Whisky Live Manila 2018: All About the Whisky Brands You Can Taste at the Event

November 11, 2018

Whisky Live Manila 2018: 
All About the Whisky Brands You Can Taste
at the Event




We know we can't taste all the whisky available for tasting at Whisky Live so we started with comparing the 18 year olds.

We tasted the following 18 year olds:



SINGLETON





I actually tasted the chocolate finish. 


GLENFIDDICH



The taste of Glenfiddich 18 years old is more complex than the Singleton. 



GLENMORANGIE



I love the Glenmorangie range of whisky: Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, and Signet.

For this event, they start opening the Signet only at 8:00 PM. 



AUCHENTOSHAN



We noticed the Auchentoshan 18 years old is peaty compared to the others.



GLENROTHES




GLENGOYNE






The other whisky brands we tasted:

GLENCADAM







THE BALVENIE


I love the 17 year old Doublewood.
It was matured in 2 different types of oak cask.
First, it was matured in a whisky cask.
Then, it was matured in a sherry cask.
Both imparted a double layer of taste that I enjoyed.
 





ABERFELDY

The Aberfeldy 16 year old is in the Dewar's booth
It was not open when we saw it in the Dewar's shelves.
But they gladly opened it in exchange for a blue chip.
The organizers give you chips in different colors: red, blue and white. The blue chip is for the best whisky. 






PENDERYN



This is the first time I tasted Welsh whisky. 





KAVALAN

You can taste all of these. 

This is the first time I tasted Taiwanese whisky. 


Now, for the whisky from Islay, guaranteed to be peaty. 


SMOKEHEAD







ARDBEG


I already know the taste of Ardbeg 10 year old, the Uigeadail and the Corryvreckan.
So we tasted the An Oa.
It was sooo peaty. We still like the Corryvreckan more. 


You also get to taste the XO line of Cognac.

HENNESSEY


REMY MARTIN




Unfortunately, I missed tasting the Camus.

CAMUS





These are the other brands I didn't taste but are available.




They have a 27 year old. 
















There's a beer booth, gelato booth and scent bar. 





REGISTRATION
For the early bird price of 1750 pesos, this tasting is truly value for money.

Express lane online registration is offered days before the event
so you don't have to go through this long line.
The ticket includes unlimited whisky tasting
and a bag containing a whisky glass, a bottle of Evian water and a Suntory Horoyoi, a Japanese fruity alcoholic drink.

THE BALLROOM



WHERE YOU CAN BUY WHISKY
The booth selling whisky is outside the ballroom entrance. 


WHERE TO EAT



Food is available at the entrance of the ballroom.



Average price if 400-500 pesos per meal.
The 1/3 pounder Angus burger that you can get here for 400 pesos,
you can get for 245 pesos at the ground floor of the hotel for 245 pesos 


Or you can eat gourmet burgers at Raging Bull Burgers at the ground floor of the hotel
Click the photo to see the price list


Kickass burger (245 pesos)
1/3 pounder Angus beef patty

Raging Wagyu (345 pesos)
1/3 pounder Australian wagyu beef

What's inside the burger







How to Effectively Lose 6 Pounds in One Week

November 1, 2018

How to Effectively Lose 6 Pounds in One Week

It was the heaviest I ever weighed in my life so I'm sharing with you the diet and exercise program I did to lose weight. I'm a female in my 50's who stands 5 feet, 1 inch and weighed 130 lbs at the start of my diet. I'm not seriously overweight that's why it's harder for me to lose that many pounds in one week. Ever since I hit my 40's, I noticed my metabolism slow down and gain weight even with the same eating habits I had. I was never overweight in my lifetime, and still maintained a normal weight even after giving birth to my kids. In my 40's, I started gaining weight even though I ate the same amount of food and the same variety of food. I discovered that if I don't limit my intake of carbs and sugar, I gain weight. Seven years ago. I started going to the gym regularly. Last year, I was able to finish my first half-marathon at Corregidor Island. Throughout the years, whenever I notice myself gain weight, I would go on a 2-week Southbeach diet. I usually loose around 4 lbs in one week. That's not a mean feat since I'm not terribly overweight. Losing even a pound for me is very difficult. 

But this time, when I went on this regimen, I was able to lose 6 lbs in one week. I'm sharing it with anyone who wants to do it. It's actually very doable with the technique I used.

DIET

I went on a Keto Diet supplied by Sexy Chef. I have been a customer of Sexy Chef for several years. Their meals are very tasty. You'll never feel as if you're on diet. The menu is diverse. The food is very filling. And daily delivery is very reliable. They deliver even when there's a storm. But the most important thing is that their diets work, both the South Beach Diet and the Keto Diet Plan. But the greatest weight loss I had is with the Keto Diet Plus plan. 

Others think it's a bit expensive but you don't do this long-term. You subscribe to their meals only temporarily to lose the unwanted weight. Then it's up to you to rationalize your long term diet plan. It's a small investment to keep your health by maintaining a reasonable body weight. Diseases are usually associated with being overweight.

If you can't do the Keto Diet on your own, the easiest way to do it is to subscribe to the meal delivery plan of Sexy Chef. There are days when I actually get excited about what the meal will be. So in that sense, I don't feel like I'm dieting. Also, I discovered that since I paid a lot for this diet, I tend to not cheat on it. So it's a very effective tool for me to stick to my diet.


Sample Keto meal for one day

You can buy Sexy Chef meals online at http://www.thesexychef.ph/. The Keto Diet plus plan is at http://www.thesexychef.ph/product/keto/. You book a minimum of 5 days 3 days before your intended date of delivery. If you buy online, they accept Visa or Mastercard, and bank transfer


EXERCISE

In my case, I found the magic number for losing weight is to finish 5 km daily in the treadmill. Since I'm on a diet, my energy is low, so I just walk on the treadmill at 6kph speed with no incline.

As always, the challenge is finishing it, or keeping up the daily routine. So what i did to give myself incentives to force myself to do it even on days i don't feel like doing. These are are 2 things I did:

1. I signed up for a 100 km month-long virtual race at takbo.ph.

The rules of the virtual race say that you have to finish 100 km in a span of one month by running or walking anytime and anywhere you are. This means you can do run/walk outdoor anywhere or run/walk in a treadmill. The speed does not matter. You can walk the 100 km but as long as you finish it in a month. If you finish the 100km, at the very least, you will be entitled to a finisher's medal. You just upload a photo of your run in their site by using apps like strava or a photo of the treadmill, with distance and time shown on it. 

Why did I sign up for a 100 km virtual race? The idea is to force myself to complete at least 5 km a day 5x a week. Since I registered and paid to do this race, and invested something to complete it, I cannot help but feel the need complete it.


The virtual run I completed





2. I downloaded my favorite TV series on Netflix and watched it while walking on the treadmill. 

Because I looked forward to watching the next episode while walking on the treadmill, I made sure I had the time to pass by the gym to do it. Since 5 km is only 50 minutes on the treadmill at 6kph, it's easy to finish it with just one episode of your favorite TV series


DRINKS



I drank green tea at lunch, and ginger tea and chamomile before going to bed. It helps clean the palate and suppress whatever cravings I had. The green tea is flavored with fruits so I use  it as a substitute for juice or wine. So for those times I crave for something to eat or drink, I use this as a substitute. It has also the advantage of having a good effect on the body. Green tea is known to be an antioxidant and speeds up metabolism. Ginger tea is a known anti inflammatory and helps with digestion. Chamomile helps with sleep and digestion. 

JAPAN: My List of Best Matcha Souvenirs

October 17, 2018

JAPAN: My List of Best Matcha Souvenirs
to Bring Home

For me, these are the best matcha flavored souvenirs to bring home because of its rich matcha flavor compared to other brands. These items are usually available at Don Quijote.


KitKat Dark Matcha

Make sure to get the dark green packaging. The other matcha kitkat is light green. The best one with fuller flavored matcha is the one in dark green packaging as shown below.
Photo courtesy of Japan mania shop



Meiji Rich Matcha Biscuits









Bourbon Alfort Mini Chocolate





Pejoy Dark Matcha Biscuit Sticks

Make sure to get the Pejoy matcha with the dark green cover. In the photo below, it's the one in front, not the one at the back. The match flavor is so much different.  






Tsujiri Matcha Latte




I bought this at a Lawson convenience store




Cafe Latory Matcha Latte

I bought this at a Lawson convenience store.