The Potter's Ridge Hotel

Tired of the hustles and bustles of the city? Why not try to have a trip to Tagaytay and savor the fresh breeze of the mountains at one of the best hotel Tagaytay has to offer - The Potter's Ridge Hotel. Its just 67 Kilometers away from Makati. Experience the luscious greens, the breathe of fresh air, a pause from reality as you enjoy this very quiet and tranquil place that you will surely relieve the stress out of your tired and busy body.

Their rooms are generously large enough for your maximum relaxation. Enjoy their FIlipino inspired furnitures that will surely make you feel home. This room is one of the best ived ever seen when you're talking about a room with a view.. Look at that! Taal Volcano is just a glimpse away! Its simply awesome.

Upon waking up., you will see Taal Volcano peeking into you as you enjoy the hum of the birds which is quite beautiful to hear unlike the sound of your snarly alarm clock. As you stand up and stretch your arms.., you'l simply say.. ahhhhh.. tahhgaytay love.... Awesome view.. breath-taking!

In this place., every room has a view! The rooms are all facing the ridge giving you a nice clean view of Taal volcano. The place is also well maintained and everything is clean, spic and span! The furnitures are really beautiful. The tables and chairs are awesome pieces im sure it will also attract your attention.

Other rooms are also big. Perfect for families who wish to relax and have a wonderful stay in Tagaytay. Wake up with the sound of birds and even goats roaming around the fresh greens surrounding the hotel... Its an instant satisfaction for all your tired and weary eyes...

After a long day taking pictures, i was tired and really hungry. I went to the cafeteria and grabbed some lunch. Again, the room is screaming with an awesome view. Fresh breeze enters the room makin it a little chilly.. perfect for some hot soups... or bulalo!

The chef served me some stripped chicken with vegetables. Looks like an ordinary chicken dish to me but tell you., this is so delicious! Love the presentation. Its really good!

My stay at Potter's Ridge is like a very nice dream. Everything seems to be perfect! Spectacular view of Taal, very nice and hospitable people, good food, and a place with a Filipino ambiance that will surely give you the proper relaxation your body is asking for. Visit potter's ridge and im sure you wont regret your stay...

For more info., visit The Potter's Ridge website. Thank you to Ms. Fe and her staff for the warm hospitality they gave me. Definitely, im goin to visit this place real soon....

Nemoto Japanese Restaurant

I always loved Japanese food. Specially sushi. Adik lang sobra. Saw-saw mo sa kikoman na may wasabi..tapos dapat naka chopsticks para mas authentic yung pagka-japanese! hehe. Together with our Post Sales goddess - Cara Roman (haha), ininvade namin ang Jap restaurant named Nemoto. Its located at Gil Puyat.

Its like a dream... ang sarap sarap talaga kumain.. Nemoto is one of those places na di naman gaano kalaki and you would think its another one of those ordinary Jap restaurants. The good thing about this place is that they are tied-up with a travel agency. So usually, tourists who come here can book travel packages as well! Nung andun kami, there were two Japanese tourists who are booked to go to Taal Lake. =)

This halaan soup is so good! Yung flavor ng halaan just overpowers the soup! Halaan or clams is one of my favorite seafood dishes and this good is goodness in a bowl. love it1

Such a nice place. I would like to thank Sir Alvin for his hospitality. Sarap ng food nila. Hands down! I highly recommend this place if you love japanese food. Nemoto will soon have a deal at Ensogo coming very soon and please do support their deal.and its an amazing deal. The first photo will be their deal at ensogo and i do believe they will give it 50% less! Please check http://ensogo.com.ph for more details.

Nemoto., u just made our day! thanks also to cara for assisting me with the shoot. :)

Ice Cream Overload at The Creamery

They say, everytime your sad and feel a little down, the best remedy would be Ice Cream! Lots and lots of Ice cream... Seriously, it would make you feel better. We invaded this really very colorful ice cream place at Mall of Asia named The Creamery and it was quite an experience ! Photo above is their famous Choo Choo train where 3 scoops of ice cream , vanilla, mango and chocolate, topped with nuts and chocolate syrup, garnished with bananas and smothered by whip cream. All formed like a choo choo train. Pretty neat huh?

They have an open kitchen enclosed in an ice cream van whici is a really nice concept by the way. As you look at how they prepare your ice cream makes you mouthwater profusely!

forgot the name of this ice crem and this one is one of their bestsellers. strawberry ice cream with bananas and peaches! Spell yummy?? argh.. im craving right now..

All sorts of goodies simply captures my playful eye. Love the colors! I want these sprinkles on top of my ice cream!

Not only they serve ice cream, they also have great food as well. I love this grilled pork belly. I was hungry that time and i really need something to eat and this one just made me drool. Sarap din nito.. They also serve good pasta according to the reviews. The creamery also handles ice cream parties within their store. I saw one of the staff preparing the loot bags.

although the price is a little tough on the budget, its still one of those places youd love to drop by specially if you love ice cream. Go visit The Creamery at Mall of asia and experience the cold truth about these mouthwatering delights!

A Day at Little Archers

Theres this place at Mall of Asia where kids will definitely scream in delight once they step in this world full of toys, slides, colored balls and more toys!!! This place is called Kids Universe and this is a huge place for kids. Ensogo has a deal with Little Archers and its like a small school for pre-school and infants.

Kids will sure have a great time playing, listening to stories and do a lot of learning activities both kids and their parents will enjoy!

Photographing kids is challenging yet fun! Raw emotions painted in their faces once they strike a pose...and sometimes its even hard for them to make them pose! Thats why its challenging! If you can see the BTS of this shoot, you will see me laying on the ground.. shooting really low to have that better angle :)

Mandarin Sky Seafood & Shabu Shabu

Here we go again! Another photoshoot for me and yes! Im so damn excited about it! Photoshoots is usually stressful but its fun and i learn a lot from it. Parang every shoot, meron akong natututunan na technique or bagong angle or hitting the right settings for my strobes and camera. Im gaining a lot of experience photographing food and even styling it! And of course, enjoying the food after the shoot! =)

I accidentally left my speedlight at the office and I have no choice to shoot the food using only window light with the help of my reflectors and diffusers. I used a reflector to even out the light . And used a diffuser, to minimize the harsh light coming from the window, giving it a soft and gentle tone. Just perfect to light things up!

The crab, its so damn delicious! Once you had a piece of its meat, di ka na titigil! You would surely go for more! Yung toasted garlic sa may taas nung crab grabe sarap.. Yun yung nagpapasarap. This is a must try at Mandarin Sky.. sobrang panalo ng crabs nila... (This will be Ensogo's deal coming really soon so better do watch out for it).

Now this one is extremely delicious. Those are prawns and walnuts. Di talaga ako magaling sa mga terminologies but the prawns are coated with some kind of breading and has this special sweet chili sauce. It tastes really good! The thing is., you have to eat it along with the walnuts for added satisfaction! Sumasabog sa loob ng bibig mo yung sarap! Yung lasa ng prawns., then yung sweet taste nung walnuts.. grabe ang sarap... i swear.

When you look at it at first you might think its not delicious or even disgusting. Pero kapag tinikman mo tong oysters nila, inay ko.. ang sarap.. as in. Mapapa "mmmmm" ka talaga. Its so good!!! Nung una., parang ayaw ko kainin eh... i tried a piece and umm.. isa pa nga.. then isa pa.. then isa pa! Ayun na.. montek ko na maubos yung isang bandehado... haha. Sarap!

Havent tried the dimsum. I heard masarap daw yung Pork Siomai nila dito. Favorite ko pa naman yun. At the back of my head i was asking myself kung..kukunan ko ba ng picture yung mga dimsum... sana sana. hehe. I could have asked pero nahiya naman ako.. haha Marunong din naman ako mahiya.. :) Madami na naman silang hinanda so I guess ok lang na walang dimsum.. hehe. Loved to shoot them though...

The ladies up front are asking me if I could take their photo.. Why of course! I asked them to hold on to the boxes of the Mooncakes and told them to strike a pose. They gave their best smiles then they said "Pa-tag sa facebook ha..." hehe.

Im not sure what kind of fish this is but i do believe this one is lapu-lapu. Deep fried to crunchiness and topped with... i think those are stripped mangoes! Then placed on a pool of sweet chilli sauce. Grabe, amoy pa lang, maglalaway ka na. Yung pagkacrunchy nung isda grabe ang sarap... tapos saw-saw mo dun sa sauce.. whooo! panalo. Grabe., nagutom ulit ako habang sinusulat ko to..

You have to commend the chef for doing these stunning dishes! The food is so good and im sure you will enjoy dining here at Mandarin Sky. Its located at the corner of Simon Street and Banawe. They have this big signboard im sure you wont miss it. Id like to give my million, thank yous for the owners and staff of Mandarin Sky specially to sir ernesto and chris for being super hospitable.. In behalf of the production team of Ensogo-LivingSocial, thank you so much for the take-out.. Sobrang sarap daw sir. The guys back at the office are really thankful. Parang binagyo yung mga ulam! haha. Also, i would like to thank Judy for assisting me with the shoot. Thanks Judy Choi! Salamat din sa charms mo binigyan kami ng madaming take-out! haha :P kidding.

I really had fun today. I just love my job so much... Good times and happy eats! Till my next food adventures. :)

Portrait of an Old Man

If theres one thing inevitable in this world, getting old is one of them. Whenever I see an old man, I see wisdom. With every wrinke in his face resembles years of experience, trials, adversities, happiness and adventures. Some people feel sad every time they see an old man because their time will soon come to an end. Pero para sa akin, kung tatanda din lang ako ng puno ng saya sa buhay, ok lang kung madami akong kunot sa mukha. I was anxious to take a photo of him at first, pero gusto ko talagang kunan sya ng litrato. Parang di ko mapapatawad sarili ko kapag di ko kinuha yung shot. I sneaked the camera out and waited for the perfect facial expression and this is the best one that I could get. I love this photo so much that it moved me…

In this photo, ano sa tingin mo iniisip nya? I was actually surprised nung sinabi nya sa katabi nya na " Saan daw PO kayo bababa ?" There was lolo, (i think he's already on his 70's or 80's) na nag po "po" sa isang dalagitang high school student. Maybe hes just very polite. As he took off, he gave a very faint and light tap on the roof with his utterly soft voice coming out saying "Para..". Then everybody yelled saying, "Para daw!!!"

Moonleaf Tea Shop

If theres one thing me and abby na super na kinaadikan namin, eto na yon! Moonleaf Tea Shop! The best Milk Tea restaurant/cafe/shop this side of the planet! Sarap sobra... We are so hooked at it that we religiously buy one every weekend! As in dinadayo pa namin yung Maginhawa street sa may UP just to buy our favorite milk tea flavors.

I really dont know if this is a milk tea craze or baka uso lang. All I know is that, everybody is so addicted to Moonleaf. Rain or shine andito sila pumipila to grab a tumbler of this sensational drink. I remember lastweek when me and abs were almost stuck at UP coz the heavy pour made Maginhawa street flooded almost waist deep! Kahit malamig that time, hala sigi bili pa din ang mga tao! See that long lines? Maiksi pa yan coz usually it stretches out sa labas abot hanggang gate! Crazy. I dunno what do they put into their product, its just so good you got to try it for yourself.

Today, kailangan ko naman massubukan yung ibang flavor. We usually order Wintermelon (which is a crowd favorite and its damn so delicious) and Vanilla Milk tea. But now, we opted to order a different kind of drink. Abs ordered the Yakult-Jasmine Milk Tea. As for me, I ordered the intruiguing Tiramisu. Our order is up and we're ready to go.

Since sobrang ingay sa loob ng Moonleaf Tea Shop ( ang ingay sobra na parang palengke na minsan), we decided to drink our Milkteas somewhere. Some place na hindi kayo nagsisigawan sa isat-isa. A place where you can relax and less noise.. We decided to drop by Nanette's Food House. Abby never been at Nanette's and I want her to try their famous burrito.

Abs told me na hindi naman to Burrito! Shawarma to eh! =) Yeah it looks more like a shawarma and we both know the Burritos have rice in it. Ewan ko ba kung bakit Burrito ang tawag nila dito. I guess this is their own thang and let them be...kahit ano pa itawag nila dyan, put it infront of me i'l eat it! This is so good I can eat 3 burritos (pigging out days..) The meat inside is so tasty im sure you will love it. Try it with their cold white sauce or go crazy with their rocket spicy hot sauce! Yummy!

So we have our spot. Much more relaxed. Less noise. Plus a really delicious burrito / shawarma at our hands... Love it. Weekends wouldnt be better without tumbler of Moonleaf. I think this is Marco Quimson's fault. Hes my friend who really loves Milk Tea and he made me go gaga with it! My first milk tea was at Bubbletealicious over at SM Megamall. Then i got a tip that theres this Tea House at Maginhawa Street na talaga namang dinadayo pa ng mga tao. It made me curious and gave it a try. Eversince, were hooked!

Its amazing how this wonder drink grasped the tongues and mouths of the people. I heard rumors that they are expanding due to insistent public demand. Kung di mo pa nasusubukan yung Moonleaf, you have to as in. Sarap sobra... Try their famous flavors, Wintermelon, Vanilla Milk Tea or the one that i just tasted, the Tiramisu.

Foodtrip with ur love is always good... till our next food trip!

Sonsi House of Longganisa

I so love longganisa. They come in different forms and taste depending where they came from. What if all of your favorite longganisas can be found in one spot and savor the taste of one of philippines famous delicacy. This is the right place if you're dying to try every single one of them! Welcome to Sonsi's! Home of the greatest longganisa's this side of the country.

If you're a longganisa lover, you can now enjoy the longganisa of Alaminos, Cabanatuan, Lucban, Vigan, Tuguegarao, Cebu, Bacolod and Pampanga all in one place! This is their famous longganisa platter. With matching suka., sinasabi ko sayo.. makakalimutan mo ang pangalan mo sa sarap! Argh! Tastes so good!

Sonsi's for me is one of those places you love to hang around specially when you want a little booze in your system. And of course! what popular "pulatan" do pinoys really enjoy along with their beer? Syempre ang sisig! This is a definite must try. Love the sound of it everytime it sizzles lalo na yung pumuputok putok pa! Damn this tastes good..

Now this one is our favorite. Kropek! yeah boy! Not only its affordable, masarap sya isabay sa malamig na malamig na beer! With some fried chicken wings on the side im sure, solb na solb ang inuman. Its crrrunchy!! Sarap.

Another crowd favorite is their Tokwat baboy. Usually partner to talaga ng kropek at mani. Enjoy it with a bottle of beer. Love the kinda sweet and spicy touch of the dish. My favorite pulutan. (I also love this shot! kagutom!!)

Now if you want a different approach, try this tokwa with i guess, oyster sauce.. hehe.. forgive me i forgot to ask the name of the dish. The sauce is really nice. and it smells really good!

They even serve pizzas! I didnt know that actually. I grabbed a slice at ang sarap! Now i know what to order the next time i visit Sonsi.

Say hello to Jack, Jim, Johnny, Jose and all their other friends! They'r all here to give you company! Man o man o man! Look at those drinks! Parang isang magandang panaginip lang! They are all available at Sonsi's and you can buy them by the bottle or even by the shot. :)

Thanks to Mr. John Sison, the owner of Sonsi's for the warm hospitality he gave us. Id like to thank Judy Choi!! from partnership, for assisting me with the reflector. Another great shoot.. another great place crashed!

Till my next food adventure only here at mac centeno images! (parang show lang sa tv ah.. hehe) Peace!

Back 4 the Future!

Nike unveiled Marty McFly's sneakers - The Nike MAG from the movie Back to the Future 2! These futuristic kicks are for auction for Michael J, Fox's foundation fight against Parkinson's Disease. Only 1500 pairs to be auctioned! Always wanted to have one when i was a kid.. hehe. =) For more info check out http://www.back4thefuture.com/ and here's their you tube video

Watches by Tomato

I am late again for the nth time my gawd! My bed just engulfed me and getting up is quite a challenge! As I arrived, Mam Golda asked me to take pictures of these products from Tomato. I gathered up my gear and set it up at the pantry. Used both of my Nikon SB600 to illuminate the small room. Triggered by my cheapo Yongnuos.

The photo above is one of the last photos i took just outside our office. Just around the elevator area. My friend Cara told me that it would be better if there's someone to model this fabulous watches rather than shooting the product itself. I asked my modelicious officemates, Renz and Luisa to model for these watches free of charge!

Back to my strobist rig at the pantry, i took product shots of the watches. This one looks really good specially when you're wearing something colorful or.. it can go well when you're wearing longsleeves or a polo shirt...

They also have this gorgeous piece over here for women perfect if you're wearing a dress or something formal. The intricate designs of the stones around the watch makes it elegant. Perfect for Luisa's outfit since shes wearing something formal yesterday (i guess shes out on a date later! haha binisto eh no?) . Good thing she agreed for an impromptu shoot! :)

Luisa's natural beauty is very alluring and I have to agree the camera loves her. Her photogenic facade captivates a lot of people. While viewing the photos ,people passing by cant help saying.. "wow..." , "is that Luisa?" "Naks! Pwede Pwede!". True impressions to attest her remarkable modelling attributes! Ikaw na ang ensogo model! hehe

I didnt know that tomato also sells watches. I thought they only sell clothes and accessories. These watches are not bad at all and they are all coming soon for a great discount at ensogo-living social. This his and hers watch over here looks really good. I have to shoot it at this level in order to capture that lovely reflection at the bottom.

This only shows i have a lot to learn more with photography... I really need to practice and focus on the techniques to level up or simply survive at the field. Sometimes, im lost on what to do about lighting conditions, what settings should i use. As for shooting fashion, what poses should choose? How do i light the model? Where is the perfect place to put my strobes and what setting should i use for the strobes? Gawd! Theres so much to think about unlike your ordinary point and shoot! But this stuff is my daily grind and learning through it is gratifying for me coz doing something that I really love makes stress a little less stressful. =) Toast toast kampay!

Good job guys! Thanks to Luisa and Renz for modelling, and to Cara who held the strobes and reflectors. Salamat!

Lunch Out at Joey Peps

Lunch-Out!!! Thank God. My budget for the week is on Red Line already and im so thankful for the free lunch today. The good thing about it is that we had lunch someplace really nice.. We had it at Joey Pepperoni! Love the pizza there. Its so good. Makes me crumble everytime I pass-by upon goin home. Perfect timing to be hungry and broke! haha. I think i ate about 4 slices of pizza. I think this one is the original Joey Pepperoni and the one on top.. i dunno.. :) Im so hungry i dont care what do they call it.. hehe. Its so good!

Now this one is heaven on a plate. Joey Pepperoni's Mud Pie is insanely delicious!!!! Look at that! Lookin at it is simply.. argh.. sinfully good!

Im just happy when we have lunch-outs, we talk about a lot of stuff regarding work,issues, terrible jokes and beyond. These group of people is family and we all work together really hard to finish the tasks... Im proud to be part of the production pool...as our boss say, the lifeblood of ensogo.

4 awesome girls of production. From left, Angel - our copywriter, Sanika - copywriter, Clarissa - the legend, master graphic artist and Anne - one of our production coordinators / graphic artist / web admin / photographer.. yeah she does it all! she already! =)

We are on our way back and I cant help myself to take a snap of our beloved building - The One Global Place. The reflection of the clouds shimmer through the shiny glass of the building. Sometimes i find myself weird (or crazy) since i appreciate beauty on a lot of ordinary and mundane things...

On our way up to our desks... Lunch-out is over and its time to work... Thanks Boss Janis for the awesome lunch!