Kita kita na-in love sa isang birthday party sa Max's

Last August 5 at Max's Restaurant in Scout Tuazon, Quezon City-- the very first branch of the popular Pinoy food chain established in 1945--- I attended Chickie Boy's birthday party.

Chickie Boy, in case you don't know, is the playful mascot of Max's who has been spreading fun and his loving feathers to kids of all ages who celebrate their special day in "the house that fried chicken built."

I shared a table with two families who were able to bring their kids in the event. I was supposed to tag along my 8-year old son but he would like his mom to come too. Unfortunately, my wife is not available. I went to the event because I already confirmed my attendance and how can you say no to a birthday party, right?

Just like in any party, I grabbed a drink. Iced tea with a slice of lemon in the bottom of the glass to be precise. I moved to one play booths to another. I found myself staying for a few minutes at the Princess Palace (one of the four party themes in Max's. The others are Carnival, Other Space, and Super Racer).

I was watching kids taking their turns in having a photowith a pretty lady in pink when I noticed a young man who look a bit sad.

I asked him, "You also don't have a kid with you today?"

He smiled back, "I'm still single. NGSB."

That's No Girlfriend Since Birth for you.

Since I thought we are the only "unattached" men in the event, I decided to stick with him until the party is over for some company.

We had a quite a talk and he even opened up some personal stuff especially his love life which I thought is worthy for TV or movie adaptation.

The kuya in me stepped out and gave him some unsolicited advice. I just have to help this guy who has spent almost half of his life loving somebody. The girl has been in a number of failed relationships and it is always him who is there to give him a shoulder to cry on. The problem is, he's been friendzoned and can't seems find a way to make the girl fall in love with her.

I told him to try to sweep her off her feet with sweet nothings. Simple gestures can sometime mean a lot specially if done sincerely. 

1. Make him miss you but at the same time maintain a feeling that you are just there anytime she needed you

2. Tell her she's the only one that can complete you, not just through words but also by deed.

3. Give him the Princess treatment that she deserves.

4. Ask her the real score between you because she might not be aware of your three intentions.

5.Be like Max's. Sarap to the bone dapat kung mag-mahal.

And finally, just in case that he will be able to make her fall for him, they might want to throw a party. At Max's Restaurant, of course.  Max's, can give you both fun and meaningful celebration with the following amenities:

• Three (3) hours use of venue

• Mascot appearance

• Use of party banner

• Party room decor

• Party host

• Party kit

• Giveaways

• Game prizes

• Birthday themed cake

Kita kita na na-inlove sa Max's

Transformers: The book that comes to life

One of the best feelings every father can experience is when he is able to transform a childhood memory into a present bonding moment with his child.

I grew up in the 80s as a boy who is so amazed with giant talking robots that can turn themselves into zooming cars going against enemy droids changing into terror planes. I am pretty sure that you know what I am talking about. Yes, it’s the never-ending saga of the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons in the Transformers franchise that evolve from a popular TV program to a blockbuster movie series and tons of merchandises which includes books.

My 8-year old son, who is a fan of the Transformer films (the fifth installment to be released in theaters this month), was just so happy to get his hands with the Scholastic book Transformers Robots in Disguise: Where Crown City Comes to Life. 

   

This 32-page hardbound book for Transformer fans of all ages has a 5-star rating from goodreads.com. Well, if you ask my son he’ll probably give six because of the new and exciting reading experience he got. Aside from the full-color all-action world of Crown City that he discovered, he was able to bring to life his favorite Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee going head-to-head against the evileforces of the Decepticons through incredible 3D augmented-reality animations by using our smartphones and tablets.

If there is a Transformers book for the boys and there is also a My Little Pony AR book for girls from Scholastics.

In single-user mode, anyone can bring to life Grimlock, Steeljaw and the rest of the crew in the palm of his hand then switch to life-size mode, watch his favorite Transformer grow to real size, and just sit in awe watching them move. Another great feature is you can take photos of the moment and share them with your friends and family!

In dual-user mode, just connect your device to a friend’s unit, and battle Underbite against an Autobot of your choice. Plus, you can also customize your very own Transformer by choosing  the color, look and strength of your robot to make it the ultimate Transformer.

There is an easy-to-follow guide in the book that will give you all the things you need to know including how to download the free app for both iOS and Android devices that will be used to get all the fun elements of the book.

Here's a video guide on how to fully enjoy this one-of-a-kind reading experience:

Make brushing more fun

Do you know that tooth brushing is one of the most overlooked must-do daily activities of man?

Here are a couple of random trivia I got online to prove this point: (a) One in four adults admit they don’t brush twice a day, including a third of men and (b) One in ten admit they regularly forget to brush their teeth.

I just hope people are aware that brushing only once a day means your 33% more likely to develop tooth decay. Worse if you fail to brush your teeth the whole day.

Now here are some tips on how can you make brushing more fun for the family especially for your kids. If you want a fun toothbrushin' experience, just think of COLGATE.

Create a good example. You can't make your kids follow your instructions to brush their teeth every after meal if you yourself don't practice this. Remember the old saying "Kung ano ang puno, sya rin ang bunga" in simple layman's term just brush teeth regularly so they'll do the same.

Organize a game. Be creative in encouraging the young ones to create a habit of brushing their teeth regularly and at the same time it will be a bonding moment of the family. As they say, "the family that brush their teeth together, plays together" or something to that effect.

Let your kids practice on stuffed toys. Sometimes, kids tend to be a little tentative in doing things on their own so why not ask them to let their favorite teddy bear or doll try brushing first. Just make sure the doll is not battery operated otherwise this might be an electrifying experience.

Give rewards to your children for brushing their teeth properly and on time. A good job deserves a pat on the back and something extra special like simple stuff like stickers or a burger or an ice cream treat. Make sure to brush your teeth after that sweet treat, of course.

Add music and dance while brushing. It's fun to see your kids do a little jiggy and wiggle while brushing. Once the fun element is included in this activity, expect this as an every day moment they'll be looking forward to. I just don't know with my cousin who sings "I cant smile without you" by Barry Manilow every time he brushes his teeth before putting his dentures inside a glass.

Tell them to help you brush your teeth. It will also help kids build confidence that they can do things like brushing on their own if you let them do this for you because you trust them. Of course, when they brush your teeth, let them use yours. Just make sure they don't hit your wisdom tooth.

Encourage kids to use a brush with their favorite cartoon character. It also helps for kids to get excited while brushing when they see their favorite characters on their toothbrush. The good news is that Colgate, a trusted international brand in oral healthcare, has come out with cartoon-inspired toothbrush and toothpaste products.

Why do people collect things?

Just some of my Coke collection I posted in Instagram

Almost anything, big or small, can be a collectible item and be a prized possession of its owner.

The reasons why people collect something may vary but the bottom line is, this hobby makes them feel good or give a sense of pride on those precious stuff they kept with care for years.

For some, like basketball fans who collects memorabilia of his favorite team or player is a way of expressing loyalty. For others like coin collectors, a rare find brings such an unexplained feeling of joy and satisfaction.

For a working professional like me who works from 9 to 5 from Mondays to Friday, I seek for a venue to de-stress and have that quiet “me time” even for a while. I found my bliss in the art of collecting. I am a collector of anything Coke, diecast cars and other toys, and NBA cards.

I regularly post in Instagram newly acquire items for my Charles Barkley collection. 

Of all my treasure, I am very proud of my Charles Barkley collection.  Barkley, in case you don’t know the guy, is an NBA legend. Known in the league during his colourful basketball career as "Chuck", "Sir Charles", and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the basketball's most dominating power forwards. He was the 1993 Most Valuable Player in the NBA and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He holds two Olympic Gold medal after the conquests of the “Dream Team” during the 1992 and 1996 games. He is also a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2006 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". Currently, Barkley works as a basketball analyst for TNT.

I would like to believe that I am Barkley’s biggest fans. He has been my idol growing up loving the game and continues to follow his stints as a TV personality. If I happen to stumble upon a Barkley collectible online or in thrift stores, I am more likely to shoot for it for a slam dunk purchase.

I haven’t personality met another Charles Barkley collector although I did meet ups for online sellers who own items featuring my idol like NBA cards, toy figures, jerseys and others. That is why if I find time online to search for groups of people who share my interest, I try to connect with people even from different parts of the world.

Then I discovered Collectors Hive, a social media platform made especially for collectors of just about anything. Since I find the site user-friendly where I can post my collections for my friends and other people can view and comment, I created a profile and started to post some of my Charles Barkley collection. Another cool thing about this site is that I can view my gallery wherever I am and anytime I want through my mobile phone using their app.

My Collectors Hive profile which will soon be filled with more anything Charles Barkley.

In a nutshell, Collectors Hive is every collector’s dream website where one can showcase his or her collection (as in anything); find a missing piece or an item that you’ve been looking for which might just be sitting in a room of another collector, meet people who collects the same thing you hold dearly; and also explore other items that might tickle your interest and start a new set of collection.

View your collection online via the Collectors Hive app anytime, anywhere. Cool, right?

One great feature of Collectors Hive is an innovation in this mobile technology called the Item Scanner that the collector on manual data input of a particular collection item. The user needs to scan the barcode only and information will be generated quickly and store it. Other features are the comparison of specs, prices and stock availability of the item from different international and local store sources. It’s now available for download using Android phones by visiting the Google Play store.

Sounds exciting? Head on at www.collectorshive.com or visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/collectorshive/ and create your own profile. You can start posting your items and who knows, you collection might grow soon. Now that’s one effective and fun work de-stress activity I am definitely looking at for years to come.