Sinigang na Baboy

They let us sip the broth for the sinigang first should we want to adjust the taste according to our preference and when it was served to us, it's just right.

If you're coming from High Street, it's the first restaurant you'll see on the right side. It might look intimidating but you shouldn't be. A budget of P350 per person is enough. You'll enjoy not just the food but the modern Filipino feel as well.

Sentro 1771 is located at Piazza Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila

"Ondoy No More" Thunderbird Resorts Run For A Cause

Let's make a good memory out of last year's devastating typhoon Ondoy experience.

Be part of "Ondoy No More!" Thunderbird Resorts Run For A Cause.

For only P500.00 registration fee for 3k/5k/10k, you get a Singlet, RaceBib, Thunderbird Resorts discounts, and most importantly you give a donation to Caritas Manila and help the marginalized communities to prepare for calamities such as typhoons.

The race will take place at Thunderbird Resorts Rizal, giving you a challenging yet refreshing fun run. "Ondoy No More" takes you out of your usual running environment,and you get to enjoy the view of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

RACE DETAILS:

PRIZES (One each, male and female category)

1st place 2nd place 3rd place

3k 3,000 2,000 1,000

5k 5,000 3,000 2,000

10k 10,000 7,500 5,000

GUN TIMES

10k - 6:00am

5k - 6:15am

3k - 6:30am

WHERE?

Thunderbird Resorts, Binangonan, RIzal

PRINCIPAL BENEFACTOR:

Caritas Manila

EVENT ORGANIZER:

Empire Entertainment

RACE DIRECTOR:

Chris Aguilar

Free Shuttle going to Binangonan, Rizal on Sept. 26, 2010, 4am.

Pick up points:

• Bonifacio High street, The Fort
• Megamall
• Trinoma
• Mall of Asia, Pasay

SINGLET DESIGN

RACE BIB
For more details and to download registration forms, visit http://www.race.greenpeaks.net/

Oceana lets you Taste the World

Not feeling the Mall ambiance, the crowd and the noise that comes with it?

But needs to be within the vicinity of one.

Well then, Oceana is a good spot to dine.

Situated at the cornermost part of SM Mall of Asia's By the Bay (Near One Esplanade).

A restuarant detached from the main mall that provides a different feel.

Atleast for a while, you'll forget that you're in a nearby shopping center.

It's like being in another place, far from from the hustle and bustle.

It takes you to a gastronomic tour around the world.

Been there a few times for a wedding, to simply check the place, but didn't try to dine, thinking it's pricey.

Yet when we finally did, we were surprise that the food are accordingly priced

Not at all expensive, atleast not as what we've expected.

After settling at our table. we were excited and ready to TASTE THE WORLD.

They served us ONION SOUP, compliments of Oceana.

Then We ordered TASTE OF KYOTO for appetizer

Breaded veggies, chicken yakitori, and sushi.

If you have a small appetite, it can be a meal already, especially with the big cuts of sushi.

Four Seasons Shake

For our main course, We were served TASTING BARCELONA

It's a large plate full of rice mixed with seafood, slices of sausage and pork.

Didn't we just had big bites of SUSHI?

That's when we really proved that they do have large servings,

We had more than what we can take.

A piece of advice.

Their serving per meal on the menu is already good for 3 to 4 persons.

They told us about it before ordering but we still went through on ordering two sets.

If you're just a couple dining, you could order one meal with variations.

Like the Taste of Kyoto. That would cost you a little below P500.

For a group of four, ordering two sets would be enough to satisfy your hunger.

Costing your group only about a thousand. That's P250 per person.

Things I like about Oceana:

The food was great, and again affordable.

Of course, it's CCA.

The table setting and theme of the restaurant.

It's not located inside the mall

It's by the bay, and beside it is a mini park.

The calm setting, you can really have a good conversation.

You can watch while the Teacher Chef and the students prepare your food.

We enjoyed our dinner and loved the place.

Will be trying out next time with a group of friends.

Then maybe go watch a movie at IMAX after.

A Sweet Find: Dessert Solutions

On one occasion that we had late lunch at RCBC Building in Makati,

we found ourselves satisfying our after-lunch cravings at Dessert Solutions.

They have cakes, mini-cakes, mini-desserts, breads, cookies, crepes, and other pastries.

We tried Mini Caramel Cake P45, Chocolate Delight P60, Choco Crinkles P45.

My favorite would be the Banana Cobbler and their version of the Mango Tango, both are P60.

Pastries range from P22 to P45.

- - -

Happened to pass by Dessert Solutions on a Friday,

and bought pasalubongs 30% off the regular price.

I had one box of cupcakes, one banana cobbler, and one pack of chocolate crinkles.

TIP: They give discounts every Wednesday and Friday from 4pm to 7pm.

Of course, I have to mention that they have a jolly staff, really nice and shared a few laughs with them.

(Admit it, not all stalls have staff who are accommodating to customers' inquiries)

Dessert Solutions is located at the food court (beside Hotshots) of the

RCBC Building, Ayala Ave, Cor. H.C. Dela Costa, Makati City.

Have you heard of The Gossip?

One of the few albums I can bear listening to right now is Music for Men by the band Gossip. According to Wikipedia, the band is a three-piece American indie rock band that started out in 1999. Aside from indie rock, their music can also be placed in the post-punk, garage rock, and dance-punk sub genres.

The lead vocalist, Beth Ditto’s voice is pitchy and high, which for me works just well to balance the hard-pounding drum beats and strong guitar plucks. Hence the “gospel voice with a funky punk tune”

I’ve actually discovered the band just last year when I saw their video for Love Long Distance on the now defunct MTV Philippines.

Since then, I made a mental note in my mind to try their other songs too, so I got a copy of Music for Men. I love the whole album because no song really wears me out, but the ones that stood out aside from Love Long Distance is Heavy Cross, where her gospel-like voice is best distinguished but vanishes in the chorus part where she screams her lines. The drum and guitar parts in this song are what I love the most because they bring so much emotion, at least for me. Aside from Heavy Cross, I love 2012 because of its upbeat, danceable, head-banging tune.

Other places I’ve encountered Gossip’s music:

Radio 1’s Live Lounge Volume 2 – Standing in the Way of Control

Radio 1’s Live Lounge Volume 4 – Heavy Cross

Skins – Standing in the Way of Control

The Vampire Diaries – Heavy Cross

You can buy their album Music For Men here

What to do in Cagayan with less than a thousand

Before even setting foot on the plane and travelling south to Mindanao, I’ve dedicated some time googling about what to do in Cagayan de Oro besides the famous whitewater rafting. We were about to spend 24 hours in the City of Golden Friendship with no idea what the place has in store for us.

But why didn’t we go for the extreme sport? Excluding the activities offered by Kagay from our itinerary was actually part of the plan because aside from the fact that my boyfriend and I didn’t have the luxury of time do it, we allotted 90% of our budget to our Camiguin trip.

So what would two people do in a faraway place with only a grand on hand and the rest of the night to spend? Eat.

I’ve read a lot about a place called Limketkai Center but didn’t know exactly what it was. Apparently it’s a famous local mall – a famous mall that closes a few minutes past 8:00pm. So much for spending the rest of the evening, right? In Makati, 5pm and 8pm are only separated by the sunset The night is young for everyone.But thank God and the Cagayanos for Rosario Strip. It’s a chain of really nice restaurants located right across the East Concourse of the mall that offers al fresco dining. I ‘m a huge fan of al frescos! Anyway, here’s how we spent Php1,000 and generously filled two hungry stomachs.

First stop: Appetizer

Where: Bourbon St. Bistro

What we had: 2 tall glasses of Mojito and chicken quesadilla (not sure if liquor’s valid as appetizer but who cares.)

Chicken Quesadillas

Mojitos!

Verdict: The mojitos were cheap at Php150 for 2. They offer buy 1 take 1 on mojitos from 4pm-6pm, Sundays to Thursdays. We got there at around 5:46pm so we were right on time. The chicken quesadilla tasted like a quesadilla –well it better be- nothing special except for its spice. The guacamole and salsa dip were good. The rest of the food on their menu sounded and looked delicious on the picture but were pretty expensive. Prices range from Php150 – Php700.

Second stop: Entree

Where: Cafe Macumba

What we had: Tuna Belly in Mornay Sauce and Tangigue Steak

Tuna Belly in Mornay Sauce

Tangigue Steak

Verdict: The 2 courses didn’t have any significant difference as regards the taste and the ingredients used besides the species of the fish. I don’t know if it was our fault that we didn’t get 2 totally opposite meals but I guess their name should suggest that they’re not exactly the same. But judging from the pictures, they look like one meal. Price-wise though, Cafe Macumba is way cheaper than Bourbon St.

The place had a relaxed atmosphere – perfect for hanging out with friends and drinking and chatting the night away. But probably not for a romantic date.The bill was less than Php 400.

Last stop: Coffee

Where: Taza Coffee

What we had: Almond Roca Coffee, Cappuccino, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Verdict: The oatmeal cookies were tougher than 4 pieces of crackers eaten altogether. I had to dip it in my bitter Almond Roca coffee to soften it a bit. The cappuccino was okay and that was sadly the only good thing. Their prices are cheap though, so I’m not sure if that was just what we got for the value we paid for. Plus we only had 3 out of their long line of coffee and pastry selections so I’m not really in the position to give an overall judgment. Maybe if we ordered a slice or two of their cakes and a frappuccino, the coffee experience would have been different.

The place is worth a try, though. 2 cups of coffee and 2 cookies for less than Php200 can’t be that bad.

All in all, I love CDO! The place may be popular for the sport which we weren’t able to do but there’s more to the city than just that. And I’m definitely hoping to go back to Rosario Strip! There’s not a lot of place where you can hangout and taste good food with just a little budget.

Any experience, as long as it’s new, is always worth a try.:)