Can you guess my age? I wish I could be forever 21 but I'm already 41. Well, at least I could say I still feel like 21. 

I was invited last Saturday to the 2018 Summer Collection Launch of Forever 21 featuring their latest brand ambassadors. The #WeAreForever21 global campaign celebrates individuality and inclusivity. It highlights the desire of the youth for self-expression through their fashion style.

The brand ambassadors represent the style identities not only of Forever 21 but also of today's Filipino youth. 

Forever passionate.

Forever ambitious.

Forever stylish.

The Filipinos work hard and play hard. Forever 21 has a style that will match your personality and your passion.

What I really like about the brand is that I can always find a style that doesn't make me look like I'm not dressing appropriately for my age. 

Have you shopped for your summer #OOTD ?  Head over a Forever 21 branch near you. For the latest collection offerings, follow Forever 21 on facebook and instagram.

Already feeling the summer heat? Well, here's a "cool" news for you. 

The Philippine Ice Hockey team finished their first game of the year by taking home the bronze medal at the Challenge Cup of Asia (CCOA). The International Ice Hockey Foundation (IIHF)-sanctioned competition was held at the SM Mall of Asia Ice Skating Rink and marks the country’s first time to host the regional event. 

Team captain, Steven Fuglister, was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament with his split 14.5-second goal hit in the Philippines’ last game against Singapore.

“We want to thank everyone for their great show of support at this year’s Challenge Cup. Our families, friends, and fans gave us an incredible source of strength and motivation during this run, testament to our podium finish,” said Jonathan de Castro, the Philippine Ice Hockey Team’s new coach.

The national team will next play at the Philippine Ice Hockey Tournament in June. Although this will not have any direct impact to their IIHF standing, it will further promote the sport as some of the competing teams will come from neighboring countries.

The 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games will play a big role towards the team’s overall direction as they look to defend their gold title and advance to the IIHF World Championships. With the Philippines as SEA Games host, the team also looks forward to having the home crowd cheer them on.

“We are currently starting preparations for the men’s and potentially the women’s teams for next year. Riding on our motivation from CCOA, the coaching staff is currently breaking down film from our last game to move forward and create the roster for the upcoming 2019 SEA Games,” de Castro added. 

Future ice hockey games of the national team will be held at SM Skating Mall of Asia, which boasts an Olympic-sized ice skating rink that was unveiled last October 2017. SM Lifestyle Entertainment’s support for figure skating and speed skating alongside ice hockey goes hand-in-hand with SM Group’s vision to help and build homegrown talents. 

For more updates and announcements on tournaments and events of the Philippine Ice Hockey team, visit SM Skating’s website at www.smskating.com or follow the official social media accounts at @smskating.

A big part of my diet is chicken. I only eat pork and beef at least once a week. Nowadays, Filipinos turn to poultry meat as an alternative source of protein in their everyday meals, Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI) endeavors to make its products safer for the family as it introduces the country’s first-ever, all-natural antibiotic-free chicken.

Through its pioneering no antibiotics ever (NAE) system, BAVI has eliminated the use of any antibiotics from day one until the chickens are processed, ensuring they are naturally healthy. BAVI is also bringing these safer-to-eat chickens conveniently closer to Filipino households through its roasted chicken brands Chooks-to-Go, Uling Roasters and Reyal.

“As part of our commitment to nurture the health of the nation, we are continuously finding ways to innovate and offer only the safest chicken choices,” said Ronald Mascariñas, BAVI president and general manager. “The launch of NAE in the country is one of the steps that we are taking towards giving healthy and quality food choices at affordable prices to Filipinos.”

To date, all Chooks-to-Go stores in Ilocos, Isabela, Pangasinan and Southern Tagalog are serving NAE, as well as all Reyal and Uling Roasters stores in Ilocos and Isabela.

Soon, more households in different parts of the country will taste the goodness of safer-to-eat antibiotic-free roasted chicken as BAVI makes NAE chicken available in its nearly 2,000 stores nationwide.

“We recognize that consumers, especially homemakers, desire for safe food to nourish their families and loved ones. We share this desire with them that is why we continue to innovate our products and strive to offer the best to them,” Mascariñas said.

The company also said that the availability of NAE in its retail stores underscores the fact that safe and healthy food need not be expensive.

For years, antibiotics have been used to promote growth, and prevent and treat chickens from diseases. However, overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry results in the development of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria that could be transferred to consumers, posing a threat to their health and safety.

That is why global meat producers Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods have pioneered the shift to bringing antibiotic-free chicken to the international market for a healthier alternative. Following this, BAVI has upgraded its processes to become the country’s first and only poultry integrator to utilize an NAE chicken production system.

If  you will visit The Food Trip Taytay, you'll find a modest Korean food house at the far end. SamgyeOppa is the first samgyeopsal stall in the area and a must-try! I had a food tasting with #TeamCARA last April 4. The dishes in their menu are really delicious and most importantly affordable. I immediately sent facebook messages to my relatives living in Taytay to go to the food park.

If you love cooking, then you're gonna enjoy the Samgyeopsal experience. An order at SamgyeOppa will cost you P149 only. This includes thinly-sliced pork belly with garlic, three side dishes (bean sprouts/water spinach, kimchi, and potato balls), lettuce,  ssamjang and gireumjang.

A portable griller is placed on the table. Once the griller is hot, you can now start cooking the pork belly. It will be grilled in its own fat. Make sure you don't overcook the meat. They are thinly-sliced so it won't take long to cook. Also, turn the meat only once to keep the juice and keep the tenderness of the meat. 

Take a piece of meat and dip it into the dipping sauce. Ssamjang is a mixture of soybean paste, hot pepper paste while gireumjang is a mixture of sesame oil, salt, and black pepper. Wrap the piece of meat in the lettuce. You can also put the kimchi. Wrap it and stuff in your mouth. You are not supposed to take small bites so make sure you prepare a size that allows you to eat the whole thing.

Isn't it fun? We were also served Bibimbap. It is a Korean rice bowl filled with toppings of meat, vegetables, kimchi, and egg.  I've seen a lot of people eating Bibimbap the wrong way. 

You have to mix it all up before eating. I know the presentation is way too beautiful to mess it up but it was meant to be mixed. I love mine with a chili paste and a drizzle of sesame oil. This bowl is worth P99 and my favorite at SamgyeOppa.

Gimbap (gim is dried seaweeds and bap is cooked rice) is a Korean dish served in bite-size slices.  The variations of the fillings are endless. It is a complete meal itself but I eat this as an appetizer. Don't judge me :)

The Food Trip Taytay is located at 64 Rizal Ave Brgy. San Isidro Taytay, Rizal. It is very accessible by public transportation. Parking space is a bit limited. The food park opens at 4pm. There's a band playing during weekends.

Check out https://www.facebook.com/Foodtriptaytay/ for more information.

After a long, tiring day, isn't it great that we have a place we call home? The home is more than just four walls and a roof—it is a living space, a sanctuary for resting and restoring the mind, a place for peace with your loved ones. But sometimes modern life has other ideas, filling up our precious time with endless chores. In between making sure our rooms are dust-free, seeing to it that the fridge is well-stocked with fresh produce, and trying to cook healthy food for our families to consume, most of us don’t really get to enjoy home as a space for optimal rest and relaxation. 

Good thing, innovative technology is slowly beginning to invade every corner of our residences, providing time-saving, user-friendly devices that are meeting the needs of consumers rather than simply serving as the latest techie gadgets. Home appliances are constantly evolving into nifty, consumer-centric machines that make our lives easier—and our homes considerably cleaner. From vacuuming to clearing the air of pollutants to helping you cook in the most efficient way, these intelligent gadgets allow you to automate time-consuming actions, freeing up time so you can do the things you really enjoy.

LG Electronics has recognized the changing landscape of our homes, and is providing ingeniously designed solutions that encourage you to pursue a healthier and more productive life. With their energy-efficient motors, intuitive add-ons and sophisticated design, today’s home appliances and kitchen gadgets fulfill almost any domestic wish and assure that you'll never have to see housework as a chore again. 

You have the LG Hom-Bot, a robotic vacuum that can clean your floors and carpets while you’re away, allowing you to come back to a dust-free home every day. Then there’s the LG DualCool airconditioner, a green home machine with an Auto Clean feature that prevents the growth of bacteria and mold, thus providing a cleaner and more pleasant home environment.

LG also understands that eating healthy is essential to a happy life, and has created inspirational yet practical appliances that help people enjoy fresh, homemade food that enhance their well-being. The LG InstaView Door-in-Door fridge has a mirrored glass panel that lights up with two quick knocks and allows you to see inside an easy access compartment without opening the door, reducing cold air loss to help keep food fresher longer. 

This kitchen keeper also has a FRESHBalancer feature that keeps your fruits and veggies in optimal condition by adjusting the right amount of humidity; a Moist Balance Crisper that maintains moisture levels; and HygieneFRESH+, a five-step air filter that eliminates up to 99.99 percent bacteria, as well as bad odor.

Cooking also becomes a more pleasurable task with LG’s smart ovens. These handy helpers are equipped with settings that cook food more efficiently, lock nutrients in, and keep unhealthy fats and sodium out. In addition, LG’s Lightwave Oven Technology offers a multi-heating system that allows you to prepare healthier, gourmet-standard food with the minimum amount of fuss.

The ultimate purpose of innovation is to help create a future where people can enjoy the best quality of life possible. As more and more technology is interwoven into LG’s products, these smart appliances will help create a great deal of synergy in your home, making life easy and comfortable, and allowing you to surround yourself and your loved ones with happiness.

The LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company is a global leader in home appliances, smart home solutions, air quality systems as well as futuristic products featuring artificial intelligence. The company creates total solutions for the home with its industry-leading core technologies, and is committed to making life better for consumers around the world by developing thoughtfully designed kitchen appliances, living appliances and air solution products. Together these products deliver enhanced convenience, superb performance, efficient operation and compelling health benefits. For more details on how LG products can help improve your life, visit lg.com/ph, like @LGPhilippines on Facebook, and follow @LGPhilippines on Instagram.