Azur: Clothing line for young men

Yes, it's that time of the year again - Junior Prom, Senior Ball and Graduation.

Our youngest boy will be having his prom this coming weekend. Since he prefers loose jeans and shirts, we really had nothing in his wardrobe that qualified as prom material. So off to the mall we went.

After checking out the brand I thought would have a lot of possibilities, we found that colors he was inclined to were no longer available in his size. Upon looking around the area, we chanced upon a new clothing line that caught my eye - Azur.

Luck of all lucks, the two designers behind Azur were visiting the Crossings branch. They gamely assisted me and my son and helped him pick out his prom attire.

Now, I would have posted my son's attire here but he's quite shy about it so let me just go with some other pics I took from Azur.

The two designers behind Azur are Charles Cua and Melchor Guinto. They told me that they choose materials carefully to ensure the utmost comfort when these are worn. Their style is inspired from what's fashionable in the European circuit but they tweak the designs to put in their own styles.

Melchor showed me some suits he personally designed. According to him, the collars of these suits are his personal design and he'd know if anyone else copied these.

Azur is also trying to bring back some fashion trends. Melchor told me they are trying to revive the use of suspenders (cool!). And he showed me the bowtie that they are now offering with their shirts. He says it's not that difficult to tie. And besides, there's YouTube daw. Hahahaha...

The bowtie...untied

Their shirts and pants are reasonably priced, to my mind. We got my son's shirt for only P1,499. And Charles and Melchor said that that is the price of just about everything in their clothing line. For young men or for those who are just beginning to work, who want to look good but don't want to pay hefty prices, Azur is definitely a place to check out.

Azur can be found at the Marquee Mall (Pampanga), Landmark Trinoma, Crossings EDSA Shangri-la and The Ramp Glorietta.

Check them out too at the next Fashion Week.

HiSense Launches Bluetooth Headsets

Despite the ordinance in some cities in the Metro banning the use of mobile phones while driving, I can still see so many people using their mobile phoes while on the road.

That is just one of the risks and inconveniences that bluetooth headsets are addressing. Hands-free mobile phone conversations reduce the risk of car accidents as you can keep your eyes on the road and both your hands on the steering wheel while talking.

But other than that, there are other advantages of using bluetooth headsets. You never have to miss that important call even when on a treadmill or fitness machine at the gym. For women, you could even be getting a manicure while chatting with your best friend on the phone. Or imagine yourself whipping up meals in your kitchen and still being able to talk on the phone while both hands are stirring the pan. I can think of more things you can do hands-free.

We are familiar with that other brand of Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones, Now, there's a new line of Bluetooth headsets from HiSense, a company that started out in China in 1969 as a small radio factory but which has now grown into a multibillion-dollar global conglomerate worldwide. Their Bluetooth mobile accessories range from multipoint mono Bluetooth headsets to stereo Bluetooth headsets to solar-powered hands-free car kits and portable solar-powered chargers. Their mono headsets and car kits can actually pair up to eight mobile devices while allowing the user to connect with two phones simultaneously, even if these two are with different network carriers.

The HB200 Mini and Slim Headsets

These two slim and compact headsets feature the Multi-Point Connection, allowing the user to connect two mobile phones (even from different carriers) at the same time. A new feature of this one compared to other brands is the magnetic clip that you can use as a tie clip or, with the provided lanyard, hang it around your neck. You'll never lose or misplace your headset. An optional ear hook is also provided. Both have 5.5 hours talk time, 150 hours standby time. SRP for both models: Php 1,950.

The HB400C Headset

This is the headset for music lovers because now you can stream your favorite music tracks in stereo sound with ease. It is wearable as a necklace, making it great for an active lifestyle. This has 6 hours of talk or play time and 160 hours standby time. SRP: Php 2,950.

Tutti Frutti: Yummy Yogurt!

I love yogurt. I have loved it for over 20 years. So when frozen yogurt became popular in the Metro, it also became a favorite with me. When a small group of my mommy blogger friends and I were invited last Feb. 17, 2011 to try Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt at SM Hypermart Pasig, I readily said YES. 

We had time to meet the franchisee, Allan Sio, who readily sat down with us to introduce us to Tutti Frutti. 

L-R: Michelle, Rone, Rowena, me, Noemi)

Allan Sio (center) holds the SM Hypermart Pasig franchise

Tutti Frutti has over 150 stores worldwide (California, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Hawaii, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Tahiti, Mexico, Hong Kong, Malaysia, etc).

It has over 50 different flavors but of course, you won't find all those in one visit. They have 4  yogurt dispensing machines, each of which can dispense 2 separate flavors using different levers or, choose the middle lever of each machine to dispense a combination of the 2 flavors in it.

Asian Fusion at Coco Asian Kitchen

 (UPDATE as of July 2011: This restaurant has closed down and has been replaced by another one)

Thanks to Chris, The Foodie Club had a chance to sample the menu of Coco Asian Kitchen. I thought the restaurant was a new one at Greenhills Promenade.

When my daughter and I got there, we realized that during the last 1 or 2 movies that we caught at Promenade, the kids and I did eat at the Promenade food court and already chanced upon Coco Asian Kitchen. But we never got a chance to sample the menu offerings as we usually got to Promenade just a few minutes before show time and usually went for the stalls that offered fastfood items.

The nice thing that I noticed about Coco Asian Kitchen was its very colorful facade. It was the most eye-catching of all the other restaurants in the Promenade lobby. Secondly, I personally love Asian fusion food because my taste buds can try the spices and cooking styles from different countries without having to go to different specialty restaurants featuring just one country's cuisine. There's one other Asian fusion resto at the Promenade but they cater more to diners who are ready for a sit-down dinner. Coco Asian is able to serve up fusion food more quickly -- great if you're in a hurry and not ready for a sit-down meal.

I did not get to try all the food served that night but let me give you some idea of their offerings.

First up is my favorite of the night - Ube Ubod (P120, solo). Truth be told, I had already seen Ube Ubod featured on the resto's wall but not being adventurous, I found it strange at first to see what looked like purple dumplings. The purple wrapper apparently was made of ube (yam) and tied with a string. I removed the string to expose the lumpia ubod inside. I dribbled (nah, I soaked) the lumpia in yummy peanut sauce. I'm glad that this was served up because it tasted just like Filipino lumpia ubod, a favorite of mine since ubod is the main ingredient of the Ilonggo (my province) style of lumpia. The peanut sauce, to me, clinched it. Now I know what I will be ordering often when I'm at Promenade.

Ube Ubod

My second favorite of the night is Dory ala Coco (P170, solo; P290, sharing). I'm a lover of dory fillet so it was a natural for me to go for this dish. It was breaded and deep-fried, then topped with sweet coconut-based sauce. I found the dory taste just right and soft inside despite it being breaded and fried. This was a new way of cooking dory because usually breaded items are dry, unlike this one which comes with a sauce. Crispy fried noodles came with this dish and I believe is best eaten when you crush the noodles into smaller bits, scoop up the coconut sauce and drizzle it over the noodles for flavoring. In my case though, I chose to take the dory with the rice served up.

Dory ala Coco

Share Krispy Kreme Hearts this Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day will be extra special for me and the family.

We received a box of Krispy Kreme and for once, they are NOT round but heart-shaped Valentine's Treats. My box has the zigzag-shaped hearts but they have two more designs -- scallops and a heart within a heart design. The doughnuts (topped with milk or white chocolate) may look different on the outside but inside, it's the same favorite doughnut with its trademark melt-in-your-mouth dough.

These heart treats are only available for a limited time - only until February 14, 2011. So this weekend, head out to the nearest Krispy Kreme branch near you and get a box - make that two - and share Krispy Kreme hearts with your special someone or with the family.

This Yogini is LOUD!

LOUD to me doesn't mean that your voice is necessarily loud because that only reflects the physical aspect. I believe being LOUD also means that you are able to influence someone in some way -- hopefully for the better.

In 2006, I got into yoga. At first, it was just all about me and my practice. But as I fell in love with it, I realized that yoga is not just for one's self but is something to be shared with others. At first, I did not know where to begin. But I had the chance to organize a free yoga class for bloggers in 2007 for a group of blogger friends. Here's our class pic below.

Bloggers pose after a yoga class with Teacher Pio

At around that time, I also decided to open my yoga blog, The Yogini from Manila, where I tried to be a resource point for those wanting to explore yoga by providing a list of studios in the Philippines. Through this yoga blog, I am able to shout out LOUD the benefits of yoga. Through it, I became friends with yoga teachers here and abroad. I've heard from readers looking for studios, asking how they can start yoga, seeking advice on anything from yoga styles to yoga wear, and many more.

Now, I have extended my being LOUD to Facebook by opening The Yogini from Manila Facebook page. Here, I can interact more with my contacts since I check Facebook often. It allows me to share LOUDly my love for yoga, even if I do not teach.

Several of my blogger friends now do yoga and continue to try it. This makes me so happy because I know yoga can make them healthier, maybe even slimmer. One thing's for sure, they become more active since bloggers oftentimes lead sedentary lives in front of the computer. Isn't that LOUD enough?