Pilipino Mart

News from Pilipinomart

January 2005

Pilipinomart Newsletter

PINOY SECRETS, BA?

Dear carlyn,

Greetings! It is with much pleasure that we are sending you the pilot issue of Pinoy Secrets, a newletter created by the PilipinoMart.com team to share useful information which can bring the Pinoy community closer together. We hope to provide an enjoyable reading experience for our fellow Pinoys in US and Canada.

We hope you'll enjoy this issue of Pinoy Secrets. We are providing you with Pinoy recipes, local chismis, tourist spots, ice breakers, household tips, pinoy trends, and many more. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any contributions , suggestions, questions or comments regarding the newsletter. You may contact us by email:at newsletter@pilipinomart.com
If you have relatives and friends who may want to get a free copy of Pinoy secrets, you may also send us their email addreses We''ll make sure that they get a free issue of Pinoy Secrets. We look forward to hearing from you! Very truly yours, Pinoy Secrets Team

Lola!Lola! Ive forgotten how to cook

Tokwa and Togue

Ingredients:

6 pieces tokwa
1 cup soy sauce with 1tblsp sugar or teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons oil
1 small chopped onion
1 small carrot cut into strips
1/3 cups thinly sliced string beans
2 cups togue.

Purchasing Tips:

Most Chinatown markets have tokwa ( beancurd ) and togue (beansprouts)

Procedure:

Cut 6 pieces tokwa into large cubes. Fry in hot oil
Heat 1 cup soy sauce with a spoonful of sugar* in a sauce pan and ½ cup water.
Bring this to a boil then add in the tokwa and simmer until sauce slowly evaporates.
In another pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil then sauté 1 small chopped onion, 1 small carrot, cut into strips, 1/3 cups thinly sliced string beans**, and 2 cups togue.
Stir-fry until done. Season to taste with Knorr soy sauce and pepper.
Place togue on a plate. Top with the tokwa.

*Our Lolas usually use

Coconut Brand Soy Sauce
Marca Pina
Kikkoman
Knorr
or you can use any brand or better yet, you can use teriyaki sauce and do away with the tablespoon of sugar

** Our Lolas would use Baguio beans Don't fret if you don't have that in your neighborhood market, any similar string beans would do!

Next Issue: Lola reminds us how to make LECHE FLAN!

Whatever happened to our local celebrities

Stars like Alice Dixson, Gabby Concepcion, Tetchie Agbayani

Alice Dixson: the former Circle of 10 of Palmolive Shampoo is now married to a Filipino website designer based in Canada and shuttles back and forth from Vancouver to Manila for some TV appearances and shows

Gabby Concepcion: After the controversy of divorce and domestic violence that pervaded Philippine media more than a decade ago, Gabby Conception headed to California and settled down there. He is now a California realtor and known not as Gabby but Gabrielle Concepcion.

Tetchie Agbayani. Known in the Philippine movie industry as a sexy star, Tetchie went on to have a stint in Hollywood. Now, having settled down giving birth to a child, she pursued higher learning. She will be graduating from a course in MA Counselling and Psychology in Ateneo de Manila this school year

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BABALIK KA RIN:

PLACES TO GO when in Manila

For those who plan to visit Manila over the holidays, add the following to your checklist. ( Read: Insist that your friends or relatives bring you to these places!)

Malling and Dining in Greenbelt 3
Visit the New Ayala Museum
Spend the day at any prestigious salon & spa of your choice, foot spa, nail spa, aromatherapy spa & salons are abound in the metropolis
Go Tagaytay!
Choose between Bed & Breakfast in Sonia's Garden, dinner at Antonio's,Massage at Nurture Spa, Coffee at Bag o Beans, or ask a member- friend to bring you to Taga ytay Highlands
Do Grocery in SM Supermarket, Makati

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PHONE CALLS TO PHILIPPINES

Phone Cards

The 10 cents per minute phone call rate is now available in the Philippines! Unlike here in the US, it does not come in a convenient package of a phone card. To enjoy this rate, Philippine residents have to go to an internet café offering a service of connecting your calls through broadband. One such facility is NETOPIA internet Café which has branches in most SM and Robinsons malls. Unless the person calling you from the Philippines is calling from an internet café, he or she is probably spending 40cents per minute or more!

If you are in the US, save your calls here.

ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Filipinos are known to speak English better than people from the neighboring Asian countries. It must be this innate gift plus the Filipino's inherent creativity that brings us a hilarious manipulation of the English language. One classic source is the noontime variety gameshow ( ala Eat Bulaga)

Host: Saan "B" (Bagumbayan) binaril si Jose Rizal?
Contestant: Sa back?
Host: O sige, puwede rin na ang simula ay letter "L" (Luneta).
Contestant: Likod?
Host: Hindi pa rin. Para mas madali, "R.P." ang initials ng Modern name nito (Rizal Park). Contestant: Rear Part? (Susme! Likod pa rin yun!)

Host: Anong "L" (Lifeguard) ang tawag sa tao na sumasagip sa iyo pag ikaw ay nalulunod?
Contestant: Lifebuoy?
Host: Hindi, pero kahawig nga ng pangalan ng sabon ang pangalan ng ito.
Contestant : Safeguard?
Host: Hindi, pagsamahin mo yung dalawang sagot mo.
Contestant : Safe Buoy?
Host: Hindi siya "boy" at matipuno nga ang kaniyang katawan.
Contestant: Ah, Mr. Clean!

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HOUSEHOLD TIPS

ICY DOORSTEPS

Savvy Solution for icy doorsteps in freezing temperatures: put Dawn dish washing liquid in warm water. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze.

ANTS, ANTS, ANTS EVERYWHERE?

Ants, ants, ants everywhere Well, know this! They will never cross chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself. ( also Raid InsecticideChalk is now available)

TIPS FOR YOUR LEFTOVER

Freeze and Re-use left-over chicken or beef broth or any clear soup. Use them to boil your favorite packed noodles like L ucky Me ( use a bit of the flavoring to add a new twist to the flavor of your leftover broth) or you can drain the broth and pour the pancit canton seasoning for that instant yet nutricious pancit canton. Your kids will love this!

CORN ON THE COB

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

Read on...

What's In and What's Out ( in 'Pinas)

Knowing what's in and what's out is important for those of us who keeps in touch with family and friends back in Pinas. Whatever is "uso" gives you an idea as to what your loved ones would like to have in terms of gifts or pasalubong, conversely, whatever is "uso " back home is something you can ask for as "padala" because chances are, it is not available in the continent, and even if it is, it is dirt cheap compared to dollar-denominated merchandise!

Despite the proliferating unlicensed audio CD copies, original Music Albums still sell, and the local music stores rate the following as their top-selling albums

Diary of Alicia Keys by Alicia Keys
The Ultimate Hits-3 decades of Music by Sergio Mendes
Inhuman sessions by Parokya ni Edgar
Anthology by Side A
As the Music Plays by Bamboo

On the other hand, local Bookstores in Metro Manila posts the following BOOKS as their topsellers

Are you Afraid of the Dark ? by Sidney Sheldon
Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
Shopaholic ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
Five People You meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Veronika Decides to Die by Paolo Coelho

Top 5 Music Albums

Great Filipino Love Songs by San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra
Chill Out Project
House Sessions
Kitchie Nadal
American Great Love Songs III Rod Stewart
As the Music Plays Bamboo

Read on...

WHY VIRGIN COCONUT OIL IS BETTER THAN CANOLA OR OLIVE OIL

$5 off when you order. Offer good until Feb 6 2005 only.

Virgin Coconut Oil. The early generations of Pilipinos know this, our kinsfolk in the provinces still swear by this. The Philippine wet market will never run out of this because it is an essential home remedy since olden times when people knew better than to pop a pill for instant cures.

Modern technology has improved our ancestors version of the coconut oil, increasing its shelf life without adding preservatives as well as removing all impurities through a sanitary process, and yet , it continues to offer an incredible wealth of nutritional benefits Researchers and users in the Philippines discovered that virgin coconut oil

boosts the body's immune response, especially to viral infections.
prevents low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) by providing an easily digestible, slow-release source of fuel.
protects the blood from oxidized fats and oils, thus helping to prevent cardiovascular problems.
doesn't inhibit the thyroid function as unsaturated vegetable oils do, so it helps with weight management and improved energy levels.
can be used as a skin lotion. It moisturizes the skin, protects it from sun and wind damage, and Helps heal sores and injuries to the skin.
helps people turn around and recover from serious cases of AIDS, HIV, and even metastasized cancers.

Virgin coconut oil contains no damaging food additives. It doesn't become rancid easily, thereby sparing your body from the toxic effects of the oxidized oils in processed foods. Because of the many healthful properties of virgin coconut oil, it is being enthusiastically recommended for anyone seeking these direct medical benefits from their normal diet.

Know more about the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO)

Our Price: $14.99

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TRUTH OR MYTH Use of Pantyliners causes Vaginal Infection

PH CARE INTIMATE WASH - PINK PASSION - only for $5.99

A variation of this is that the adhesive at the back of the napkins or pantyliners can cause infection (be it UTI or yeast or candidiasis) when it comes incontact with the skin! The answer to this lies in the basic knowledge about feminine hygiene.

Gynecologists say that one primary source of contamination and infection is feces from the rectal area when they inadvertently spread due to improper washing. Clearly, as we have been taught as young girls, the genital area should also be dried properly with the front to back technique. We have also been forewarned that coloring agents and perfumes in colored, scented toilet paper may cause irritation in the genital area, so we have been accustomed to using no less than white unscented toilet paper.
Heat and accumulation of moisture in the genital area causes proliferation of bacterial infection. The napkin-panty liner myth falls under this category. Use of scented pads during menstrual periods may cause irritation Prolonged use of panty liners coupled with improper hygiene and not the liner itself causes vaginal infection.
Similarly, wearing tight nylon pantyhose, pants and panties also contributes to the problem. Hence, it si advisable to wear cotton underwear and breathable liners since they absorb moisture better. Also,loose fitting panties and slacks instead of tight ones are preferred. Some physicians recommend not wearing panties at night in order to allow for natural air exposure and drying.
Many brands of feminine wash are available in the market. If not chosen properly, some could cause irritation, itchiness, or even increase the risk of UTI and other vaginal infections. The concept of "hiyang" applies in this case. Some brands are just right for Filipanas because the skin's pH level is properly maintained to protect the skin from harmfiul bacteria.. Brands which have a higher pH level as well as ordinary bath and shower gels may undermine the skin's natural defenses and make one prone to vaginal infectiosn. For the vaginal area, look for pH level between 3.8 to 4.2 since this area is more acidic as compared with the skin's pH level of 5
THE TRUTH is vaginal infection is caused by improper feminine hygiene and not the mere daily use of pantyliners. As a matter of medical fact, the vagina naturally cleans itself, however this natural cleansing mechanism is not enough to ward off new strains of bacteria and infections. It is essential that the right feminine wash is used regularly to preclude the risk of infections which are usually recurring in character.
As a caveat, some gynecologists warn that daily use of Betadine feminine wash and even Lactacyd may be too harsh on the skin such that even the good bacteria is eventually washed off, this leaves the genital area even more vulnerable to harmful bacteria. Many have found pH Care to be one of the safer feminine washes suitable for the Filipina skin

PH CARE INTIMATE WASH - PINK PASSION

Our Price: $5.99

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Don't YOU just MISS

Jack & Jill Chippy and a bottle of soft drinks (like Royal Tru Orange with a plastic straw!)

JACK n JILL CHIPPY-BBQ 2 for .99 - savings of .59 each

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