All the way MMA!

Last year I wanted to do some Muay Thai in Bangkok. Instead, I ended up in a Thai food cooking class! (See Holiday Highlights entry)

For this trip, the chance to do something interesting came when RG asked if I wanted to join him for a workout at the Evolve MMA Gym in Far East Square, SG. Apparently, RG researched on the best MMA gym as soon as he found out he’ll be going to Singapore for the Asian TV Awards.

I expected a sweat smelling, hole-in-the-wall type of gym with men with raging testosterone slugging it off. I had the impression that a boxing or martial arts gym should be spartan.

On the contrary the SG Evolve gym, which claims to be the best in Asia, had a well-decorated lobby, modern furniture and clean workout areas. The huge group class areas were equipped with mitts, ropes, kick pads and heavy bags on a 1:1 per student ratio. On top of the excellent facilities, the gym boasts world-class champions for instructors.

Walk-in, non-members pay a S$50 fee for a one-hour class of their choice. At the time we were there, Muai Thai was the next class.

The day before, RG did 3 bruising classes that included Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muai Thai. Talk about hardcore!

We did a class led by Yodthira Sityodtong and Muangfalek Kiatvichian. (Info from the Evolve Website)

Muangfalek Kiatvichian – Kru, Muay Thai

Muangfalek Kiatvichian is an Instructor at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts.  With over 300 professional fights, he is a 2 time Muay Thai Rajdamnern World Champion and a 2 time Thailand Boxing Champion.  He has also competed in MMA in Japan in the prestigious DEEP organization.  Prior to joining Evolve MMA, Muangfalek lived in Japan for the past 10 years where he taught Muay Thai to the top MMA stars in Japan such as Shinya Aoki, Masakazu Imanari, and others.  He learned submission grappling under the tutelage of Shinya Aoki and Mazakazu Imanari too.  Muangfalek is known to have ferocious punches and kicks with a unique and original style. 

A 2x Muay Thai World Champion, Muangfalek is a certified Muay Thai instructor.

Muangfalek is originally from Thailand.

Yodthira Sityodtong – Kru, Muay Thai

Yodthira is an Instructor at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts.  He is a professional Muay Thai fighter from Thailand with over 120 fights.  He has been ranked as high as #1 at Lumpinee Stadium in his weight class.  A Muay Thai Champion, he is known as a master ring technician with superior technical prowess.  Yodthira has represented the Sityodtong Camp for his entire life at all the top venues such as Lumpinee Stadium, Rajdamnern Stadium, Theprasit Stadium, and many others.  His favorite techniques are the push kick and high roundhouse kick. 

Yodthira is a certified Muay Thai instructor under the legendary Kru Yodtong Senanan of the Sityodtong Gym.

Yodthira is originally from Thailand.

The juice bar is worth the squeeze. We had acai palm fruit shake topped with bananas. Acai palm is a tall, slender palm native to South America and Brazil. Its fruit is rich in minerals and antioxidants. A perfect post workout treat.

For more Evolve MMA facilities click on the link.

After the workout, we went to Hajji lane in the Arab district to look for this MMA specialty store. The narrow lane was beautifully lined with shops in old-colonial style buildings.

Hajji lane in the Arab District.

The MMA store. There was no sign out front except for the UFC, MMA posters on the windows. They carry brands such as Venum, Bad Boy, Fairtex, etc.

All that punching, kicking and shopping made us hungry so we had a late lunch in this little Arab restaurant.

Wee Nam Kee

We arrived in SG a little after lunch time via Jet Star Airlines. It was a budget flight so no food was served while in flight.

After leaving our things in the hotel, we immediately went to one of the best authentic Singaporean food restaurants in Novena – Wee Nam Kee.

FYI, they have a branch here in the Ayala Triangle but you have to wait in a long queue to be seated. The Philippine branch was also packaged as high end.

On the flip side, the original SG branch is a simple food place with table right on the sidewalk.

Nothing too fancy but the food was excellent.

Legendary Cereal Prawns and Chicken Rice.

I tweeted while we were waiting for the rain to stop.

After we left, I received a reply from Wee Nam Kee.

Bee Healthy

Here’s the buzz on bee-ing healthy without the sting on the budget.

Last weekend, we took a short trip to Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm in Silang, Cavite (near Tagaytay).

Too bad the trip was impromptu. The farm usually sets up its Bee Museum for tourists.

Nonetheless, the visit was worth the effort.

Glass covered hive box.

Busy bees. Close up of hive box with a reflection of Ilog Maria’s Bee Museum

Hole in the Hive. Worker bees gather and collect pollen from the flowers in the farm and enter this tiny hole to process honey-making.

All boxed up. Yogi, Boo boo and Winnie would go gaga over the loot in these boxes. The bees won’t take that lightly though.

Bee Products: (Second row) Propolis and Cider Liniment, Honey Cider Vinegar, Propolis Sanitizer, Throat Spray, (First row) Honey, Bee Pollen, Probiotic

Here are their benefits:

Extra Virgin Honey

• Feeds, rests and heals liver
• Heals cuts, wounds, and bruises
• Heals burns
• Eliminates diarrhea, constipation, and ulcers
• Prevents and heals pimples, acne
• Boosts energy

Honey Cider Vinegar

• Aids digestion
• De-toxifier
• Diuretic
• Balances body chemistry
• Lubricant for constipation

Propolis and Cider Liniment

• Soothes tired and stiff muscles and tendons by stimulating blood circulation
• Aids in fast removal of wastes from fatigued muscles
• Supplies oxygen, food and energy to muscle cells

Propolis Sanitizer

• Anti-fungal
• Anti-viral
• Anti-bacterial

Probiotic

• Strengthens immune system for asthma, coughs, colds, fever, flu, allergies, gout and rheumatism

Bee Pollen

• Increases stamina
• Heightens alertness
• Boosts mental capacity
• Burns and metabolizes fat
• Eliminates fatigue
• Eases hypertension
• Alleviates impotence
• Prevents prostate cancer
• Improves digestion
• Combats depression

Feel free to comment on these claims. I’d be testing out the products and see if they are true.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

It feels good to be home.

I just came back from a trip down in Cebu for work. I flew in last Tuesday morning evading typhoon Basyang which was on her way to Metro Manila/Northern Luzon.

From my room window, you can see the weather in Cebu was not so hot and humid. It was cloudy and breezy. Apart from the occasional short showers, the weather was just right.

But the weather was the least of my concerns.

I had very limited time to accomplish what I had to do since I would be checking out and flying back to Manila the next day.

I had to rebook my flight for the next morning and rush my work.

Come the time to fly back, which was very early in the morning, the plane won’t fly because of a baggage compartment issue.

We got stuck in the airport for an hour before leaving!

But if there were a few consolations. I got to try out two new restaurants in Cebu I.T. Park.

I. Mooon Mexican Inspired Cafe

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The Bar.  Very nice Sun-Moon Painting.

Mooon’s Mexican Baby Back Ribs

II. Roma Mia – Italian

Nice interiors but they have to do something about the mosquitoes in the dark corners.

Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta

World Cup Woes

His name is Paul. I’m biting his head off!

Now all my World Cup bets are out.

The final game is between the Dutch and the Spaniards.

I would have preferred a match between Brazil, Argentina, Germany or  Spain.

Ding Qua Qua

Jan, a lawyer-friend from Cebu, took me to the restaurant to meet his partners. I was just overwhelmed by the buffet they had. And all for what? P188! You don’t find a good Chinese buffet in Manila for that rate. The food was good enough for the price.

Ding Qua Qua is a casual dining restaurant located at the second floor of JY Mall along Salinas Drive in Lahug, Cebu.

If I were to nitpick though and pose as a food critic I’d give the restaurant these ratings (Scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest):

Taste        3

Environment         4

Service         3

Price             4

The Buffet

Dimsum overload

Battle of the Spareribs

The search is on for the spareribs with taosi sauce that can beat my favorite Le Ching spareribs rice.

As mentioned in my Le Ching Tea House entry, the spareribs rice meal is my choice comfort food paired with a serving of soy sauce tofu.

I’ve tried others but have not really consciously compared them with that of Le Ching’s. This time I tried to compare.

Let the battle begin!

Luk Yuen Spareribs with taosi sauce.

Price: P135

Comes with two stalks of Chinese pechay and black beans

The verdict: Good, but not good enough to beat the favored Le Ching.

Sunday Shebang

It was Ella’s birthday on the 29th (Monday) so we planned a getaway with friends on the 28th (Sunday).

We booked in Ville Sommet Tagaytay and ordered food from Conti’s in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa.

The idea was to have a relaxing, chill out birthday in the beautiful Ville Sommet gardens. We brought along board games, a bingo gadget, my guitar and giveaways for prizes.

Many thanks to all those who came!

(Thanks to Joms and Love for some of the pics)

The “Batibot” area.

Beautiful garden.

Chalet. My favorite spot! When I grow up, I want one like this.

Chalet jacuzzi garden view.

Sauna and massage table.

Party Pavillion.

UP Manila friends Thea, John Ella and Me.

Yakkers Plus

Bingo

Chalet: Things to Let Go game. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

Bon Vivant

More than ten years have passed and the little booth that serves fried rice in a box is still there.

My favorites would be their “Babes in the Sea-ty” and the “A-ali Aligue”. “Babes” is a mix of pork, shrimp, kani and some oyster sauce. “AA” is your crab fat fried rice.

When I took the bar exam, Utopia billeted us in the Diamond Hotel in Roxas Boulevard. Hence my food order every Saturday night before the Sunday exams would include fried rice from Bon Vivant.

My runner still complains to me to this day that he scoured the whole mall to find a restaurant called Bon Vivant. What he found out later on was that it was just a small 3 square meter booth at the 4th floor of Robinson’s Place Manila.

Sardines

Cibo’s Sardine Sandwich

I have this thing for sardines and bread for meryenda. There was a time when I always treat my officemates to hot pandesal and a few cans of Ligo.

Either Spanish style or the regular Ligo tomato-based ones, a sardine sandwich is one of life’s simple pleasures for me.

What’s good about it is that it’s high in omega 3 fatty acids that is good for the heart. They’re also a good source of vitamin D, calcium, B12 and protein.