Anybody who has tried organizing a party or get-together without much experience would admit how hard it could be to stay on top of everything to ensure a smooth-sailing event. I've had my share of mishaps while staging birthday parties for my sons when they were small because information about party planning was scarce during those pre-internet years.

Children's Party theme

These days, if you need guidance on party do's and don'ts, you can easily log on to www.hizoncatering.com and find an extensive collection of tips and tricks at the blog section. However, if you want to really enjoy your party and relax with your guests, it's much better to just contact them and allow them to take charge!

delectable hors d' oeuvres

Hizon's Catering is a popular name when it comes to providing food, service, and amenities for parties that range from simple and casual to lavish and formal. They can accommodate anywhere between 50 and 15,000 guests. In fact, since 1989, they've been busy behind the scenes of weddings, anniversaries, baptisms, birthdays, graduations, seminars, Christmas parties, product launches, and many more! 

cakes are one of those little things that can make or break a party

What are amenities, you ask? They're the little things -- decor, hotel reservation, bridal car, entertainment, sound system, cake -- that can add up and become a big headache if one or more suddenly becomes missing or broken on the big day. 

Joseph Hizon

General Manager Joseph Hizon assures that inconveniences like that can be avoided because they take care of everything. "We assign an event planner to every client to coordinate all the details. We don't mark-up on it. It's like an added service. We've always been known for giving good value," he shares. Their packages start at P450/pax. Although based in Metro Manila, Hizon's has gone as far as Subic, Batangas, and Rizal. 

party food for kids and kids-at-heart

Apart from good service, Hizon's is also well-known for their consistently good food. Joseph reveals, "There is no secret recipe, we just make everything from scratch. As part of our culture, we don't allow instant food and flavorings in our kitchens."

beautiful wedding setup

Recently, Hizon's Catering provided bloggers a sneak peek of their offerings and it was amazing how they were able to fit four party themes on each corner of Oasis Manila's Pavillon. On one end was an elegant Wedding setup complete with bride and groom along with a buffet featuring soup, salad, main course, and a carving station.

pretty table setting

At the circus-themed and colorful Children's Party corner, the fare were delightfully a more sophisticated version of the kiddie meals we are commonly familiar with. There was also a balloon twister whose creations went home with happy owners.

cute twisted balloon minion

The third and glamorous corner was dedicated to an Awards Night theme complete with red carpet and paparazzis. Hor d'oeuvres were passed around and a dessert bar with a variety of tempting treats waited for those with a sweet tooth.      

elegant awards night theme

We also had the chance to see how a Corporate Seminar setup looks like. Since it was supposed to be a morning affair, the omelette cooking station with lots of fillings to choose from made up for the serious ambiance of the stark long tables meant for attendees.

savory treats

There were so many food items to sample, I wasn't able to try all of them but enjoyed everything that ended up on my plate. All the dishes were whipped up by the kitchen team headed by Chef Simon Dayrit while event styling was taken cared of by Drew Menor. The event planning group, on the other hand, was led by Cheska Pineda.

sweet temptations

Having experienced being a guest in a lot of parties and events, I am very much in favor of handing over the reins of being party organizer to the experts. So, if you also have a dream event in mind, make sure to give Hizon's Catering a call. They are the caterer accredited by the most number of venues (375 as of this writing) in Metro Manila. For more information, visit www.hizonscatering.com, email info@hizonscatering.com, or call (02) 925.0103 / (02) 925.0107.

practicing for our silver anniversary next year! :)

Thank you to the following partners for making the bloggers event possible: Oasis Manila, Advent Light & Sounds, Sentimental Groove Band, Bars Datiles Design Props, Star Balloon, Enzuno Cakes, The Photoman, Keon Salon, Jerome Yu LED Projector, and emcee Myra Lorenzo.

Summer breaks give us, parents, more time to oversee our children's food choices and encourage them to pursue fitness activities. However, once they start going to school again, it gets more difficult to monitor if they're still eating healthy given their exposure to a lot of junk foods outside the home.

Thus, Robinsons Supermarket encourages families, especially students, to continue their journey towards healthy living this back-to-school season by discovering nutritious and rewarding food choices through Learn Wellness, the second promo event in the Route to Wellness campaign. 

Last Saturday, Robinsons Supermarket held its Magical World of Wellness event at Eastwood Central Plaza. I love the enchanting Harry Potter world setup, especially the photo booth where my son and I got to dress up as wizards from Hogwarts! All the booths have their own creative themes and interesting activities that guests got to enjoy. 

The fun wizarding exercises included a VTR game, potion-making, and finders-keepers game. Select moms were also able to learn how to make bento-boxes that they can prepare for their kids' baon when school starts next month. All these activities aim to help educate kids and kids-at-heart on the importance of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Robinsons Supermarket's Route to Wellness campaign is the company's commitment to strengthen its We Love Wellness advocacy that enables it to provide healthier food options and alternatives to Filipinos. 

From May 1 to June 30, 2017, shoppers will get a P100 OFF coupon for a minimum single receipt purchase of P3,000 at Robinsons Supermarket. Purchases must be inclusive of P500 worth of participating products from Nestle, CDO, Splash, Wyeth, or Purefoods. Loyal shoppers can also earn additional 10 Robinsons Rewards Card points when they buy select Nestle products during this promo.

Personally, I am really happy to support advocacies that promote health and wellness since my husband and I are also actively trying to keep our family fit through running and other physical activities as well as through healthy food choices.

Please stay updated with Robinsons Supermarket's upcoming activities and learn more about its Route to Wellness campaign by liking facebook.com/RobinsonsSupermarketOfficial and visiting www.robinsons-supermarket.com.ph.

I have a deep respect for makeup artists who can transform their clients’ looks and make them even more beautiful. I am sure fellow non-experts would agree how hard it is to apply makeup seamlessly to achieve a flawless look. 

Of course, anyone who loves wearing makeup likes being updated on the latest trends and keep learning from the masters. Like many popular makeup artists, a lot of us also enjoy checking out the latest and hottest products, which can be easily found at The SM Store Beauty Section. 

As the Philippines’ biggest beauty retailer that carries numerous global brands in its impressive interiors, The SM Store Beauty Section lives up to its status as a haven for everyone longing for a unique beauty experience.

makeup industry icons: Fanny Serrano, Bambi Fuentes, and Jesi Mendez

This past week, over 200 of the best makeup artists in the Philippines flocked to the SM Beauty Section of SM Makati to join a Glam Session event and shopping party that celebrated the long and solid relationship between SM Beauty and its clientele. As a token of appreciation, each makeup artist guest received an SM Beauty PRO-Card that entitles them to enjoy 10% discount on purchases, other perks from the store, first dibs on new collections, and exclusive invites to events.

Part of the activities was a contest/demo on creating “the mermaid look” in partnership with BYS Cosmetics. Three talented makeup artists took on the challenge and, while all the creations turned out to be amazing, MJ Nubla bagged the top spot and won some awesome prizes. 

SM Beauty Pro-Card for make up professionals

The SM Store Beauty Section is the biggest store in the country offering “So Much Beauty” with its wide range of cosmetics and fragrances. In fact, the flagship store in SM Makati spans almost 2,500 square meters, housing almost 200 of the most esteemed local and global beauty brands.

Some of the brands to be found at the Cosmetics and Skin section include Dior, MAC, Clinique, Aveda, Kiehl’s, Glamglow, and more. Luxury fragrances, on the other hand, boasts of Prada, Nest, Lalique, Atelier Colognes, Thiery Mugler, Guerlain, Jean Patou, etc. SM Beauty moreover carries notable names such as BYS, Happy Skin, Pixi, Ofra, K-Palette, Nyx, The Body Shop, and many others.

master makeup artist Jigs Mayuga, beauty queen Shamsey Supsup, and Jing Monis

Whether you are just starting your journey in discovering the benefits of makeup or are already an expert in creating the perfect look, do explore the world of SM Beauty where you can find the best of the best from makeup and skin care to fragrance brands. Don’t forget to bring your SM Advantage, SM Prestige, or BDO Rewards card as these are also entitled to exclusive discounts and promos at The SM Store Beauty Section! 

Healthy competition brings about fun and learning. That's what student participants get when they join JOLLY University (JU), a yearly event that offers unforgettable experiences in developing their culinary, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills as future culinary and industry leaders. 

Now on its fourth successful year, JU once more empowers the youth as it fosters industry-ready competitiveness as well as cooperative relationships among students and institutions in the promotion of culinary excellence and business innovation.

A steep and well-fought encounter took place at the Le Pavilion Tent in Pasay City last week with 120 elite finalists from 23 different schools who pulled out their best and most creative JOLLY-inspired dishes. Clinching the coveted titles in the different divisions were the following winners: 

With the theme "It's More JOLLY in the Philippines," JU was held in conjunction with the Grand Cook-Off and the JOLLY Congress. I had the pleasure of hearing very inspiring talks by Bryan Kong of Crazy Katsu, film director Ivan Payawal, nutritionist Cheshire Que, Philippine Star's VBerni Regalado, and Jose Mari Oquinena of Gawad Kalinga. I am sure the students got a lot of tips from them as well about life, health, and even love for country.

Ralph Rebulanan, Associate Product Manager of JOLLY Food Line, shared, "We believe in fostering competitiveness, innovation, and entrepreneurship skills through programs that support youth development is a great investment that leads to positive outcomes both for the next generation and for the country."

What he said was affirmed by JU elite finalist Francis Marion Santos of Centro Escolar-Manila, who expressed being thankful and honored to be part of JU batch 4. "The hands-on training, coaching tips, and mentorship by the esteemed chefs gave me and the others a huge confidence boost." 

This year's JU grand winners walked away with P50,000 worth of cash and prizes, trophies, culinary training workshop under CCA Manila, and an internship program under Fly Ace Corporation where they will receive comprehensive, job-ready skills development training from the industry's best practitioners. 

I have friends who got married and whom one is Filipino and the other is Chinese. I am happy to see them live happy lives and am sure they do so because they have learned to embrace each others cultural values over time. 

Chinese New Year theme for HOOQ Hangouts

It's nice that the Mano Po movie series featured this kind of marriage in MANO PO 7: Chinoy as it gave many of us a peek into the lives of a Chinese-Filipino family and how they cope with their differences in beliefs, values, and traditions. 

Since I wasn't able to catch the movie during the 42nd Metro Manila Film Festival (see the list of winners, here) screening, I'm glad HOOQ, Asia's largest video on demand service, chose to screen it at the Globe Iconic Store - BGC Ampitheater in Bonifacio Global City last Saturday. It is a very apt film for welcoming the Year of the Fire Rooster.

Fresh from its theatrical release last December, MANO PO 7: Chinoy features a star-studded ensemble cast led by Richard Yap, Jean Garcia, Eric Quizon, Jessy Mendiola, Enchong Dee, Janella Salvador, Jake Cuenca, Kean Cipriano, and Marlo Mortel. 

Jean Garcia having a light moment with Richard Yap and event host Valerie Tan

HOOQ Hangouts is presented by Globe Live in cooperation with Samsung. It is a series of outdoor screening events that showcases HOOQ’s vast library of carefully curated content. Lead actors Richard and Jean graced the event and posed for photos with some lucky winners from one of HOOQ's promos.  

Jane Cruz-Walker, Country Manager of HOOQ Philippines, explained, "We chose Mano Po 7 for this month’s HOOQ Hangouts not only to celebrate the Chinese New Year but also to emphasize that HOOQ will be the first to have the newest local movies after their theatrical run. Now, movie fans don’t have to wait as long since we will try to make it available on HOOQ as soon as possible." She announced that Mano Po 7 and other 2016 MMFF entries will be on HOOQ starting summer.

FYI, HOOQ subscribers can now enjoy over 1,200 Filipino movies spanning almost five decades of film making, and over 4,000 hours of local television leaving other video-in-demand services way behind in terms of Filipino content. 

Apart from Mano Po 7: Chinoy, other anticipated movies soon to be available only for HOOQ subscribers include Camp Sawi, I Love You To Death, That Thing Called Tanga Na, My Rebound Girl, The Escort, Bakit Lahat ng Guwapo May Boyfriend?, and Working Beks. 

In addition, viewers can also watch catch up episodes of the latest GMA 7 TV series including Alyas Robinhood, Someone To Watch Over Me, Meant To Be, Ika-Anim na Utos, and more in the coming months.

"As the exclusive presenter of the Metro Manila Film Festival, we will soon have the 2016 MMFF top grosser Die Beautiful and the Nora Aunor starrer Kabisera available on HOOQ.  The rest of the entries will also soon find its way onto HOOQ!" added Jeffrey Remigio, HOOQ Philippines Director of Content and Programming.

Make HOOQ your prime destination for thousands of foreign and local movies and TV series. It has the largest library of Philippine-made movies amongst any video-on-demand service in the country.

"Pinoy films and TV shows are closest to our hearts because it tells the stories of our lives and we can all relate to them.  That’s why it’s so importantly for us to continuously enrich our growing library with more quality local content from the top Philippine production studios," described Cruz-Walker who also mentioned Erik Matti’s On The Job: The Series, co-produced with Globe Studios. This will be the very first local production to be exclusively shown on a video on demand service. 

For a list of other local films to catch on HOOQ, please read my other post about the #LovePinoy HOOQ Hangouts, here.

HOOQ has over 10,000 movies and TV shows available for streaming or download. Globe At Home customers can get up to 6 months access to HOOQ with plans P1,299 and up, while Globe mobile customers can also get up to 6 months trial on selected prepaid and postpaid plans. You may also visit www.hooq.tv to sign up for a 7-day free trial.