Located at the 2nd level I2, Asiatown IT Park
Photo courtesy of the web

To love life one must enjoy life. So, here is my first post about enjoying life =)Pampering oneself is one way of enjoying life and at the same time giving your body a time to relax and unwind and for an hour or two be free from all of the cares and worries. =)

To quote what I have read from the paper, their piece about the place =)

The Visayan term alibyo, which means relief or alleviate, will take on a bigger meaning in a few days. A new boutique spa will open on Sunday, Nov. 18, at the second floor of the i2 building at the Asiatown IT Park. And you guessed it right—it’s called Alibyo.

Proprietor Johnie Lim and his wife Flor (they own the franchise of Body and Sole) say that the spa specializes in traditional Filipino hilot, which is currently being promoted by the Dept. of Tourism itself. Why not? If Thailand has its Thai massage, why can’t the Philippines have its hilot as a kind of massage?

So what differentiates Alibyo from the other massage spas in the metropolis, including Body and Sole? It is very Filipino. Better still, check it out.
- from Sun.Star -

My Review

Hubby and I went to Holiday for some foot massage last December 12, 2007, because we also wanted to avail of their buy 1 take 1 promo. alas, they already had their last call. So we racked our brains for some ideas and we thought of ALIBYO. this is a newly opened spa located at I2. I think this opened just last November. Off we went to try their services.
We availed of their 2 hour massage. Upon entering the Spa the front desk was all smiles already, Gives a very good first impression. He was also very knowledgeable about the services they offer. He also gave some suggestions on what is good. The spa is also quite different from the other spas, it is well lighted with very old and rustic setting(like you are being transported to the old era). The seats are made out of wood, the table is inlaid with raffia mat. the attendants wear Spanish era type of clothes(filipiniana). air-conditioning is just the right temp, not too hot and not to cold. The attendants are also very accommodating, they are all smiles. I did not see any of them loitering the reception area. When we came out after the massage and they saw us, they immediately vacated the reception area.

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Upon invitation by our good friends and foodtrip buddies, Benjie Ordoñez and his charming wife Magene, we didn’t let the chance pass by. 7PM we started our long journey towards an adventure that we are used to doing… our favorite pastime…EATING!

So it begins, our adventure at Abaca… It was an experience worth the memories! Right from the gate when we entered all the way until dessert. Upon stepping into the place, one would really see and feel the exclusivity. It is not your usual garden setting of a restaurant. There are a lot of foliage that surround the area, right from the parking area up to the pathway leading to the tables. It makes you closer to nature and how i wish i could see its beauty during the daytime. Just thinking of how near we are to the beach makes me feel the breeze as it caresses my skin.

As we approached the dining area we were greeted by Glen, a very charming person. He showed us to our table. I love the cute shells used for the table napkins. The ambiance was so very relaxing, it has a homey feel to it, dim lights with jazz music, makes you think you were somewhere else special.

For the ambiance: I’d give it a 5/5. I was swept off my feet with how everything looked. It was dreamy. My Hubby gives it a 4/5, He found the music quite loud.

We were met with very courteous attendants, always with a “it’s my pleasure” after every “thank you”.

For the management and staff: My hubby and I both agreed on this aspect, 5/5. Very attentive and very charming.

For the appetizer or tapa’s, we had homemade bread with olive oil, corn chowder, chicken liver paté with vegetables and homemade bread. The homemade bread tasted like a “REAL” homemade bread that lets you feel warm inside. I love the crunchiness of the crust and the softness of the inside part (I don’t know what else to call this particular part of the bread… ^_^) of the bread, a perfect pair for the chowder. It had no “yeasty” taste as what most of the breads have. The corn chowder was creamy but the creaminess did not overpower the other ingredients. The corn was so crunchy. My verdict on the chicken liver, VERY delicious and a must try for those people who are squeamish about liver. I for one am not a liver-eating person. But when I tasted this dish, I was at a loss for words on how to describe the fusion of tastes inside my mouth. I almost missed out on this dish, but I gathered enough courage to just dip one tine of the fork and tasted it. It tasted bitter at first, without the bread and the vegetables. But when I mixed everything and piled it up on the homemade bread, the taste was a sensation! Bread with vegetables that had a hint of vinaigrette, topped of with a little mustard and a little of bignay spread which was capped with the chicken liver. One mouthful led to another and each bite had me adding the paté on the bignay spread. The experience was awesome! My husband was so surprised that I actually ate and relished the dish. He was used to me NOT eating and NOT even touching any kind of food that has a hint of liver.

We had Mesclun salad and cheese pizza after all of the fusion of tastes that I have savored. The mesclun consisted of various greens that were all fresh. It had a hint of balsamic vinegar, not overpowering the other ingredients, just right to make everything taste just right. The Cheese Pizza had fresh basil for toppings and i love the cheese and the crust, oh! so crisp and crunchy.

For the main course, we had whole roasted chicken with mashed fresh potatoes and bouillabaisse. The chicken was another experience for the taste buds. The chicken skin was crisp and had a hint of what was rubbed on it to give it its distinctive taste, salt and pepper with thyme. The meat was cooked just right, tender and moist. The chicken juices complemented well with the mashed potato. The bouillabaisse, a mixture of seafoods, salmon and shellfish. The salmon cooked just right and the soup tasted a bit spicy.

The last and most awaited part of the dinner, DESSERT, the dessert platter has 7 different kinds of sweets: tiramisu, chocolate pudding, lemon cheesecake, apple turn-over, chocolate cookie, oatmeal cookie, créme brulée. The first of seven parts of the dessert, the lemon cheesecake. It had a refreshing taste and a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. Everything on that platter had that effect to the taste buds and the palate. It was so soft and the lemon taste is really there, real lemon taste. 2nd part, the créme brulée, the caramel was flamed so perfectly. I told myself, this is the real deal, a real créme brulée at last. I have tasted a lot of créme brulée’s and nothing comes close to what i have just tasted. So creamy and with just the right sweetness. 3rd part, the tiramisu, soft cake and yummy coffee taste. 4th part, the chocolate pudding, soft with the real chocolate taste. 5th part, the apple turnover, soft puff pastry that highly complemented the apples inside. For the last 2 parts, the cookies: the oatmeal and the chocolate, soft and chewy, not so sweet. There were also 2 sticks of puff pastry on the platter, soft and it melts in your mouth.

Food: If I were to judge the food alone, I’d give it a 5/5, I enjoyed EVERYTHING. The fusion of tastes that complemented each and every ingredient of each dishes was so wonderful that I am at a loss for words. But my hubby’s taste buds has a strong bias towards the “sweet” spot and he thinks that the desserts weren’t sweet enough, he gives it a 4/5.

The Bill: Price range per person for food and drinks, around P800 to P2,000. It all depends on what you order.

We really enjoyed our dinner. Good food with good company makes everything wonderful. =D Makes us want to go back there, one of these days (if our schedule permits ^_^)

Moral lesson of the review: don’t listen or believe anything about a place until you have tried it out for yourself. let yourself be the judge =D

For more info about Abaca, visit their website at http://www.abacaresort.com/

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How it all began

Pink October was created in 1998 by a group of volunteers whose goal was to create a breast cancer awareness campaign that focused on the women and their families living in the Yuba-Sutter community.

Today, the month long awareness campaign encourages everyone to “think pink” and brings breast cancer awareness to the forefront.

from http://www.sutternorth.org/community/pinkoctober.html

Why Pink?

Pink for October is an initiative started in August of 2006, in which sites all over the world change their templates to include the color pink, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, because October is the month of Breast Cancer Awareness.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_for_October

WHERE: IAMIKS CHICKEN AND BEER

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The show will pay tribute to Visayan novelty superstar Yoyoy Villame who passed away last May of this year. It will feature fellow Visayan star Max Surban, Yoyoy’s daughter Hannah Villame, Missing Filemon, Southwings, Smooth Friction, Brownian Method and comedy duo Dos Companeros.

Bisrock fans, Max & Yoyoy fans, and music fans in general are expected to storm the concert to be hosted by Private Ryan of 103.5 Wild FM, Chivas Nadela with special participation of Sam Costanilla.

Tickets priced at P150 is just like donating to help the cerebral palsy patients. Your donation will mean a lot and at the same time you will be enjoying the music and laughter. Tickets are available at Norkis-Yamaha outlets and at SM Department Store.

JCI Mandaue will also hand Max Surban and Yoyoy Villame, represented by his daughter, the Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution and influence to the music of today.

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