The 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

The yearly colorful, head-raising Clark Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is once again gracing the aviation field of the Clark Freeport.  This venue is projected to host over 100,000 tourists from February 9th thru 12th 2012. 

Schedule of Activities

Feb 9 Thursday     First Fiesta Day

05.00-05.45 am     Philippine Flag jump
05:50-06:00 am     PAF High Speed Opener and SF260 Fly By
05.45-07.00 am     Hot Air Balloon flight
05.45-07.30 am     RP / Malaysian / Spain/Australia Paragliding Exhibition
07.30-08.30 am     ACFC Ultralight **
08.30-09.00 am     Meynard Halili  Aerobatic Show
09.00-09.30 am     AFP/PNP/Brunei/Malaysia Sky Diving Exhibition
09.30-09:45 am     Radio-controlled model aircraft demonstration
09:45-10:00 am     USAF F16 Flight Demo
10.00-11.30 am     AOPA-P Light aircraft balloon bursting competition
11.30-12.00 nn     KAP / KTP Kite Flying Exhibition
12.00-12.30 pm     Airlink / WCC / Omni /Aviators/ Alpha flyby
12.30-01.00 pm     Radio-Controlled Model Aircraft Demo
01.00-01.30 pm     Skydiving and Tandem jumping Exhibition
01.30-02.00 pm     Ultralight Flour bombing demonstration
02.00-03.00 pm     AOPA-P Light aircraft balloon bursting competition
03.00-03.30 pm     FEATI/PHILSCA Rocketry Demonstration
04:00-04:30 pm     Philippine Air Force Silent Drill ... Exhibition
03.30-04.00 pm     ACFC Ultralight/Microlight aircraft formation flights
04.30-05.00 pm     Meynard Halili Aerobatic Show
05.00-05.30 pm     RP / Malaysian / Spain/Australia Paragliding exhibition
05.30-06.00 pm     Hot Air Balloon Fly-In

Feb 10 Friday     Second Fiesta Day05.00-05.45 am     Philippine Flag jump

05.45-07.00 am     Hot Air Balloon Flights
07.00-07.30 am     RP / Malaysian / Spain/Australia Paragliding Exhibition
07.30-08.00 am     ACFC Ultralight **
08:30-09.00 am     Meynard Halili Aerobatic Show
09.00-09.30 am     Sky diving exhibition
09.30-10.00 am     Radio-Controlled Model Aircraft Demonstration
10.00-11.00 am     AOPA- P Light Aircraft Balloon Bursting Competition
11.00-11.30 am     KAP / KTP Kite flying exhibition
11.30-12.00 nn     WCC/Aviatours/Omni/Aviators/Alpha/Leading Edge/flyby
12.00-01.00 pm     German aerobatic glider flight
01.00-01:30 pm     Skydiving exhibition
01.30-02:00 pm     Jet Turbine Radio-controlled modeller demos
02.00-03.00 am     AOPA- P Light Aircraft Balloon Bursting Competition
03.00-03.30 pm     Car Drifting Display
03.30-04.00 pm     FEATI/Philsca Rocketry demonstration
04.00-04.30 pm     ACFC Ultralight/Microlight Aircraft Formation Flights
04.30-05.00pm      Meynard Halili Aerobatic Show
05.00-05.30 pm     RP / Malaysian / Spain/Australia Paragliding Exhibition
05.30-06.00 pm     Hot Air Balloon Fly-In
Feb 11 Saturday     Third Fiesta Day
05.00-05.45 am     Philippine Flag jump
05.45-07.00 am     Hot Air Balloon Flights
07.00-07.30 am     RP / Malaysian / Spain/Australia Paragliding Exhibition
07.30-08.00 am     ACFC Ultralight **
08.00-08.30 am     Tandem Skydiving exhibition
08.30-09.00 am     Turbine RC flying display
09.00-09.45 am     Meynard Halili Aerobatic Show
09.45-10.30 am     Helicopter flight display
10.30-11.00 am     Philippine Coast Guard Rescue Demonstration
11.00-12.00 am     PT13 Stearman /  AOPA-P Flyby
12.00-12.30 pm     WCC / Aviatour / Omni / PPA / CIA / Orient / flyby
12.30-01.00 pm     Radio-Controlled model aircraft demonstration
01.00-01.30 pm     Winch-launched German aerobatic glider flight
01.30-02.00 pm     KAP / KTP Kite Flying Demonstration
02.00-02.45 pm     AOPA-P Light aircraft balloon bursting competition
02.45-03.15 pm     Skydiving Exhibition
03.15-03.45 pm     CIAC Fire-fighting demonstration
03.45-04.30 pm     Meynard Halili Aerobatic Show
04.00-04.30 pm     ACFC Ultralight / Microlight aircraft formation flights
04.30-05.00 pm     FEATI/Philsca Rocketry Demonstration
05.00-05.30 pm     RP/Malaysian/Spain/ Australia Paragliding Exhibition
05.30-06.00 pm     Hot Air Balloon Night Glow
Feb 12 Sunday     Fourth Fiesta Day
05.20-05.30 am     Philippine Flag jump
05.30-07.00 am     Hot Air Balloon Flight
07.00-07.30 am     RP / Malaysian / Spain/ Australia Paragliding Exhibition
07.30-08.00 am     ACFC Ultralight **
08.00-08.30 am     Tandem Skydiving Exhibition
08.30-09.15 am     Meynard Halili / Aerobatic Show
09.15-10.00 am     Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Demo
10.00-11.00 am     Wings Over Asia ***
11.00-12.00 nn     CIAC Fire-Fighting Demonstration
12.00-12.30 nn     Radio-Controlled Model Aircraft Demonstration
12.30-01.00 pm     Car Drifting demonstration
01.00-01.30 pm     PT13/ WCC / Aviatour / Omni / Leading Edge/ Airlink flyby
01.30-02.30 pm     KAP / KTP Flying Exhibition
03:00-03:30 pm     AFP / Civilian Skydiving Exhibition
03.30-04.00 pm     ACFC Ultralight / Microlight aircraft formation flights
04.00-04.15 pm     PT13 Stearman fly by
04.15-05.00 pm     Meynard Halili aerobatic Show
05.00-05.30 pm     RP / Malaysian / Spain/Australian Paragliding Exhibition
05:30-07:30 pm     Hot Air Balloon Night Glow And Fireworks

Clark Freeport Zone became the home of this international aviation sport event mainly due to the facilities vast, open paved areas and clear, calm skies; these are significant requirements for a successful hot air balloon show involving flight of monster airships.


Another reason for Clark Freeport winning the bid for this incredible event is that it is a home to a number of high-end hotels and other leisure establishments that can provide accommodation and superior comfort to the thousands of spectators and participants the Hot Air Festival draws.  Additionally, for those spectators wishing to make the trip from other surrounding Asian countries, Clark is equipped with its own world-class international airport.

DIRECTIONS TO CLARK FREEPORT

Getting to the Clark Freeport Zone, otherwise known as the Clark Special Economic Zone by car is easy. Simply needs to take the North Luzon Expressway from Manila and exit at Dau, Mabalacat. After your exit, a left turn towards Angeles City, and a little Angeles City/Dau traffic, will bring you to within an easy right turn of the Clark Zone itself. The trip should take about an hour and a half from Manila without heavy traffic.

Have you ever imagined going up in a balloon? Feeling the heat of the burner and letting the ballast drop as the air of the balloon cools? Of course you have, don’t miss out on this chance to experience it first hand.

Weekend Eats: Korean Beef Stew

The Korean culture is quite unique in its approach to food. Food seems to imbue every aspect of life. If you have watched a Korean drama or movie you will undoubtedly have noticed that in at least one scene someone is eating. There are even entire films and dramas based around Korean cuisine. For Koreans, food is much more than something to fill the belly; it provides taste, medicine, and a connection to the country. 


Hubby and I were avid fans of a fastfood restaurant called "Kimchi", we love their spicy and sweet Korean Beef Stew as well as the sesame flavored mongo sprouts that goes with it. Thanks to Yummy for the recipe, now we can eat our favorite Korean Beef Stew whenever we want. This is my take on  Carina Guevara's (Yummy.ph) recipe of Korean Beef Stew...............

Korean Beef Stew

1 kilo beef short ribs

4 cups broth

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons ginger, sliced

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1/2 cup onion

2 tablespoons brown sugar

6 tablespoons good quality soy sauce

 1 teaspoon chili powder

extra water

1 beef cube

1 whole carrot, sliced diagonally

6 reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1 stalk leeks, sliced (for garnish)

1  Boil beef in water until tender. Strain and set aside broth.

2  Heat oil on medium heat. Sauté ginger, garlic, and onion. Add sugar, beef and chili powder, then cook until brown.

3  Measure strained broth from boiled beef. Add water to get 3 1/2 cups of liquid.

4  Add soy sauce to the beef. Pour in stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve hot, garnished with sesame seeds and leeks.

This dish is best served with Kimchi on the side. As we all know, Kimchi is Korea's best known food. Koreans eat so much of this super-spicy condiment that natives say “kimchi” instead of “cheese” when getting their pictures taken. The reddish fermented cabbage (and sometimes radish) dish—made with a mix of garlic, salt, vinegar, chile peppers, and other spices—is served at every meal, either alone or mixed with rice or noodles. And it’s part of a high-fiber, low-fat diet that has kept obesity at bay in Korea.   If you want to make your own kimchi, take a look at this video: 

많이 드세요

A Virtual Pinboard called PINTEREST

What do you think about a Virtual Pinboard? I haven't heard about Pinterest until my hubby introduced it to me a couple of months ago. I was not really interested that time and just browsed the site for just a few minutes, but then I found it really interesting and informative as well.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find in your life. It is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from other people who share your interest. People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things- recipes, home decor/design ideas, wedding ideas and a whole lot more. 

Pinterest is a social bookmarking tool used to “pin” images found around the Web into categorized collections, or boards. Think of it like an interactive, shareable scrapbook. Like any good social network, you can follow other users, share their content, make comments, and tag users. Similar to a Twitter stream, you get real-time updates of what the people you follow are pinning. You can also easily share your pins on Facebook and Twitter.

A lot of people are not using Pinterest yet, but I think it would change soon. The audience of Pinterest is different from major social networks because most people use it to find information/ inspiration, whether they are looking for a recipe, remodelling their house, getting married or hosting a party. In other words, they use Pinterest as a guide. 

Pinterest is still "invite only", you can request an invite on the site. You can also login using your Facebook or Twitter account for instant access.

Here's a quick overview of Pinterest's features:


PINS
A pin is an image or video, either from a website or uploaded from the user. A description can  be added to pins.

BOARDS
Pins can be organized by topic, called boards. By default, Pinterest starts users off with a bunch of boards, but these can be deleted or renamed to suit a user’s interests. 

FOLLOWING

Like Twitter, you can follow anyone, even if they aren’t following you back. You have the option to follow all of another user’s boards, or you can just select certain boards to follow. You can sign up using your Twitter or Facebook account, which makes it easy to find all of your friends already using Pinterest.

REPINS
Repins are the “retweets” of the Pinterest world. Repinning is sharing an image pinned by someone you follow or found while browsing Pinterest, and then adding it to one of your own boards. Repinning gives credit to the person who first pinned the image. You can also edit the description when you repin something. Source links also stay on the pin no matter how many times it is repinned. You don’t need to be following someone to repin from them.

LIKES
Liking a pin just adds it to the “Likes” on your profile, but doesn’t add it to one of your boards. Again, you don’t need to be following someone to like their pin.



SHARING
Anytime you pin something, you can easily share it on Twitter and Facebook.



PINNING FROM THE WEB
You can add a “Pin It” button right into your browser to easily pin things you come across on the Internet (this is currently only available for Chrome).

Currently, this community is best suited for retail, lifestyle, food, home decor, design, and the likes. In my opinion, Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site used primarily by....... US, women.

Organizing your Home

Do you need to organize your house? Organizing your home can be a daunting task when the piles are overflowing, the laundry is scattered, and the office is flooded in papers.

As a stay at home mom, I am in-charge when it comes to cleaning and organizing our home. I do not have an obsessive compulsive disorder but I definitely hate clutter. So, in pursuit of finding solutions in organizing our home, I came up with the following tips that you can use in organizing  every room in your house.

1.  You have to assign a specific place for all the objects in your house. You can do this with a variety of organizing tools, including drawer organizers, shoe racks, magazine racks, filing cabinets, drawers, and shelving units. Make sure that everything has a proper holding spot. Whenever an item has been removed from its assigned home, make sure that it is immediately returned to its homes when no longer in use. 

2.  One of the keys to keeping an organized home is to pick up as you go. Don’t let the piles of toys, dishes, and paperwork take over. Instead, clean up everything as you go along. Pick up a few things as you’re walking through the house. Spend 15 minutes each day organizing your office. You’ll be surprised at what a huge difference these daily habits can make.

3.  Organize your drawers. The best way to clean something out is to start with a clean slate. Next, remove all of the unneeded junk from the pile and throw it in the trash. Once you have finished removing all of the junk, go through the remaining items and sort them into 3 piles: stuff you want to keep, stuff you’d like to give away, and stuff that needs to be put somewhere else. Now you can put everything that you want to keep back in the drawer. This procedure can be used in almost any part of the house: empty everything out, toss out all junk, create 3-4 piles, and only put back the essentials.

4.  One of my favorite organizing tips is to dump it! Anything that you haven’t used in the past year probably needs to be thrown away. Getting rid of your junk will greatly help organize your home and give you more space.

5. A filing cabinet is one of the best organizing tools. They help keep all of your important paperwork organized.  

6. Take a careful look around your bedroom for clutter. This means anything you no longer use, want or need. Quickly grab anything that belongs in another room in the house. Move these items to the appropriate room. Attack your closet and dresser drawers. If you have not worn it in 6 months, purge it.

Your bedroom is the first thing you see when you wake up every morning. It sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you open your eyes to clutter, you will start your day feeling overwhelmed. But if you open your eyes to organization just think of the motivation you will feel and how that can carry you through the rest of your day!

The first big step in getting your house organized is to do a clean sweep of each room. Clear your clutter, put everything away and start with a clean slate. Once you do that, maintenance will be easy.

Weekend eats: Goat Cheese Cheesecake and Food for the Gods

As a kid she has always been involved in the kitchen. Whenever there are parties or family gatherings, She would often help her parents by preparing the ingredients...... I am talking about my loving, smart, pretty niece Margarita Isabel U. Guerrero.

She said that her passion in cooking started when she was still young, having a mom who always bakes (she makes the best brownies!) and a lola who is also a food fanatic; no wonder Mitzi (as we call her)was inspired to become a good chef as well.

But her intense love for baking and cooking started when she went to the US. During her first few months, she have gained a relationship with, none other than, the Food Network! She was fascinated of how the chefs would come up with those unique but easy dishes. She was like, “Heck, I can make these meals too!” And so her cooking adventures started. But then she realized that she have a stronger passion for baking. She used store bought cake mixes at first (just to not waste money if she ever come up with a burnt cake), then she challenged herself by baking goodies from scratch.

So, here are two of her yummy recipes..........

Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Ingredients: 

1 ½ cup graham crackers

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup cream cheese (room temperature)

½ cup goat cheese (room temperature)

1 pint sour cream

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit
• In a large pan, heat 6 cups of water just to boiling and set aside
• In a food processor, combine graham crackers, cinnamon, and melted butter until finely ground and mixture holds together slightly and is evenly moistened
• Wrap the outside of a 9 in spring form pan tightly in aluminum foil.  Press on the bottom of the pan to a ¼ in thickness.  Chill uncovered until ready to use
• Mix the cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest and juice in a food processor
• Place the pan in the center of a large roasting pan.  Pour enough hot water to a depth of ½ inch around the cheesecake
• Bake for 45 minutes until firm on the edges but still jiggles in the center

Food for the Gods

Ingredients:

1 cup dates

1 cup walnuts

1 cup butter

1 ¼ cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

1 tbsp. molasses

1tbsp. corn syrup

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

2 eggs

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit
• Microwave butter until melted
• Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, molasses, and corn syrup
• Mix all dry ingredients
• Pour dry ingredients onto wet mixture
• Add dates and walnuts
• Bake for 25-30 minutes

She have experimented with a lot of recipes and the internet has been a major help with her experiments. Baking is her stress reliever, her problems and worries of the day would be gone. This baking junkie will never quit and dreams of having her own bakeshop someday.

You can visit her site for more of her baking adventures: http://bakescapade.tumblr.com/

Happy Eating Everyone!

3rd Annual Philippine International PyroMusical Competition

Get ready for the 3rd Annual Philippine International PyroMusical Competition, happening on February 11 to March 17 at the SM Mall of Asia.


This year, eleven countries would be competing for the coveted top prize. This annual event will put on a never-before-seen spectacle of lights and colors where the night sky and sea meet as staged by the world’s leading pyrotechnic experts. The event will not only glaze the Manila sky with dazzling showers of dynamic color, but will also be the venue to showcase the emerging artistry and evolving style of Filipino fireworks technology. 


The 2011 winners were China for 1st place, followed by United Kingdom on the second spot and Japan still at third place. Who do you think will be this year's winners?

For those of you who are interested, here is the schedule (show starts at 7pm) and the ticket prices:

So, get your cameras ready and capture amazing fireworks display from different participating countries.

2012 Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet

One of the biggest award ceremonies of the year, the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel last January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Hollywood A-listers didn't miss the chance to flaunt their glam making a serious statement on the 2012 Golden Globe Awards' red carpet. Actresses and TV personalities strode in front of the cameras in breathtaking designs by the greatest fashion houses. Check out some of the most memorable celebrity dresses from the event!

Innocent tones of white were plastered all over the 2012 Golden Globe Awards' red carpet. Screen sirens donned amazing garments in pure white, beige, cream, bone, off-white and nude accented with intricate lace, sequins or studs. Actress Charlize Theron walked the red carpet in a Dior gown with Cartier jewels and Givenchy sandals, while Kate Beckinsale and Elle MacPherson both looked stunning in their strapless mermaid gowns by Roberto Cavalli and Zac Posen.

Style icon and designer Nicole Richie shone in a metallic frock by Julien MacDonald, so did Angelina Jolie in an Atelier Versace creation. Mom of two, Jessica Alba donned a Gucci strapless gown drizzled with embellished detailing, while Australian actress Nicole Kidman opted for studs with a floor-length gown by Versace.

Colombian beauty Sofia Vergara flaunted her hourglass figure in a Vera Wang peacock-colored mermaid gown. Freida Pinto wore a lighter shade of peacock courtesy of Prada. Sarah Michelle Gellar stood out in a dramatic Monique Lhuillier tufted gown featuring contrasting ink blot prints.

Emma Stone and Salma Hayek had the privilege to wear unique, custom made designs to the 2012 Golden Globe Award. Emma Stone was wearing a wine and raspberry V-neck dress by Lanvin, while Salma Hayek donned Gucci. Glee's Lea Michele showed some skin in her metallic embroidered illusion dress from Marchesa.

Ladies in Red.......Viola Davis arrived wearing a one-shouldered chiffon gown by Emilio Pucci, while Reese Witherspoon made quite an entrance in a scarlet gown by Zac Posen. Glee girls Amber Riley and Dianna Agron rocked different shades of red, courtesy of Badgley Mischka and Giles.

Julianne Moore has chosen to wear a black strapless gown by Chanel, whilst Claire Danes played it safe in a black and white J. Mendel gown. Kate Winslet also kept her look simple with a black and white ensemble with a Jenny Packham dress, Roger Vivier shoes and Fred Leighton jewelry. As the new face of the Miss Dior handbags, Mila Kunis wore Christian Dior.


The full list of the winners at this year's Golden globe Awards:


Film:

• Best Picture, Drama: The Descendants
• Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: The Artist
• Best Actor, Drama: George Clooney, The Descendants
• Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
• Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
• Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
• Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
• Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
• Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
• Best Foreign Language: A Separation
• Best Animated Film: The Adventures of Tintin
• Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
• Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, The Artist
• Best Original Song: Masterpiece (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), W.E.

Television:

• Best Series, Drama: Homeland, Showtime
• Best Series, Musical or Comedy: Modern Family, ABC
• Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, Boss
• Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland
• Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, Enlightened
• Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
• Best Miniseries or Movie: Downton Abbey (Masterpiece), PBS
• Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
• Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, Luther
• Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
• Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
• Cecil B DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman

Halika Byahe Tayo! Summer Destinations ...... part 2

As promised, here is the continuation of the summer destinations I posted the other day.  There's a lot, so I'll just be posting a few, it would take me months to post everything that the Philippines has to offer.

Camsur
Camarines Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. It is the largest among the six provinces in the Bicol Region both in terms of population and land area. It is the most visited tourist destination nowadays because of it's white sandy beaches and of course the CWC "The Best Cable Park in the World".

wakeboarding at CWC

Basilica of Our Lady of Penafrancia

Caramoan

Ilocos Norte

Bangui Windmills

Ilocos Norte is located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon, its capital is Laoag City. The province offers a number of popular destinations for tourists, locals and foreigners alike. Because of its proximity to the South China Sea, tourist arrivals peak during the summer seasons, the beach resorts topping the most visited list.

Saud Beach, Pagudpud

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

St. Williams Cathedral

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Sinking Bell Towe

Ilocos Sur is also located in the Ilocos Region. Vigan City, located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the provincial capital. Vigan houses the most intact example of a Spanish colonial town in Asia. Other spots include pottery making and other forms of cottage industries. It also has hotels built in the "bahay na bato" ("stone house") style.

Calle Crisologo

Vigan Cathedral

        

Baluarte

Paoay Church

          

Burnayan

Boracay


Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards numerous times. 
The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak, and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan. Leisure activities available on or near Boracay include scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, cliff diving, and beach relaxation. In addition, Boracay offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs.  

With 2011 having seen a spindle in visitor arrivals, the Philippines’ tourism sector is moving ahead with plans to become a major engine for the country’s economic growth. Let us make the Philippines the leading tourist destination and commercial hub in Asia!