Share the love with Angel's Heart-shaped Pizza!

Angel's Heart-shaped Pizza

"Happiness is only real when shared."

I remember this quote from the movie Into the Wild shared to me by Ms. Josephine Bonsol as I celebrated the season of love with friends and my twin sister at Angel's Pizza Pasta Combo with their new Heart-shaped pizza.

As we indulged ourselves both in non-stop laughter and in Angel's cheesy burger double decker pizza (P647), a mouthwatering journey to 7th heaven of oozing mozarella cheese, beef, bacon and culinary cream between the two thin crusts we reminisced and laughed at our high school days and it has been one of my most memorable days thinking even though our college life is slowly changing us, we, especially my friends Gemma and Kim, have stayed the same--makulit, humble, funny and bubbly.

We also mused at each other's love life with Angel's innovative creation of heart-shaped pizza perfect for this season of love.

Chicken Parmigiana

We also ordered Angel's Breaded Chicken Bowls: Chicken Parmigiana (P95 with iced tea), perfectly baked chicken with oozing cheese and  pizza sauce and Chicken with Creamy Sauce (P95 with iced tea), chicken in rich cream and corn and carrots.

Chicken with Creamy Sauce

Chicken Aloha

My dad got a little envious as my old man is also crazy about pizza and so I availed their Family Chicken Aloha pizza (P470/12")--equally a bundle of joy of bbq chicken chunks, bacon, pineapple, green pepper, bbq sauce and mozzarella cheese--with Angel's VIP card, where you can avail any of the following upon placing your order: 

1. 20% discount on all pizza purchase;

2. FREE Family pizza for every Big Family pizza purchase; or

3. FREE Medium pizza for every Family pizza purchase

You can still avail Angel's Heart-shaped pizza (for Big Family Thin Crust Pizza only) until February 29 with friends and family that will truly make your Valentine's season complete.

Visit their website at www.angelspizza.com.ph and like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/angelspizzapastacombo. 

Hands down to the heavenly finale of 100 Days to Heaven!

Happy yet unpredictable ending.

What truly makes 100 Days to Heaven stand out among any other teleserye is 1) its amazing screenplay 2) the lessons in life it imparted that any conventional drama show won't dare share and 3) the unpredictable events that even my dad, who's quite an expert in predicting movie and teleserye plots would not expect. The death of Kevin and Madame Anna judged to be in hell were just some of the scenes that made it uniquely elusive, showing the art of shocking the audience and yet satisfying them with the overall result of the ending.

A happy and sad ending. It's truly hard to pull off such a story that even though someone died, everyone was still happy. Such a plot of someone given 100 days not to correct her mistakes but to be given a chance to be a mother to her lost daughter was truly outstanding, inspiring and one of a kind, as it was also incorporated with all kinds of life's lessons that we have never heard anyone say or no one has ever taught us.

Aside from being the only teleserye I watched and finished up to the last episode, 100 Days to Heaven was the drama series that always made me cry, especially because of the outstanding performances of Ms. Coney Reyes, Xyriel Manabat, Jodie Sta. Maria, Joel Torre, Dominic Ochoa, Louise Abuel, not to mention the special guests like Angelica Panganiban, Christopher De Leon, John Llyod Cruz, etc.

I will never forget the episode when the old janitor (Joonee Gamboa) that Madame Anna  scolded shared his story that Anna's insult to him was the best thing that happened to him. It really made me cry when the janitor was reading the letter he wrote to Anna in a Grade 1 paper.

I also loved the episode when Anna was being bullied by the street kids and, to protect herself, made them realize how their mothers don't take care of them and how they hated home that's why they bring the hate to others.

The episode with Angelica Panganiban truly imparted a heartwarming and life-changing lesson especially for Sofia that it was a good thing for her to still have time to forgive and say everything she needed to say to her mother before it's too late.

And of course, the episodes when Madame Anna struggled to win back the affection of her daughter made me cry a liter of tears, especially when Sofia finally forgave her but admitted that she still couldn't let the pain pass because unlike the little time she got to know her dad, she and Anna were able to weave memorable times together.

"Nanay." I will forever cherish the days when I'd wait for 100 Days to Heaven to learn from Madame Anna Manalastas and laugh at how Bruce and Jopet mocked her. The teleserye was truly worth watching, and I can say you would miss half of your life if you hadn't.

I will miss you, Madame Anna!

Angel's Pasta in a Dough: Your fave pizza and pasta in one!

It's a dream come true for kids and kids-at-heart: their favorite pizza and pasta mashed up into one heavenly treat with Angel's Pasta in a Dough!

I remembered my mentor Ms. Josephine Bonsol treating me to Angel's with their new Pasta in a Dough, and how I enjoyed playing with the pasta heaped on top of the pizza dough, and even thought hard if I had to eat the pasta first or chomp it with the pizza.

I decided to share the same childish but heavenly experience with my twin sister as we ordered the Pasta in a Dough Creamy Bacon (P215), and we both loved the rich creamy sauce coating the pasta, the juicy sweet bacon and crunchy green peppers. We laughed at ourselves as we struggled to slice the pizza and played with the creamy pasta just like kids enjoying the good old days.

They also have Classic Spaghetti (P205) and Tuna Pesto (P215).

Reminisce those childhood days with Angel's Pasta in a Dough. You can visit www.angelspizza.com.ph or call 922-22-22 (free delivery) to taste heaven at your doorstep!

Celebrating heavenly birthdays with Angel's Pizza Pasta Combo!

"We turn not older with years, but newer every day."

September for us is always jam-packed with birthday celebrations--with my brother, big sister, nephew, cousin and even my 83-year-old grandmother enduring turning a year older almost simultaneously. All having the same crazy craving for pizza, we'd always celebrate with hot pizza on the table, especially from Angel's Pizza Pasta Combo.

Fancy Aloha

We celebrated ate's 22nd birthday last September 3 with Angel's new Fancy Aloha (P470/12") and she loved how the mozzarella cheese with gravy sauce complemented the sweet pineapples. The juicy bacon and ham we kids would always sinfully prefer than veggies made us come back for second servings.

Extra Feast

We were also overwhelmed with the generous heap of toppings in Extra Feast (P340/9"), loaded with pepperoni, ham, beef, onion, mushroom and green pepper all coated with oozing mozzarella cheese. My big sister specially liked the Extra Feast with its perfect combination of sweet chorizo and spiced pepperoni.

Cheesy Burger

Last September 9 we indulged ourselves with another heavenly birthday treat for our brother and nephew. We ordered the Cheesy Burger pizza (P556/14") and Angel's Medley (P459/12"), and even my grandmother got the meat fever as both pizzas were showered with juicy beef, bacon and pepperoni. My 6-year-old nephew was amused at how the rich oozing cheese didn't immediately come off from the rest of the pizza in Angel's Medley, while the Cheesy Burger's mozzarella cheese stilled puffed up like it was fresh from the oven.

Angel's Medley

Angel's Pizza Pasta Combo offers a load of heavenly promos. You can get a VIP card and avail any of the following:

1. 20% discount on all pizza purchase

2. a FREE Family pizza for every Big Family pizza purchase, or

3. a FREE Medium Pizza for every Family pizza purchase

Crazy for pizza and pasta? You can avail the following:

1. a FREE Pasta in a Dough (any flavor) for every Family Pizza purchase (any flavor except Angel's Wish) 

2. a BUY 1 TAKE 1 promo of Pasta in a Dough (any flavor) and just add P20, or

3. a FREE carrot loaf or a 16oz iced tea for every Pasta in a Dough (any flavor) for P199 only

They also have the new Double Deal All Day Promo. You can avail two of your favorite Big Family Original Hand Tossed Pizza for only P725 (save P385), or two Family Size Pizza for only P550 (save P320). Now that is heaven at your doorstep!

You can visit www.angelspizza.com.ph or call 922-22-22 (free delivery) and experience a taste of heaven in your favorite pizza!

Thank you very much to Ms. Annesy Del Mundo!

Experiencing 7th Heaven with Angel's Pizza Pasta Combo!

Heaven was never out of our reach.

It was my very first time to attend a food blog event and it was like chasing a high meeting friendly bloggers and partner writers, all made possible by Open Rice and Angel's Pizza Pasta  Combo!

While getting to know each other, we were served with Angel's hot and only the best pizzas, starting from the Original Hand Tossed and Double Decker pizzas, their newest Breaded Chicken Bowls and their unique Italian style pasta.

Experiencing Angel's Double Decker pizza felt like tasting heaven in two different flavors. I especially liked the Cheesy Melt (P599/14") oozing with mozarella and cheddar cheese and enjoyed munching the pepperoni hidden between the two thin crusts.

Double Decker Cheesy Melt

Angel's Double Decker Cheesy Burger (P599/14") brought me back the days when I used to play with the meatballs in my spaghetti, as the pizza was generously topped with beef and bacon in a bed of mozarella cheese, and hidden in between  the two thin crunchy crusts a surprising spread of culinary cheese.

Double Decker Cheesy Burger

I equally loved the Double Decker BBQ Crust (P599/14") with its sweet BBQ sauce and floating on it a load of pepperoni, Italian sausage, crunchy green pepper, garlic and onion.

Double Decker BBQ Crust

The Original Hand Tossed pizzas were as mouthwatering. I enjoyed munching on the barbeque chicken chunks of Angel's Style (P555/14") with mushroom and onions swimming in bbq sauce and mozarella cheese.

Angel's Style

I got the meat fever with the Extra Feast (P555/14") heaped with pepperoni, ham, beef, sweet chorizo, onions, mushroom and green pepper all coated with mozarella cheese.

Extra Feast

I fell in love with the flavorful gravy sauce in the new Fancy Aloha (P515/14") combined with the sweet pineapple bits and mozarella cheese, also showered with bacon, ham and green pepper.

Fancy Aloha

Angel's newest and breadilicious Breaded Chicken Bowls felt like 7th heaven with its unique fried chicken submerged in flavorful sauces with steamed rice. I was initially worried about the teriyaki sauce of the Chicken Teriyaki (P95 with regular iced tea) based on past experiences, but I enjoyed its sweetness perfect with the crunchy chicken.

Chicken Teriyaki

Aside from its childish colorful presentation, I was amused with the creamy and flavorful sauce of the Chicken with Creamy Sauce (P95 with regular iced tea) while I chomped on the crunchy corn and carrot bits.

Chicken in Creamy Sauce

My mouth watered at the sight of the Chicken Parmigiana (P95 with regular iced tea), with the breaded chicken coated in gooey parmesan cheese and that Italian flavor of tomato sauce.

Chicken Parmigiana

I found the chicken breading in Angel's Bucket of 6 (P599 with 4pcs. of rice and 1.5 litre Coke) very unique and tasty up to the chicken meat as I initially thought it would taste like any other fried chicken in the usual food joints.

Angel's Bucket of 6

Tasting Angel's Pasta was unlike any pasta experience when I used to gobble the usual sweet spaghetti in birthday parties I got bored with. Like a 10-year-old kid with a sweet tooth, I especially enjoyed the Carbonara (P139) with creamy sauce in every pasta strand. 

Carbonara

Classic Spaghetti

I was glad to experience the Italian style Classic Spaghetti (P129) my mentor Ms. Josephine Bonsol has taught me to be the original spaghetti flavor with its sweet-sour sauce. The flavorful and appetizing taste of Angel's Pesto (P139) was new to me but I equally enjoyed it.

Pesto

So much for tasting heaven. Thank you very much to Ms. Annesy Del Mundo, Mr. Emerson Baun of Open Rice and all the bloggers for the warm welcome and heavenly experience!

Want to taste heaven at your doorstep? Dial 922-22-22 now and experience Angel's blissful pizza and pasta!

Reflections on 100 Days to Heaven

My dad. Drama mode.

Aside from watching Spongebob Squarepants and Mr. Bean, I've finally got to like a teleserye that truly feeds the minds of kids like me, with ABS-CBN's 100 Days to Heaven (directed by Malu L. Sevilla). It seriously makes me cry, laugh like a mad man, and learn the practical approaches in life like "you should manipulate the world first before it manipulates you and buries you alive."

Sofia's (Jodi Sta. Maria) father Andres (Joel Torre) truly moves me to tears, given his situation as a physically disabled man struggling to do his job as a financially-supportive father. With his son Kevin (Louis Abuel) unfortunate enough of having leukemia, he could not sleep at night just thinking about how he could provide for his son's medical needs.

I remember my father every time Andres stays late up at night and pours out his frustrations, saying he feels like a worthless father because of his physical misfortune. I always cry whenever I see him selling rags out in the streets, with all his efforts to earn money for Kevin's treatment. I see my dad in him thinking how caring and emotionally vulnerable he is as well, with his determination to make us successful citizens of the world by always working overtime.

On the other hand, there are a lot more lessons I learn from Madame Anna Manalastas (Coney Reyes) and Anna (Xyriel Manabat). 100 Days to Heaven not only makes me want to love and understand my dad more, but also helps me understand the "art of being the bad guy". Anna shares a lot of reasonable viewpoints about life and its cruel reality we've all overlooked and we take as unreasonable.

In yesterday's episode, Anna was trying to prove to Sofia that she did a big favor to her employees by scolding them and simply telling the truth that they were a bunch of failures. I remembered how my strict teachers back in high school scolded us and I tried to understand their intentions that after all, they simply cared about us, for if they didn't, they wouldn't even bother wasting their time reprimanding us. Maybe it was just the same way Anna did.

I've always loved villains, because they're not bad guys after all. Like what Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) said, "We've all got light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we chose to act on." Anna Manalastas may be that annoying, unreasonable toy empress, but she sure teaches me to look into the other side of bad guys--their good side.

Movie review: What Dreams May Come "The tragic myth of heaven"

"It's not about understanding. It's about not giving up."

Just how do you spell "love"? Just how far would you go to prove it? For Chris Nielson (Robin Williams), it means choosing hell over heaven just  to be with his wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra). Literally.

I once thought dreams are simply blurred and distorted images made by our subconscious minds--meaningless, confusing and even nightmarish. I never thought it could be our heaven, because it's all in our minds after all.

What shook me to tears in Vincent Ward's What Dreams May Come (1998) was Chris's undying love for his wife. When he died, he was advised in heaven that his thoughts for her would fade away in time but he refused to let go and even searched for her in hell after she committed suicide, even if it means staying there with her.

The face of hell

Just how big is the commitment in such relationships? My mentor Ms. Josephine Bonsol once said love is not about feeling anymore for it only further breaks the connection with its subjective setbacks. Love does not require a single emotion, and you show your love because you simply want to. She said it's more of a decision while you give all the love even without saying it.

When Chris died, he still longed for his wife. Even if paradise was right in front of him, his paradise was still being with Annie, as he saw his heaven in one of her majestic paintings. He didn't listen to anybody and even risked losing his mind in hell just to bring back his wife. Maybe this is what soul mates--and true love--simply mean.

We would think how heroic it might be when one gives up his own heaven and takes a ship back to the one place we all pray to the holy ghost we would not fall into--hell. Out in the real world we all want to go to heaven because we simply hate suffering. But for Chris, suffering is part of life and he simply hates not being with his wife.

It took me to a lot of tears especially when Chris found his daughter Marie (Jessie Brooks Grant) in heaven disguised as a beautiful Asian woman named Leona (Rosalind Chao, The Joy Luck Club). The movie brought me to more tears when he finally discovered his son Ian (Josh Paddock) as he remembered "he would be with his son even in hell".

Ms. Josephine Bonsol was right: the movie was deeply touching as I cried over Chris's message to his wife, that he couldn't forgive himself because he once said "he couldn't join her" to insanity after their children died, as he tried to push all the pain he even distanced himself to "the woman he loves the most".

Sometimes when you win, you lose.

And sometimes when you lose, you win. What Dreams May Come is a story about not giving up, and a challenge for all of us to face and express what true love really means.