Reviews Corner

TV5 has indeed unleashed a major player to Saturday primetime TV competition with Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, posing a big threat to the network wars as it posted high ratings during its pilot episode last Saturday.

Hundreds of thousands of viewers who were excited and curious of how the comeback of the international top-rating gameshow would go made sure they were home at 6:00 pm watching TV5. Now hosted by veteran comedian Vic Sotto, the premiere was truly a success as Who Wants to be a Millionaire? marked the channel’s highest-rating pilot episode within its genre.

As TV5 Senior VP for Brand Management Jasper Evangelista expresses, “We’re very pleased with the high ratings that Who Wants to be a Millionaire? posted on its pilot episode. We actually received a lot of positive feedback from our viewers, colleagues, and advertisers on how good the show is and how great Vic handles the hosting. We’re all excited for the next episodes because for sure, the viewership will expand even more. With Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, everybody now has a reason to be home every Saturday at 6 p.m.”

With 10 celebrity contestants who felt both excited and very nervous, the first round set off with DJ Mo Twister emerging as the fastest finger winner and as the first ever contestant to get on the hot seat face-to-face with host Vic Sotto. Indeed, experience isn’t after all the key to winning in the game show because ironically, the round ended for DJ Mo with a music trivia question regarding Freddie Aguilar’s award-winning Metropop song, Bulag, Pipi, at Bingi, considering his 14 years of experience as a DJ. Teen star Megan Young, whose hands were really cold as she nervously played on the second round, missed out on a question regarding Barbie Doll’s birthday. Slated to play next week is the last fastest finger winner, Polo Ravales who was anxiously seated beside ex-girlfriend Ara Mina. Find out if he’s going to fare better than the past two celebrities.

Catch and join Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and find out how you too can live the millionaire dream as it dominates the ratings and shakes Primetime TV every Saturday, 6 p.m., only on TV5.

Organic Thanakha Soap was recently launched. It is introduced as more than just an organic soap. It is also a beauty soap, germicidal soap and medicinal soap rolled into one bar. The best thing about it is its main active ingredient – the celebrated Thanakha paste from the tree bark.

Organic Thanakha soap is an offshoot of the success of the Thanakha facial cream. The cream comes from the tree that can be found in Myanmar that smoothens and beautifies the skin. It is packed with phytochemical, which is also antibacterial, antifungal and has anti aging properties. This is currently the mainstay soap under our shower faucet.

This soap contains Glutathione and Rose Hips oil. Perfect for those who would like to get lighter complexion. Organic Thanakha soap will effectively removing marks and moisturizes dry skin.

One of my favorite suppliers of organic bath and body essentials, GIGA came up with their baby line.  So far, I can only say great things about the GIGA baby soap.  My ever energetic four year old does not get as sour smelling as before, even through hours of active play.  He smells fresh longer than usual.

GIGA baby soap is our current favorite from their brand new line.  Ingredients are: Virgin Coconut Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Wheatgerm oil, Grapeseed oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Lavender Oil, Chamomile Oil, Sodium Silicate, TEDTA and BHT.

We have been GIGA users from 2005 and I love that this company provides consumers with the wiser organic option.

In two weeks our family will be flying to Boracay. It will be the first for our son to ride the plane and my first time too to ride this particular airline. It would always be PAL for me in all my previous flights, which are not much. Not wanting to sound as if I fly a lot. That would have been nice, if that was the case.

Cebu Pacific has been getting publicities, mostly bad. Inasmuch as I would love to review a cruise instead, I will have to been keen in observing from the moment I set foot on their facility. I hope to put up a review with a positive tone. But then again, it will be up to them on how they will deliver. Watch out for that.

Make Your Own Havaianas
28 May to 1 Jun 2009

This season, it’s easy to slip past the plain and ordinary, and step into perfect, personalized style with Make Your Own Havaianas 2009

Venue: Rockwell Tent (located next to Powerplant Mall)
Time: Mall hours
Tel: (632) 856-1871, 728-5288/89

Beauty and Fitness World Expo
4 to 6 Jun 2009

Get tips of the latest in the beauty and wellness industry with the Beauty & Fitness World 2009 and Spa & Wellness Philippines 2009.

Venue: World Trade Center, Gil Puyat Ave. Extension cor. Diosdado Macapagal Blvd.
Time: 11:00am to 7:00pm
Tel: (632) 895-1231

The 8th Philippine Toy Convention
13 to 14 Jun 2009

The biggest crossover event in Philippine comics-toys-movies-pop culture convention.

Venue: Megatrade Hall 2&3, SM Megamall
Time: Mall hours

Learn to Make Tasty Treats at the Tiny Kitchen
4 May to 2 Jun 2009

Help your kids discover how to make their own tasty treats by enrolling them at the Tiny Kitchen.

Venue: Kalambuan Hall, Cebu Normal University, Jones Ave. Cebu City
Time: 9am to 11am (Mon to Sat, except Fri)
2pm to 4pm (Mon to Sat, except Fri)
Tel: (632) 410-2279

Robotics Workshop at Tech4Kids
18 May to 31 Dec 2009

Learn about the latest educational tool being used in top US universities and High Schools!

Venue: 3rd Floor Victory Christian School, 339 Robinson Circle, Pasig city
Tel: (632) 0917-5010T4K

If you happen to hold with you the latest iPod Touch, then you will feel how it is rightly built. It slips through your palm perfectly. Its back side is designed with a gentle metallic curve. As what they often say, it is so much like the iPhone 3G, only slimmer.

My dear sister’s gadget is classy. Like all ipods are designed to spell class to begin with. The little toy has been with her for several months, but it still looks like a sleek gadget to me. What I do not get about having to carry an extra gadget like iTouch is, as pretty as it is, it is too limited. The practical girl in me screams out to just sticking it out with my E63, which I love to bits.

If you can have room for an extra gadget, then iTouch can be a lovely item to lug around with. You just need to make sure you buy a leather case to prevent scratches, which costs around $24 in Apple stores.

Long before those Takuyaki stalls began sprouting, there was this one Takoyaki place that I often visited when we were still renting an apartment in Makati. The stall is Jyubu’s Food Station located in Metro Market Market’s Food Choices nook.

One prominent thing that I loved about their Takoyaki is those pieces of octopus that are inside the takoyaki balls. They actually have them inside every ball. It makes all the other Takuyaki stalls nothing more than a flour balls with flavoring. They also use Marinora imported from Japan and only the finest fish powder from Davao.

Last May 7, I had the privilege of meeting the owner of Jyubu’s Food Station, Virginia Villanobles. I had to ask her if there were other stalls that they have aside from Market Market! They do but nothing close to where we live. They have one in Cherry Fooderama in Mandaluyong.

Jyubu’s takoyaki is not anything close to Hana’s, but it sure is better than those served from Takuyaki stalls. Yes with the letter “u” in the spelling.

Before you grab that commercial toothpaste that claims to have the ability to whiten your teeth, it might interest you to know that you can actually try to use your good ‘ol baking soda. Just dip your toothbrush with a pea sized toothpaste into the baking soda and brush away. Do this regularly and you just might be surprised what this rather simplistic treatment can be very effective.

But don’t fret when your aged coffee stains would not come off. It would often take a while. Sometimes you would even need the expertise of a Plano Dentist to take care of the job. But you can always go back to your regular baking soda treatment for maintenance.

Enjoy 20% off all books at OMF Literature’s Ukay BOOKay on June 1-27!

Save big on all OMF Lit local and imported titles.  We have new imported titles waiting for you. Next week, we’ll send you samples of the new books on our shelves, so check your inbox or visit OMFLit.com.

Kaibigan and Pastors’ Exclusives members get 30% off on May 29-30 and June 19-20!

Mark your calendars for the much-awaitedKaibigan/P-Ex Days! Enjoy bigger discountsand longer store hours–exclusively for you. Don’t forget to bring your membership card!

776 Boni Ave. corner Pinatubo St., Mandaluyong City
531.6635 | 531.0141 | Inquire@OMFLit.com

Units 111-112 Marijoy Bldg., F. Ramos St., Cebu City
(032) 412.5543 | 253.1525 | OMFLitCebu@OMFLit.com

G/F Mitaji Bldg., Tionko cor. Mapa Sts., Davao City
(082) 221.3416 | OMFLitDavao@OMFLit.com

Hana of Little Tokyo in Makati, hands down has the best Takoyaki balls in this side of the world. This is what I concluded during the Mother’s Day luncheon the hubs and I had. I was then able to prove for myself that all that talk about this famous Takoyaki place is true. I first learned about it via Leirs over at Plurk that there is this one place that serves authentic Takoyaki. Like no Takoyaki stall in the metro has ever come close. It is so true. As authentic as it can be. For one, their cooks except for one are all Japanese.

While going to Hana of Little Tokyo in Makati to get hold of my ultimate comfort food is not really the most convenient, it is very well worth it. First, we had to park in the pitiful mall across Little Tokyo. It is as lowly as any mall could get. Escalators do not work, their supposed department store area smells like that of a rat infested place. It’s crazy how that kind of mall exists in the heart of Makati. But we do not have a choice but park in that building otherwise we’re going to get our car seats toasted if parked right outside Little Tokyo and there is a very slim chance that we can ever get a slot anyway.

Hana’s Takoyaki is just right to the taste. It was actually my first time to have that kind of Takoyaki. There’s a certain crunch as you bite and as you go further the moist and flavor of real octopus meat will steam up your throat and blast your mouth with what real Takoyaki should taste like. I wouldn’t mind getting one serving a day. But I’d bet I would need to get the best diet pill to keep to my ideal weight, if that would be the case. As someone who has had takoyaki in the list of her favorite things since I stepped out of middle school, that is saying a lot already. We also tried their Hotate Cream Sauce and Sukiyaki plate. Both of which are two of the yummiest Japanese dishes we have ever had. I have settled for the lesser kind of takoyaki in the past, all right. Hana’s Takoyaki sells for P100 per six pieces.