Sports Bring Filipino Families Closer

        From “Musical Chairs”, "Sack Race", “Pulvoron Eating Contest, PBA and NBA championships and to the recent ring exploits of “The People’s Champ” Manny Pacquiao, the love for sports has always been a binding factor of every Filipino family. Sports events are considered not only a time to espouse health and fitness among friends and family but also an opportunity to gather together and share moments to catch-up with the latest family or “barkada” gossip and to just simply hang-outand relax.

         I was inspired to share my family sports story by Fanatics.com, an online sports apparel retailer whose website has tons of great deals on anything you need, check them out if you’re looking for a new baseball hat, or a jersey to cheer on your NBA team!

          Sports activities also become perfect moments to pass on family values and legacies which are usually done by the head of the family. Values such as sportsmanship, determination, aspiration and tenacity are passed on from onegeneration to another through the enjoyment of sports. “Sports” a word that harbors meaning and magic to the Filipino nation, has always been one of the core activities that has brought together our nation and our families.

         “Competition among family members is a must to liven the party” (Valdez, A. Jr., personal correspondence, 2010),  as my father-in-law used to quote every time we were tasked to plan for a family party. True enough, it would seem that the mere inclusion of “parlor games” which would give them access to win “goodies” was enough to fire things up. 

My sisters-in-law and I planned to make our nieces and nephews' Halloween 2012 memorable and fun by organizing a sort of an "Amazing Race" game, not just an ordinary Trick or Treat.

Each team looked for clues to find all the hidden candies.

The first team who finished the tasks got more candies!

          As simple as an egg relay game can break barriers among family members who at some point may have had a misunderstanding or an argument or two, are disarmed and made to reconcile.
 

Every Christmas Day, we celebrate together as a family at my husband's side. Everybody is present.

The occasion is being started by a feast and followed by lots of singing, dancing, parlor games, and sports activities. Kids and adults join the fun! Everyone has a fair share of prizes, win or lose.

  
            The encompassing effect of sports to the Filipino psyche is somehow a testament to its pure intention of bringing harmony and peace through the appreciation of our very humanity. What makes us celebrate sports may not be due to our race, or team affiliation, it may simply be because sports let us remember the power and beauty of the human race through the appreciation of our gifts and talents.

My Version of Mamanee's Puto Flan Recipe Using Maya Toaster Cake Mix (Butter Cake)

I've been planning to make this Puto Flan Recipe of Mamanee's Nest for a long time. I'm so glad to have the luxury of time making this today. It's so easy to prepare and tastes really good! 

It will surely satisfy your craving for Leche Flan. I encourage you to try this recipe. Super sarap, promise!

Here's Mamanee's Recipe as seen on this link:

 http://www.mamaneesnest.com/2014/05/recipe-how-to-make-puto-flan-or-leche.html   

 

Flan Recipe 

4 egg yolks

 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (370g)

 2 tsps. of lemon or calamansi juice

Puto Recipe 

2 cups of All-purpose flour

 4 tsps. Baking powder

 2/3 cup of white granulated sugar

 1/2 tsp. Salt

 4 egg whites

 1 1/4 cup of water

 a few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)
 

Procedure

  1. Create your flan first by mixing the egg yolks and condensed milk, then add the lemon/Kalamansi juice. If you are using an extract, reduce the measurement to 1 teaspoon.

2. Heat water in you steamer, and bring to a boil. Grease your puto moulds lightly, and fill them with your flan mixture about 1/3 full. You can use sauce dispensers made of plastic to make it easier to distribute your mixture.

3. Steam your flan. Make sure to wrap your steamer cover with a towel. I kept mine on medium heat and steamed the flan for a good 20 minutes. Make sure to check your flan once in a while and see if the flan is almost cooked and no longer in its liquid form. That means it's ready. Set aside.

4. Create your puto mixture. Sift your dry ingredients together. Add your wet ingredients and mix, but do not OVERMIX. If you have another plastic dispenser, transfer your mixture.

5. Add your puto mixture over your flan mixture and steam again for around 15 minutes or until it has risen and shows a shiny dome.

6. Allow them to cool down before your remove them from the moulds to make sure that the flan and the puto stick together. Use a knife to loosen the puto from the mould and tap slightly to release.

Yield: 14 pieces medium-sized Puto Flan

My Version

For the Flan Recipe, I used 3 egg yolks, 250 ml Alaska Condensed Milk, and 1 teaspoon of Kalamansi Juice. 1 medium-sized Kalamansi makes 1 teaspoon of juice. 

Since I had no stock of baking powder, I experimented using Maya Toaster Cake Mix (Butter Cake) as substitute to Mamanee's Puto Recipe because I had it on hand. I used the 3 egg whites, 1/2 cup of water,  and 2 tablespoons of cooking oil instead of following the cooking procedure found behind its packaging. I opted not to use yellow food coloring.

Then I followed Mamanee's cooking instructions.

Here they are while cooling at room temperature. Make sure to chill them at least one hour before serving for best results.

Tada!!!! Here's the finished product. Mom ate three pieces in one sitting! Super sarap kasi!

Leading Car Classified Carmudi has Rolled Out its Global App for Android Devices in the Philippines

Your dream car is just a tap away!

July 23rd, 2014 (Manila, Philippines) – Carmudi, the world’s fastest growing online car classified, is all set to change the experience of shopping for car enthusiasts in the Philippines. The online car classifieds has officially launched its mobile application which will allow users to browse thousands of cars on the go. Hosting over 20,000 vehicles online, Carmudi’s app will give users an excellent experience of buying cars while on the move, thus allowing them the same sense of ease and comfort out and about as they would experience in front of their PCs at home.

The app is available to Android users in 20 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. For the convenience of customers, Carmudi has made the appavailable in 9 different languages.

The app features the same usability and filter functions as its computer counterpart www.carmudi.com.ph. Customers can filter searches by any means that they wish, from brand to model and year to price. Users can also share listings on various social platforms to gain opinions from friends and family if they are unsure. In addition, the Carmudi app allows for favoriting of listings so that they get instant notifications on their favorite rides.

Stefan Haubold, Co-Founder and Global Managing Director of Carmudi, commented, “We want to bring the massive choice of cars to the fingertips of our users. This is a huge milestone for Carmudi. The app will allow millions of users across the globe to find their dream car in just a single tap. We already have over one million users visiting our website every month. Carmudi is changing the way consumers search and shop for cars. With mobile phones accounting for more than a third of the internet usage in the emerging world, Carmudi’s app will further strengthen its dominance there.”  

The current market behavior and mobile internet usage of the Philippines is perfect timing for Carmudi's app. Mobile penetration is at 111% - that means that the country has 11 million more phones than people. The Philippines is also the fastest growing smartphone market in Southeast Asia, with Android-powered phones having more than 90% market share. Carmudi.com.ph officially launched its app on July 23 at Big Bad Wolf in Burgos Circle. Test drives with the newest models of the MINI Cooper rides were made available to its attendees and as a finale, Carmudi.com.phgave away one entire weekend with a MINI Cooper to two lucky contestants!

So if you are looking for that perfect ride, make sure that you download the Carmudi app on the Google Play Store. The app will allow users to search for the vehicles they want by brand, model and price. If this is not enough, further filters such as age, mileage and even color are available to make sure that customers are able to find exactly what they want. More features will be added to the app shortly.

The business platform operates under a high level of transparency through professional photos, updated listings, detailed descriptions, reports and rankings for 100% of its vehicles in each market. At the same time, vehicle dealers get a trusted online presence through a personalized webpage. The Carmudi platform helps sellers manage their inventory in a fast, easy and stress-free way. 

Download the mobile app and try it!
DOWNLOAD LINK: Carmudi App

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About Carmudi

 Carmudi.com.ph was founded in 2013 and is currently available in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Sri Lanka. The vehicle marketplace offers buyers, sellers and car dealers the ideal platform to find cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online.

Working Mom Magazine's All About Kids Bazaar 2014 Happening on August 9!

This August 9, Working Mom Magazine is bringing moms and kids a fun and magical shopping experience like no other as it launches the All About Kids Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent.

All About Kids Bazaar will offer that perfect dose of family fun, with big, big discounts to boot. Apart from games and demos for all kids to enjoy with their families, parents can dig into all their favorite kiddie brands as they go on sale.

Apart from all these, the All About Kids Bazaar, which will be hosted by Jackie Lou Blanco, will have an arts and crafts booth, magic shows, bubble tricks, balloon twisters, and other amazing performances. Even a mom and kid pampering booth will be set up to give moms on the go that perfect chance to slow down with their loved ones. Apart from all these, kids will get the unique chance of meeting two of their favorite cartoon characters, Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star!

This year’s All About Kids Bazaar will also be where Working Mom will hold an online photo promo. To join, simply visit and like Working Mom’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/workingmom.magazine), take a photo during the event, and tag Working Mom with the hashtags #workingmommagand #allaboutkids. Special gifts will be given to selected photos.

All this and more will be happening on August 9 at the Rockwell Tent from 11:00am to 7:00pm. To enter, each family must simply present a copy of Working Mom’s latest August issue, which is available at leading bookstores and magazine stands nationwide.