Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Love that choco

- Leonidas luxury chocolate box L14.95


- Richart chocolate $120/lb


- Leonidas medium velvet heart - L18.50



Everybody loves that chocolate because it tastes good. It is sweet and melts down the tongue. But many are into grabbing now the dark ones because of an added benefit.

Studies showed there are health benefits from it but whether it is the taste or the benefit, I think we should also know what is it that we get from it.

Chocolates that are dark as preferred by people nowadays contains substances called phenylethylamine and seratonin, both of which are the mood elevators found naturally in the human brain. Moreover, according to Arthur Agatston, a Miami-based cardiologist and author of "The South Beach Diet," dark chocolate is also healthier, because it has a higher percentage of cocoa than milk chocolate does.

Agatston says cocoa contains flavanols, which may help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system by relaxing blood vessels and keeping cholesterol from building up in them — thus reducing the risk of blood clots — and by slowing down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries. It is also an antioxidant. “Flavanols seem to have an aspirin-like effect, helping improve vascular endothelial function and moderate inflammation,” says Agatston.

Other than that chocolate lovers dig to have one and they are happy to have chocolate in just about any shape or form. The market is clearly growing and chocolate makers continue to offer new ones that lovers are wanting to have.

But caution is still the rule of thumb and in moderation. You can love that chocolate but never to a non-stop eating of those sweets.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Coffee and you


When the news came out that drinking coffee can prevent some illnesses, I think all coffee lovers including me were so delighted to hear that and rejoiced perhaps that they are way ahead just like friends lovely and q who confessed they are coffee addicts.

An article that I came across pointed out of one wanting a drug which could lower their risk of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, as well as colon cancer. A substance which could lift ones mood and relieve headaches. A drug that could lower the risk of getting cavities. It said coffee appears to be that substance.

Studies indicate coffee reduces the risk for diabetes and Parkinson's

Some studies have shown that coffee may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. After analyzing data on 120,000 people over an 18-year period (1), researchers at Harvard have concluded that drinking 1 to 3 cups of caffeinated coffee each day can reduce diabetes risk by several percentage points, compared with not drinking coffee at all.

Even more significant, is the fact that in this study, having 6 cups or more per day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's risk by 30% over those who avoided coffee. This study is the latest of hundreds of studies which suggest that coffee may be something of a health food - especially in higher amounts.

Around the globe the first thing that people do in the morning after doing their own rituals is grab a cup of coffee. Old and young alike these days love the bean that allow the mature ones a choice of brewed coffee or the young ones cold cappuccino or mocha java.

And whether one is in New York or in Davao City it is a lot easier nowadays to while away the time and relax in coffee shops because running a shop is thriving anywhere as lots of people turned coffee lovers too. I don't know if it is a trend but I learned loving it a long time ago.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Davao City: Asia's city to watch in the future







After being named as Asia's most livable city, Davao City this time was named by Finance Direct Investment (FDI) magazine of the Financial Times Group as one of the Top Ten Asian Cities in the Future.
Only three cities in the Philippines made it to the top ten. Aside from Davao City that landed on the tenth rank, Quezon City ranked 7th while Cebu City on the 8th place.
The premier cities of Singapore and HongKong got the first and second ranks respectively,
Among others these cities were rated based on investment opportunities and governance.
The FDI's locations of the future competition covers each region once every two years and the judges for the 2007-2008 survey were David Kinnear, president of DDC HRO, a provider of business process outsourcing in New York; James Ku, manager at the consultancy firm Tactus-Asia Ltd in Shanghai; Anupam Prakas, Asia Pacific leader, global business sourcing and business transformation, HR consultancy firm Hewitt Associates in India; and Larence Yeo, CEO of international consultancy from AsiaBiz Strategy in Singapore.
In the youngest citities category, Davao City made it to the top where Cebu City ranked 3rd and Quezon City on the 4th. The city of Davao ranked 2nd among the cities with lowest middle management salary costs and ranked third with the lowest senior management cost. It fall on the 6th place in terms of lowest manual cost category.
Davao City Councilor Leo Avila III who made the announcement during the January 8, 2008 regular session said that the result of the survey made by FDI is an indicator of how the global business views the city.
It is an added feather to Davao City's cap having been pronounced as competent enough to be placed among the ranks of high placed cities in the world like Singapore and HongKong.
Anybody from here got something to be proud of and all Dabawenyos must live by how the world views this city from the South

Coffee corner feature: Cafe Rysus


There is one place at the second level of SM City Davao which is a favorite hangout of business reporters like me firstly because of the coffee and its ambiance and the location (very near the internet cafe, printing outlet and a spa). We could talk and hold interviews there as well as write our stories for the day. That place is the Cafe Rysus where we get our cup of coffee.

Cafe Rysus came to the city 11 years ago and opened its first outlet at Quirino Street then at Victoria Plaza and now at SM City.

My cup of coffee of a dollar and 20 cents is the brewed coffee that blends well with the cheese cupcake or the chocolte cream cupcake.

There are several selections in there and if you want it hot you can have the espresso, espresso con pana, cappuccino, cafe latte, machchiato, cafe mocha, irish nut latte and banana nut latte. For cold coffee lovers one could choose from an iced coffee to iced cappuccino, iced mocha, coffee frappe, cookies and cream, hazelnut iced mocha latte. It also has flavored syrup with choices of banana, caramel, vanilla, kahlua, irish cream and hazelnut.

Cakes and pastries are also available from the blueberry cheesecake to strawberry chesscake, the durian pie, black forest, choco moist cake, mango float.

It also has on sale different kinds of bread and among the favorites is the Rosemary's Cheese Bread and this can also be bought at all groceries of the mercury drugstores in the cities of Davao, Digos, Tagum, Panabo.

But what is good with this coffee shop aside from the ambiance is the friendly and accommodating coffee maker Jean. So when in Davao try dropping by our fave hangout. There cup of coffee is worth the price. Be there and get a sip of your choice of coffee.

Coffee corner


Coffee corner will be a special feature of this blog to perk you up and directs you where to buy a cup of coffee in Davao City and other related topics.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Adventure in the south


Several must see places in Davao are ups for you to grab for an adventure. One is the Water Tubing in Sibulan River in Davao del Sur then a trip to the pygmy forest in San Isidro, Davao Oriental. There is also the Coral Garden Diving in the Island Garden City of Samal and the Caving in Kapalong, Davao del Norte. The Maragusan Falls in Compostela Valley Province is equally exciting as well as the Davao Wildwater Adventures and Davao's Orchid Garden.

And the most challenging is the Mt. Apo highest peak at 10,311 feet. You can experience the best adventures as you backpack your way across the islands and highlands of Davao and get to the peak of nature.

From trekking, caving, mountain bike safari, rapelling down waterfalls, river tubing to diving, mountain climbing and island hopping, this is the ultimate eco-tourism expedition in one fun-filled package.

Daily accessible by land, sea, and air, Davao City, the country's largest city is just an hour and a half flight away from Manila by plane.

Adventure Davao, a fun-filled package ready for the takers.

Leisure-residential sites

1192876258_1052572324_14a9ce7bae_m1.jpgFilinvest eyes new projects in Davao

After given the authority to sell by the Housing Land Use and Regulatory Board (HLURB), the Filinvest Land, Inc. plans to put up the second and third phases of Kembali Coast, the first of its kind leisure-residential development in Mindanao.

In an investment forum held at The Marco Polo Hotel, Dennis Molina, sales team head of Kembali Coast said over 50 percent of the 400 residential lots More...were already sold out to buyers coming from the different parts of the country.

Molina said the lot size of about 1,000 sq. m. gives the home buyer the privacy and exclusivity they desire.

The project lies in a 50 hectares property in the Island Garden City of Samal where it offers view lots located along the city's highest elevation that boast of majestic views of both the sea and the entirely exhilarating island.

The ridge/cliff lots are sprawled over a rolling terrain that conveniently rewards easy access to the beach white giving an exquisite peek of the Davao Gulf. The beachfront lots offer a spacious retreat each with a private path leading onto the fine white sand.

The Balinese-themed development gives one a taste of high-end resort living where a 1.8 km long beach line welcomes the residents to their home which is likened to a private own paradise.

The Kembali Coast offers numerous exotic amenities where every family member finds a personal watery haven. It has a pristine swimming pool that stretches to a beachfront that houses an aqua sports shop providing day rentals and tutorial programs.

The residents can do skiing; wake boarding and knee boarding where some branded aquasports equipment are available. It also has Canadian banana boats and Australian kayaks for the sports enthusiasts.

The Kembali Coast is every water-enthusiast's dreamscape where one can lay back on the shore or walk along moors at the docking facility lined with personal crafts as one could also watch Optimist sailboats speed by.

At Kembali there will be fantastic fusion of activities with infinite space for leisure and no room for boredom.

Housing Fund

Pag-IBIG to pour P4-B housing budget in Mindanao for 2008

Davao City, Phils (10 November) -- Pag-IBIG Fund will pour in P4 billion housing budget in Southern Philippines for 2008.

This was bared by Pag-IBIG Deputy chief executive officer Jaime A. Fabiana to businessmen in a recent forum during the Davao Trade Expo held in Davao City.

Fabiana said the allocation will also include P3 billion for institutional loans More...and corporatewide budget of the Fund for housing next year is pegged at P25 billion.

The businesses especially those engaged in real estate projects are encouraged to avail of the resources even as Fabiana said that the Fund is optimistic of a bright prospect for the real property industry next year saying that the performance of the industry is good as the market continue to be bullish.

The Pag-IBIG Fund undertakes institutional loans where it covers five programs that developers and housing projects proponents may avail of.
These include Development Loan Program, the Pag-IBIG City, Housing Construction Financing Line, Housing Receivable Financing Facility, the LGU Development Loan Program.

Meanwhile Fabiana said the Fund is aiming over a hundred percent increase in net income this year as against the P7.7 billion 2006. The satisfaction guaranteed service to their clients had consistently been maintained making them among Business World top 10 corporations. Other rated corporations are the National Power Corporation, Smart Communications, Inc., PLDT, Pilipino Telephone Corp., Chevron Malampaya Corp., PNOC Energy Development Corporation, Globe Telecom, Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands and Ayala Corporation.

Golf Match in Davao City

Pinol explains recent golf scuffle

Davao City being marketed to the world as a golf destination is one aspect for tourism and enthusiasts are most welcome to come to the city.

Except for an incident last November 9 at the Davao City Golf Club where North Cotabato Vice-Governor Emmanuel Pinol allegedly struck a South Korean with a golf clubMore... causing injuries.

The police identified the Korean national as one Young Yong Yun.

The incident was already reported through international news but Pinol said the media trivialized the incident and made it appear like an ordinary fracas between individuals.

“Had the media investigated deeper, they would have appreciated a bigger picture that would explain why it had to happen,” he said.

He said it was a Filipino friend golfer who approached him and complained that a South Korean national who was playing behind him with two others (an elder man a woman) hit a ball towards him and even shouted at him.

“That is a no-no in the game of golf which is considered as a gentleman’s game. But more than that I thought that it was very rude on the part of the foreigner to do that to a Filipino right in his homeland,” he said.

He said he advised the Filipino golfer to talk to the Korean which he did as soon as the three got off the 9th green. Instead of apologizing he heard the Korean shout at the Filipino saying that the reason why he did it was because the Filipino was playing slow.

There was an exchange of heated words from the two prompting Pinol to step forward and tell the Korean that if the Filipino was playing slow, he should just have told his caddy to advise the player in front of him to play faster.

He said instead of heeding his advice the Korean turned to him and started shouting at him.

“I was carrying a putter which I was using on the practice green and as I was nearing him he shouted “common hit me, hit me !”. I wanted to hit him right there and then but his older companion came to me and appeased me. It was at this point when he poked his golf club at my face, prompting me to parry the club and hit him. He tried to fight back but people nearby pushed him back,” he said.

In press statement it said that the Davao City Golf Club Board of Directors has issued an order banning that South Korean from ever playing in the golf course not only because of the November 9, 2007 incident but also because of previous incidents on arrogance, lack of courtesy and respect to other players.

Pinol said many foreign nationals look down upon us simply because Filipinos cannot even stand up and fight for their dignity as a people. “I thought I imparted that message to that rude and arrogant South Korean,” he said.

Pinol said he has nothing against Koreans in general as many of them are his friends but this particular Korean should be taught a lesson on how to behave in a country where he is just a visitor.

Aged-Care study program

Studying Aged Care Work offered by Charlton Brown, an internationally private registered training organization is now offered in Davao City by IL Institute.

Charlton Brown is Australia's leading education and placement service provider in the care industries. Established in 1985, it has trained more than 6,000 students and placed many in employmentMore... locally, nationally and internationally.

Prospective clients can avail of the levels of training where for three months one gets the assessment/certification in Davao, 24 months is needed to study and work in Australia with family and another 18 months one can be eligible for a professional work visa in Australia. Taking these courses a person can attain permanent residence eligibility in Australia.

The Aged Care Industry is fast growing in Australia. It has extremely high job placement prospects for graduates.

After completing the three-month course, graduates can expect to gain employment in an aged care facility or even as a companion or personal care worker in a home setting. Certificate III is also a pathway to offer health care profession such as nursing.

Throughout the course the students are required to complete practical work at a Residential Aged Facility giving them opportunity to discover what it is really like to work in the industry and gain valuable hands-on experience, putting the classroom theory into practice.

The students will also develop their skills in a range of areas including personal, emotional and spiritual care, clinical nursing needs, quality of life theraphies, industry specific communication and teamwork skills, and workplace health and safety elements.