Mary's a-MAZE-ing Scorch Trials Movie Review

Thanks again to Warner Brothers Philippines (Especially their awesome President Sir Francis Soliven and the lovely Mae Vecina), my family and I got to attended the special press screening and I got to take home an awesome Maze Runner shirt too! It was one high-octane ride, with so many unexpected twists and turns, leaving you breathless, exasperated, hopeful, angry, relieved and definitely wanting more! I cannot wait for the third part to be released and if I can, I would want to crush all those guys from W.I.C.K.E.D! You might crush me if I crush and spoil the story for you, so let me just share a few tidbits to get you excited before you watch this a-MAZE-ing film! This was one brilliant big screen adaptation! 

1. It's Complicated - so as we all saw the first movie, Maze Runner - we did have this whole Thomas and Teresa love thing going on... Let me just tell you one thing - I would love to punch Teresa in the face and burn her (not just because I am so jealous she's got all the boys to herself especially my favorites, Minho and Newt!) just watch it and you will understand... 

2. The Walking Dread - yes, as you run with our handsome maze runners out in the scorch, you will be dreading each decisive turn - where you never know what lurks (or dashes) ahead; get ready for a walking-dead like excitement that will surely move you to the edge of your seats and screaming (for more)! 

3. Eat, drink and be Mary - so there is this very significant character, Mary (I loved her, until something W.I.C.K.E.D. happened) and she just brought me and the runners so much hope! She revealed quite a lot in those few moments she had, but she left us wondering how the rest of them will fare on the next movie! 

All I can say is that this is the best movie ever (oops, I said that to the first one too, and I will probably say this to the third part of this series by the wonderful James Dashner)... so, go catch this Scorching-hot movie right now! (Scorching hot also aptly describes the well-cast male characters too! But I am hating on you, Teresa!)  

- Marylaine Viernes (Click Here for my Hosting Portfolio)

School is Super Cool with the Total Girl School Tour!

Total Girl Talk is Back! And this time, we've got more surprises for everyone! I've blogged about my adventures with Total Girl last year, and also our TG (true gear) for school - Post-It and Scotch goodies by 3M Philippines, so let me just share the highlights of our recent fun TG party at Angelicum College... 

Back in the zone... I have always dreaded the thought of going back to school; I'd even have nightmares of still being in College (far from graduating) all because I have always sought to be independent and to reach for my dreams, like a hatchling raring to finally fly. But thanks to TG, the li'l girl in me is starting to love school again... 

I love this - one of the slides of my fellow TG ate and speaker, the lovely and inspiring Ines Bautista Yao who spoke about reaching for your dreams! I am so glad that I have been living one of my dreams - and that is to be an events host! And the best part is that I am able to do it, have fun, learn and earn plus meet wonderful people while I work on my other big dreams...  I am truly thankful to the generous Father for all my amazing blessings!!! 

Such an awesome day! Like these gals, I got so caught up in the energy and fun during this remarkably fun day!!! I guess here, I was trying to coach these adorable TG's as they made their dream boards!!! 

Thanks for visiting... 

Marylaine Viernes, Events Host (Click here for my full portfolio)

Clucking Delicious as we welcome Chickilicious! (Food Review)

I am so happy for my good friend, Jayson and his wonderful mom and sister, Conchita and Cathy, for bringing in Chickilicious to the Philippine shores! Needless to say, Chickilicious boasts of chicken like never before! I loved how immensely crispy their humongous chicken breast cuts (don't worry, these are real chicken, in fact not frozen - these are delivered fresh, cooked and served right away) and how perfectly tender the breast is! I loved the taste - so did my mom and sister who I just initially dragged there in the first store of Chickilicious, only to find themselves clucking for more! 

Our top favorites were the Lemon Chicken with herbs and seaweeds, and the Crispy Golden Chicken, and the Takoyaki Chicken - yes takoyaki and chicken, why not?!? These golden plates were all pleasant to the palate, an extraordinary kick with its immense burst of flavor! But I think that the winner for that evening, was legendary Chocolate Chicken! I mean I have never eaten sweet viand - I like to keep the sweets for traditional dessert. But the Chocolate Chickilicious Chunk took home the trophy - with the impeccable bitter sweet taste of chocolate, generously drizzled on the magnificent crust of the well-carved, tender, juicy chicken! Ahh.... Chocolate-Chicken heaven! Only found in my newest favorite joint - Chickilicious! 

Plus of course, they even had my classic favorites - yummy crunchy tofu bites, and my favorite calamari - squid rings! Needless to say me and my fave girls were crunching our way to yummy chicken heaven! The experience harked me back to when I visited Taipei, Taiwan back in 2011 - only better! In Taiwan, I never got accustomed to the hit delicacy, stinky tofu, but here with Chickilicious, they made their tofu bites just right! So many Chinese and Taiwanese customers piled that night when we visited - for they all knew Chickilicious back in Taiwan - where the mother franchise company was founded. But the best part? While the Chinese loved it - the Filipinos love Chickilicious more! 

I cannot wait for Chickilicious Philippines to open its wings and soar to more places! And lastly - will you believe me if I say each chicken with rice meal is not more than P 150.00? What a great deal! You can share one meal with your loved one, your office mates, but I am certain that one won't be enough - you'd all find yourselves clucking crazy and loving each and every offering! To find out more, please click this and like the Chickilicious Facebook Page .

And above, here I am with my dear friend enjoying a snap as we snapped the yummy Choco Chicken gone! And lastly, let us not forget how awesomazing their Taiwanese beverages are - hands down- the best! I would recommend the Lychee and Passion fruit juices which my mom, sis and I got to try; but with my palate being so discriminating and unadventurous at times - I went with the traditional chilled Taiwanese tea - and drank every last drop! 

Come fly by Chickilicious at the Sea Residences, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City for a taste of the best in Taipei - suited to satisfy the Filipino taste! Thank you and Congratulations Chickilicious; more stores to come! 

- Marylaine Louise Viernes, Events Host and now, Food Blogger!

Hosting is a Breeze with Good Housekeeping Magazine

I am totally thankful to Summit Media for their continued trust in me - I've emceed for their magazines such as Total Girl, Entrepreneur and Smart Parenting. This time, I got to emcee for the Good Housekeeping event, "GH Baon in a Breeze," held at the Robinsons Galleria event atrium. The event was attended by tons of guests, and of course our Good Housekeeping subscribers and our usual blogger-mommies and friends from the media. 

We played so many awesome games and gave our a ton of amazing prizes! And 5 lucky mommies even walked away with a one-year magazine subscription! Sweet!!! 

Top Photo: Excuse my nerdy look for the day. But I tried to balance it out with a nice dress; hope that you still liked my dress from www.dressinmanila.com please visit their website for the hottest, sexiest clothing trends! And of course, thank you so much to the awesome Summit Media events team; it is always wonderful to work with you! So excited for our next activities; what a great way to welcome September - looking forward to all things amazing and enriching! lastly, below is one of our guests, Momma Blogger behind http://lavishlyparsimonious.blogspot.com/ please check out her blog too! 

- Marylaine Louise Viernes, Events Host

Camp Master Mary says "We CAN and We WILL" (With Friso Four)

I just can't stop raving about the milk that even I am crazy four (for), yes you guessed that right, it's Friso Four! I will forever be thankful for being part of the 2015 Friso Fun Camp experience as its official campaign events host. And getting all those free cans of milk are a big help to me too! My son loves drinking it and so do I - with its delicious and refreshing taste, that even moms love! 

Believe it or not, whenever my son and I drink our Friso milk from our Friso CANS (which is another one of our many bonding activities), we know that we CAN do anything we put our hearts into! And for me, that includes hosting events, and I definitely loved hosting our recent FRISO FUN CAMP, this time at the Alabang Town Center! 

Here are some of my fun and quirky insights as host / camp master of Friso Four: 

1. Turn your "Can't s" into "Cans" and make sure that you have a Can of Friso Four too! Yes, we all can achieve our dreams. Like for me, hosting events has been one of my many big dreams, and I can very well remember how I prayed hard for this - the chance to enjoy what hosting gives me - good pay, pride and fun freebies and other fringe benefits! I remember all my efforts to be given the chance by people who at first didn't know what I was capable of neither did they believe in me. But getting one foot in is not even half of the job. It's staying here for as long as I can, and that is tempering my behaviour that means staying professional even when I feel tired, mad or hungry; and always being beyond my best (and always being pleasantly unpredictable at each event). Always reach out and ask for help you will never know who will be willing to help you and give you a chance. And lastly I always need milk energy each time I host for my non-stop excitement and "Mary-ment"(merriment). 

2. I can and I will! Yes I will never tire of saying how thankful I am to host so many events in a week! So many different facets of myself unravel. And while I struggle to balance my day job plus these awesome hosting jobs and of course my role as daughter, sister and mother I have now come to accommodate things that will help me remember, and take the necessary steps to achieve all my other dreams (you don't know the gazillion ideas burning and blazing through my mind each minute). My day job and workplace which are comprised of such awesome people - and of course my greater network of friends from my hosting jobs may be distractions from what I have always known to be my ultimate dream and role in this world - but practically speaking, I need these two as they enrich me (financially, emotionally, mentally) so it should just be a matter of really accommodating more time to work on the solid ideas in my mind into something I can grasp and share to the world. So hopeful for the future - for me and my son. It is as bright and clear as this crystal glass holding my son's Friso milk. Dreams and the struggle to achieve it will have to wait for it's time to tuck my son and kiss him good night. Plus, this un-glam but awesome photo below from one of our many playground adventures! Excuse our  crazy faces.

- Marylaine Louise Viernes (Click Me)

Sharing my True Colors at the Inside Out Party and Movie Premiere

I am still buzzing from the awesome "Express Yourself" party and parenting workshop presented by SM Cinema, Snack Time and the top parenting magazine - Smart Parenting by Summit Media! This unforgettable family party was the exciting prelude to the premiere screening of Inside Out, Disney Pixar's much-anticipated movie! 

Part 1: Sharing My True Colors
Mesmerised was I to walk into such a gleeful affair which brimmed of so much Joy and Love!  I am so thankful to emcee this parenting workshop that brimmed with tons of informative activities and freebies! Our speakers for the day were Chef Roselle Miranda, Editor of Good Housekeeping Magazine, and of course the creative mind behind Color Me Doodle, Mark Dean Lim! As usual I was in my element; more than just being a passionate host, I too am a parent - an honor  and blessing that is life-changing; extremely humbling yet empowering at the same time. I had so much fun learning with Smart Parents - all who strive to give their children the best childhood possible. And I am certain that thanks to SM Cinema, Snack Time and Smart Parenting, this memorable experience will go a long way in the hearts of all the kids (including mine) as the bond between parent and child grows stronger! Thank you so much to the wonderful SM Cinema team (led by their gorgeous, smart and sweet PR Head, Ms. Stephanie Henares who also shared some of their photos for my blog), and of course, my Summit Media family! Check out these parents and kids! We even had actress & glam mom, Ms. Gladys Reyes present! 

PINOY PRIDE: Filipino Ronaldo De Carmen co-directed Inside Out with Peter Docter and naturally, the film received critical praise for its concept and moving on story on family, which were successfully presented in an entertaining and easily understandable manner. Sorry for sounding so redundant but I feel honored and blessed beyond words to be part of this affair! 

Kids loving their balloons from Krispy Kreme and their loud, happy screams! 

Part 2: My Movie Rave-view for INSIDE OUT:
The movie made me understand so much not just a mom, but most of all, as a woman. So many times, like Riley - I have let ANGER steer me and this resulted to mistakes and regrets that I continue to work on this day. The movie is about more than just the voices in our heads. It truly reaches to the depths of our hearts. I won't spoil it for you; all I can say is that you'll love it!
I don't know, I guess it's the little girl inside me that cried when Riley's imaginary friend, Bingbong that adorable pink, fluffy cotton candy hybrid of sorts gave way to the more important emotions as Riley matured. I guess that is how it is - letting go is so beautifully painful. But in letting go can we only find growth beyond wonder. Here I am below with JOY and ANGER - two of the main characters of this really, really amazing animated movie!  

You won't regret anticipating the movie so much. Every scene was perfect. More than just a movie it was an experience. Kudos to my friends who bought their tickets in advance! To those who'd like to learn more about Inside Out and of course the many amazing promos of SM Cinema, please click this link to visit the Official Website of SM Cinema. Thanks for dropping by. Enjoy the movie!
- Marylaine Louise Viernes

The best VACATION you'll ever take (A Movie Review)

Where do I even begin? Don't expect me to share something profound about the latest hit movie presented by Warner Bros Philippines: VACATION. This movie truly caught me off guard; from the awesome scene with Keegan Michael Key I lost my brakes and just kept on rolling with laughter until the end of the movie!  

VACATION is a remake of the hit “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” a classic comedy that my mom also loved when it was shown back in 1983, with Chevy Chase as the original Griswold dad. To my mom’s delight, Chevy Chase makes a cameo but this time, his son, Rusty is all grown up, leading his own family through sidesplitting misadventures. 

The movie is top billed by Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo and Steele Stebbins and they make up the idiosyncratic Griswold family. The movie also boasts of a remarkable list of superstars as part of the supporting cast and the most notable would probably be Chris Hemsworth (Thor of the Avengers) but it was Norman Reedus (Daryl of Walking Dead fame) that solicited the loudest “ooohs” from the crowd with his enigmatic charm (though that thing in his truck still haunts me ‘til today).

Chris Hemsworth has never been this THORriffic. I stared only at his nice hairstyle. I promise, that is all that I stared at, LOL! This part here was downright crazy. Crazy funny. You need to see this movie!!! 
It was quirky, raunchy and downright mirthful and I promise you it will drive your blues away! It may not be a ride for the entire family as the movie is strictly R-18, but for adults like you, watch it! All I can say is that I haven’t laughed like that in years!