Niu by Vikings at SM Aura

I have to admit, I have never eaten at any Vikings restaurant before.  But, I've been hearing a lot of good things about their newest venture at SM Aura, aptly named Niu (which means "nine" in the Viking language), and represents the 9th restaurant of the Vikings group.

If you plan on going to Niu anytime soon, I suggest you make reservations first.  It is quite easy, we made our reservations online, received a confirmation by e-mail on the same day and a text confirmation on the day of our reservation.  It gave me the impression that they are orderly and professional.

On the day of our reservation, we took the lift straight to the 6th level from the basement parking area of SM Aura which opened directly to Niu on the left side.  Niu has elegant interiors, decked with chandeliers, plush velvet and leather seats.  It had an expanse buffet selection that occupied the entire left side of the restaurant as you enter until the very end of the restaurant at the back. 

Upon arriving at Niu, the maitre d' will welcome you and ask for your name so she can check their reservations list and bring you to your table.  If you arrive earlier than your reservation, there is an area where you can stay and wait until the restaurant opens at 11:00 a.m.

We were seated at the B section it is closer to my favorite Mediterranean cuisine  

The weekend that was: A visit to Magaul Bird Park at Jest Camp, Subic Bay

If you are planning to have a weekend getaway, Subic Bay is a really good choice.  Just two hours away from Manila, they have beaches where you can enjoy the summer sun and engage in fun water activities, be one again with nature and go on adventure hikes, take the scenic bike route plus there are also several new attractions that are unique to Subic Bay.  One of which, Mickey and I were able to visit - the Magaul Bird Park at Jest Camp.

We paid the park admission of Php 370.00 per person to see the attractions, but there are different packages to avail of should you wish to get more adventurous and try other things like - taking the Goliath swing challenge (where you can swing up to 30 feet high over a cliff with a panoramic view of Subic Bay) or take the Aerial Adventure Walk (where you get to tackle their tree top obstacle course and finish by taking the zipline at the end).

Here's how our day went at the Magaul Bird Park at Jest Camp, Subic Bay:

The weekend that was: Our Subic Bay road trip, Breakfast at Subic Bay Yacht Club and Our Helmet Hair Adventures

Summer is here!  What better way to kick-off this season but to go on an out of town trip, enjoy good weather, calmer scenery and do outdoor activities.

Last week, Mickey and I were able to do just that, we went to Subic Bay for 3 days.  We brought our Dahon S.U.V. foldies (folding bikes) with us, our trustee Coleman cooler that looks like luggage with wheels and enough groceries to last for the trip.

Here are some photos from the weekend that was.

This is at Subic Bay Yacht Club.  We had buffet breakfast at Cambusa Bistro, the restaurant had floor to ceiling windows, with a view of the marina and all these beautiful yachts parked outside.  It felt like we were in Sausalito, but really, were just in sunny Subic Bay.  It's beautiful here and we can't help but linger a little longer than usual just to memorize the view.

Experience #MoistureThatLasts with The New Olay Body Wash Moisture Outlast Collection

Living in a country with tropical weather, has many advantages.  One of which is that it feels like summer most of the time, allowing us to enjoy some valuable vacation time in our island's beautiful beaches.  But along with the warm weather that we enjoy, is also the need to go inside and take refuge in our homes to cool down our bodies with the help of air-conditioning. 

Exposure to the sun dries up our skin, but did you know that we also lose our body's moisture and natural oils by exposing it to cool air that also dries out our skin, oftentimes resulting to cracked skin.  In fact, in a recent poll, 57% of women in Cosmopolitan Philippines revealed that women do not think that air conditioning causes skin to dry.

This summer, whether you're basking under the glorious sun or cooling down in an air-conditioned room, your skin needs longer lasting moisture.  Unfortunately, your everyday beauty bar just might not be able to do the job.

In the recent #MoistureThatLasts Press event and Consumer Swap, Olay Ambassador, Bea Alonzo shares that she keeps her skin moisturized with The New Olay Body Wash Moisture Outlast Collection.  It's new formula is composed of powerful active moisturizers that penetrate skin layer by layer unlike beauty bars and other body washes.  She also shares that The New Olay Body Wash effectively moisturizes without leaving the skin feeling greasy, making it the perfect beauty companion this summer and all year round!

Consumers were also asked to try Olay's swap machine (a giant air-conditioner) during the event where they can swap their non-P&G soaps for a bottle of the New Olay Body Wash Moisture Outlast Collection.  How cool!

Girls who love Olay

From left to right: Tina Villa, Chessika Chua, Phya Pineda, Camie Juan and Arisse de Santos

 

My favorites at this year's March 2015 Manila Fame and meeting world-renowned Million Dollar Decorators Mary McDonald and Nathan Turner

Every year, Manila Fame and the Philippines International Furniture Show always has something special in store for buyers, exporters and importers.  All of whom have a common goal when attending the show - a strong desire to see the latest in local furniture design and if you're lucky enough, you can get your hands on some of them at the show itself.  I absolutely love beautifully crafted local furniture and I am proud of how far our local designers have taken design and craftsmanship to a global level.   

The weekend that was: Our 6th Wedding Anniversary, Celebrating Earth Hour and Our Suite Escape Experience at The Linden Suites

If there's one word that would best describe the past week that Mickey and I just had, it would have to be - busy.  Don't get me wrong, it's the good kind.  The kind that brings forth blessings and the kind that allows you to bless others as well.

This summer is probably the one summer that we were not able to plan a proper vacation due to commitments, but still, God has His way of surprising us in different ways.  A few days before our 6th wedding anniversary, I was praying to God and asking Him, how I hope that Mickey and I can celebrate our anniversary despite our busy schedule.  Guess what?  Just like an answered prayer, we received an invitation from The Linden Suites to try out one of their newly renovated Suites on our anniversary.