Food – Sushi Sushi Sushi

Posted on October 24th, 2009 by Jose Farrugia

I had dinner with my parents on my birthday at local Japanese food chain restaurant in the Philippines called Rai Rai Ken. I have no idea what that means, feel free to add a comment on the meaning below.

We ate at the Asiatown IT Park, the call center town, branch which is located on the ground floor of the new i2 building. We ordered two bentos which came coupled with Miso Soup, a separate Japanese soup and nine pieces of Sushi. The Sushi chef was kind enough to supply us one extra as it was my birthday. Awww, how sweet.

I am not a food expert or master, however, I’d definitely recommend Rai Rai Ken to those who want to gobble on Japanese food at an affordable price. A typical Bento costs around P250 to P300, while, the typical 8 Sushi dish hovers around P195. I say, that’s fair enough!

A ten out of ten! Yum!

Tags: Asia IT Park, Asian, Cebu City, Food, Japan, Japanese, Philippines, Rai Rai Ken, Restaurant

Urban Cebu – Graffiti Art

Posted on October 23rd, 2009 by Jose Farrugia

I have been living in Cebu City for the past four years already and I am already getting familiar with the streets, roads, short cuts and surroundings the city has to offer. Nonetheless, I am still having a hard time fully understanding the local dialect, Cebuano or commonly known as “Bisaya”. “Kasabot gamay!” (I understand a little). However, this doesn’t stop me from venturing out, socializing and taking pictures.

Cebu City is now becoming the home of famous cultural art icons, Monique Lhuillier, a well-known fashion designer whose work has been sold to Hollywood celebrities and Kenneth Cobonpue (see my pictures of some of his work), a furniture designer whose work has been sold to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Nowadays, “professional” graffiti artists are being hired to decorate and spice up the dull walls of the city. One of these gifted artists formed a group called “UBEC Crew” (Cebu reversed backwards if you haven’t noticed).

The pictures above were taken on the corner of the Shell Gas Station in Salinas Drive, a restaurant haven and night life spot. Can anyone interpret the art sprayed on the wall?

Stay tuned for more urban photos!

Tags: Art, Cebu City, Graffiti, Jose Farrugia, Philippines, Photography, Photos, Salinas Drive, Snaps, Urban

Philippine Blog Awards 2009

Posted on October 19th, 2009 by Jose Farrugia

The Philippine Blog Awards, Visayas Edition, took place on October 18, 2009 at City Sports Club, Cebu City. Dozens of bloggers attended the event including two from Manila. Moreover, those who attended got four free magazine issues – Yummy, Men’s Healthy, Women’s Health (I don’t think I need this) and a parental magazine (again something I don’t need). Nonetheless, these magazines were back issues from July 2009. Summit Media, the sponsor of the event, must think we’re cheap. I would have preferred a later issue, perhaps September can do? Anyway, they were free so I should stop complaining

Congrats to Sinjin, McBilly, Jorich and the other CBS members for grabbing the blogger awards, and yes to those who were lucky enough to win the raffle.

Congrats to McBilly – He’s quite hyperactive in this shot.

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Tags: Blogging, Cebu, City Sports, Philippine Blog Awards, Philippines, Visayas

GoodYear Women’s Drive Workshop

Posted on October 19th, 2009 by Jose Farrugia

GoodYear Philippines organized a workshop for women to be more knowledgably on road safety and equips them with knowledgea of a vehicle’s different areas, including the engine, fluids, electrics, belts, hoses, wipers, under body and tires.

The event was hosted at ParkMall, Mandaue City, Cebu on October 16, 2009 which also happened to be the day when I purchased my new Canon 50D Body over at Pixel Pro, Park Mall.

Moreover, Pia Boren, a famous female race car driver in the Philippines was present at the event.

Beautiful Freelance models: Aizel and Red

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Tags: Drive, GoodYear, Jose Farrugia, Pia Boren, Snapshots, Women, Workshop

Canon 7D’s Price in the Philippines

Posted on October 16th, 2009 by Jose Farrugia

So everyone here in the Philippines is wondering how much the newly released Canon 7D will cost. Well, Canon Philippines has recently updated their price list and according to them the Canon 7D would have a price tag of PHP 99, 950. That’s a whooping 100K camera, boys and girls! Whew!

Here are some of the main features:

• 18MP
• Dual Digic IV Processors
• Full HD Movie Recording (1080p and 720p)
• 8 Frames Per Second
• 19 Auto Focus Poins

Nonetheless, you can try grabbing the camera from other retail stores around the Philippines at a lower price. Pixel Pro, the newly opened store at Park Mall Cebu, will be selling the Canon 7D later this month or November. Here are their prices:

• Body Only – P97,700 SRP – 6 months installment
• Kit 18-135 mm – P123,200 SRP – 6 months installment
• Kit 15-85 mm IS – P142,200 SRP – 6 months installment

Freebies: 8GB CF, 4GB limited edition 5D MKII USB flash drive
3 years Canon warranty

That’s roughly about P2000 cheaper than Canon Philippines and to top it all, Pixel Pro includes several freebies too. The price of the Canon 7D would be a lot cheaper if you fork out hard earned cash.

Tags: Canon 7D, Philippines, Pixel Pro, Price