Baby Steps: Journey to Mommyhood

In less than two weeks, I'd be forty.  I'm still in denial, okay?  Despite the age, I still get asked if I want another baby.  NO. =)

Looking back at the past decade, some of the most significant moments in my life happened - getting pregnant twice, and giving birth to the boy and the girl.  I was blessed to have a healthy and easy pregnancy with both babies.  Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like if there was a third.

Coordinating a wedding at 35 weeks w/ baby #2

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Toki Q Japanese-style Rotating Barbecue

The country's first rotating barbecue fast food restaurant -- that's Toki Q!

TOKI Q Rotating BBQ (photo from Toki Q)

Toki Q is conveniently located within my neighborhood, so when Jane extended the invite to me, off I went to the intimate blogger mixer held last month, organized by Zodio (more about Zodio before I end this post).  I'm glad I attended since I really enjoyed everything that they served us.

See that rotating contraption above?  It's the rotating griller/broiler that the resto owners imported from Japan. That's were all the yakitori (skewered chicken) and pork belly get their ride around the "barbecue carousel" and get grilled to perfection.

Check out their menu of savory and very affordable Japanese-style BBQ dishes basted in their very own sweet and salty "Toki sauce".  Toki Q offers Combo meals, a'la carte dishes, and even group platters.

COMBO MEALS COME IN SLEEK PAPER-LINED TIN TRAYS

I was able to try their Combo 3 (from top to bottom):

• Chicken Wings - 2 pcs.
• Chicken Fillet - tender boneless fillets
• Tontoro Pork -  thinly sliced pork belly
• Chicken Ball - 3 pcs.

Although my Tontoro was more charred than the other sticks, I still enjoyed it more than the balls. Everything was very tasty and flavorful.  I really liked the taste and doneness of the meats, plus, they offer unlimited rice with the combos, so you'll definitely have a full and satisfying meal!

MENU from Toki Q

For the food quality and price, Toki Q is a far better, and healthier, alternative to your typical fast food fare.

Aside from my hearty Combo 3 meal, I also got to try their extras:

• Toki BBQ Corn - Spicy flavored powder on grilled corn, which I still crave from time to time
• Kara-age - bite-sized glazed crispy fried chicken, a popular Japanese appetizer, which became my favorite at the end of the night

KARA-AGE

I made sure I left room for dessert 'coz they also offered a favorite of mine - mochi! The only available flavor then was the Black Sesame, which was a winner for me with its chewy bits of caramelized sesame seeds with ice cream.  I had one happy tummy that night! =)

The place is very small though, and can accommodate around 12-14 people only.  Parking is available in front of the resto and at the building's basement.  But I've observed during the event that several customers just order to-go.

So, what's the connection between Toki Q and Zodio?
Zodio is the Philippine’s first social location-based search and reviews platform: 

• Users can “Find, Review, and Share” favorite places, from restaurants like Toki Q, to hotels, malls, spas, and other food and service establishments - share on Facebook, email, or even SMS
• Can pinpoint locations like gas stations, ATMs, other public places
• Has a gaming feature
• Rewards for checking – in, reviewing a place, uploading a photo and the like
• Allows business accounts additional capabilities such as giving discounts to people who view their page

ZODIO community manager Mark; chef Angelo Comsti (right, in blue)

TOKI Q co-owner Wendi, with Nina of Zodio

Download the Zodio application for free at www.zodio.com/app.  Get the app on your smartphones for free! :)  For more info, visit and register with Zodio @ www.zodio.com.

Go try the barbecue at Toki Q then post your photos and reviews on your Zodio account! :)

You can view more of our photos during the fun gathering on my Facebook page.

Here's my girl enjoying her share of my Toki BBQ Corn one afternoon, during the ride from school.

TOKI Q
P. Guevara corner Wilson St., San Juan City
Tel.: (632) 425 9867

I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
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Fun Friday: Virtual Styling and the Rajito Dress

Third Friday of the month:  Contest / Fun Activity

It all began with this 'Fierce and Fancy' look I created with my girl over at virtual styling site Miss-match. 

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What To Expect: Pregnancy & Parenting Guide Book GIVEAWAY

It's positive -- you're pregnant!
Recording first year milestones.
Getting ready for the 'terrible two'.

Are you in any of the situations mentioned above? Do you know people who are?  
I believe I have the perfect online resource site and guide books for you!

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Bridetastic: Online Wedding Resource & Community

I will be celebrating my wedding anniversary with J at the end of this month. It's gonna be our 9th!  I can still vividly remember the planning and details on the day itself -- how can I forget, I planned and orchestrated my own wedding!

Those days, online bridal communities were almost non-existent in our country, or maybe I was just not looking.  Bridal magazines were my indispensable bible. I only relied on American wedding sites like Wedding Channel, The Knot, and Martha Stewart weddings for tips and design ideas. In recent years, everything can be found online and joining wedding community sites became the norm.

Having been an on-and-off wedding planner for a decade since 1999, I had my share of truly memorable and fun celebrations, forgettable bloopers, elevated stress levels and newfound friendships. Planning can be really exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Aside from having a wedding planner, new couples can now be depend on online sites that provide a wealth of design inspiration and make sourcing vendors a breeze.

Enter Bridetastic Philippines!

Bridetastic is the newest online bridal community and wedding resource site for couples, and this wonderful site is the brainchild of couple Cathy and Jon.  Here's what Cathy has to say about why they created Bridetastic.

"When I was preparing for my September 2008 wedding, my first instinct was to search for wedding vendor reviews on the web. Unfortunately, this proved to be a cumbersome process since reviews were either scattered all over popular forums or isolated in a particular wedding couple’s personalized wedding site. 

After my wedding, I envisioned in creating a site that could better address the needs of a prospective bride. Reality intervened however and it wasn’t until late 2010, when I was on my maternity leave, that I finally gathered the resolve to start on the development of the site. Finally, after over a year and a half’s worth of sleepless nights, I’m ready to launch Bridetastic.com.ph. 

Bridetastic aims to be a trusted source of wedding related content generated by real brides. Among other things, we focus on aggregating authentic bride-generated reviews of their wedding vendors."

If you're a 21st century bride or groom, an engage couple, or just looking around for wedding ideas and suppliers, do visit Bridetastic. Better yet, join the community! Open an account in bridetastic.com.ph and connect with other brides and brides-to-be, share your experience and personal reviews to help future couples on their wedding planning journey.

Here's the best part -- Bridetastic has something in store for those who'll join until the 25th:

• Share the site with your readers and join Bridetastic's Share to Win contest
• Be one of 15 winners of fantastic prizes including a Cambridge Satchel! See contest mechanics here: www.bridetastic.com.ph/contests

For married women like me, let's relive our big day and help other brides create their dream weddings too! Join now, and look me up -- Mom-Friday on Bridetastic. :)


Related posts:
7 Random Things I Learned From Planning A Wedding
Of Diamond Rings and Weddings


I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
Get instant updates:
My Mom-Friday on Facebook
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I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again!

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Fun Friday: Virtual Fashion Styling on Miss-Match

Third Friday of the month:  Hobby / Recreation

Virtual styling has been the perfect outlet for me, being a frustrated designer and fashion stylist.  

"I Love Squarepants" -- my first published look on Miss-Match

First, Mom-Friday got into Looklet.com, it was short-lived...followed by Polyvore (which I haven't even touched yet)... and just recently, after a Tweet from Jennie Epperson, I registered with Miss-Match.com.ph -- the first local cyber styling site developed by Fashion Lab.

What do I love most about Miss-Match.com.ph?

• I can actually buy the brands and items used to "create my look" since all the featured items are available here.  
• The looks are realistic and achievable.
• Styling tips and help from designers and fashion experts
• Trend-spotting
• I can create a wish list and fill 'my closet' with things I love

Miss-match is what I've been waiting for after I dropped out of Looklet, hahaha...

 Sample looks I made from Looklet.com

Fashion styling has been one of my many interests.  I was just lucky that I've been able to actually be a fashion and production stylist in some of our (low budget) print advertising projects in the past. With these virtual styling sites, I can be a stylist anytime I want and relive my creatively fun experience!

Miss-Match is still in 'beta', or in preview and testing stage, so you can still expect more improvements. I have yet to explore the site myself.

I was happy to receive a welcome letter from them and I did not hesitate to share my initial experience and feedback.  Too bad for me, after my first look was published, all succeeding looks I've successfully created (for hours and hours!), 'publish' and saved (see screen caps below) did not display on my profile nor on the Fashion Feed. :(((  So my Fashion Profile is still showing one look. I guess I need to try and try again...

I really wanted to share what I've been doing so I just took some 'screen-capture' to post here.  When I can squeeze in some time, I create and experiment on looks, also having my little girl in mind.

"Pretty Prim & Proper"

Create, Publish, choose a title, type in details, and Save.

Gingham dress from Zara; sleeveless dress from Rajito

"Weekend Kiddie Party"

Bubble dress with cardigan, matched with gray flats

My wardrobe has been in a fashion rut for God knows how long!  I only bought a few up-to-date pieces over the year and if you see my closet, you would agree that I badly need a wardrobe overhaul.  In the meantime, this cyber styling and virtual shopping on Miss-Match will do for now to keep me inspired while I go find (earn) myself some shopping money.

"Beach Glam"

Rajo dress with woven bag and strappy sandals

"Driving Mama"

Black tunic top over white skinny pants, large tote, and yellow flats

"Rock and Rain!"

Geared for the rain in gray top, boots, and a cheery watermelon-print umbrella

How do you find my looks?

Register with Miss-match.com.ph and start channeling your inner fashionista.  If you happen to like my set/s, share the 'love' and click the button on Mom-Friday's fashion profile.  Happy styling! =)

I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
Get instant updates:
My Mom-Friday on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Also on Google Friend Connect, or Subscribe Via Email.
I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again!

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