KFC Breakfast Fully Loaded Meals Get Two Thumbs Up

Looking back to my college days, I spoke about how breakfast is very important to each of us as part of my English class' persuasive speech requirement. I compared our bodies to a car engine that needs heating up and checking of water at the start of the day, after a long night of not being used.

In that speech, I mentioned how breakfast gives us the energy to boost and how it also sets the tone and mood of our entire day. Yes, I reiterate, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Having a complete breakfast meal will surely help us get up and get going.

What a great way to start off the day than by waking up to KFC's Filipino Breakfast Fully Loaded Meal (FLM) or Breakfast Steak Fully Loaded Meal.

The Filipino Breakfast FLM combines the classic Filipino favorites into one filling meal that includes real chicken longganisa, tender chicken tocino slices, garlic rice, scrambled egg, and soft chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup and shipped butter. You may choose to get an orange juice or coffee to come with the meal.

Meanwhile, the Breakfast Steak FLM includes KFC's signature Original Recipe Chicken fillet drenched in creamy breakfast steak sauce, garlic rice, scrambled egg, and soft chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup and whipped butter. Similar to the Filipino Breakfast FLM, a choice of orange juice or coffee awaits.

Trying out the two FLM's, I love how KFC cooked it without seemingly making me feel it's from a fast food chain. It feels like home. I initially thought the steak sauce was a soup, but it turned out to be a great addition to the delicious KFC chicken. Adding the soft chocolate chip pancakes was a great idea, as it balances out the overall taste and making it as if it's the "dessert" of the meal.

Both Fully Loaded Meals are part of the KFC A.M. Breakfast range, which also includes other freshly prepared, signature chicken meals such as the Longganisa Burger and A.M. Snacker. The two FLM's can be found in any KFC store and only costs Php105.00 each.

For regular updates, don't forget to follow KFC on Twitter @KFCPhilippines and like their Facebook page www.facebook.com/kfcphilippines. For deliveries, dial 887-8888 (for Metro Manila only) or go to www.kfcdelivery.com.ph.

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Portable Madness - Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers

I'm actually old enough to remember when boomboxes were a thing -- those bulky radio sets that required six size D batteries. Yes, people those days would put up with lugging a thirty-or-so pound just to listen to their music with their friends, and they were actually considered the cool ones. Nowadays, everything is about being portable. From desktops turning into tablets, to mobile phones getting smaller, lighter and thinner, the emphasis of our generation is to do away with chains that hold us down and allowing us the freedom to do anything we want, anywhere. Little gems like the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers make it easier for us to accomplish just that.

The first thing that you'll notice about this speaker is that it's absolutely gorgeous. Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, this lightweight speaker only weighs 12 oz. (340g) - about as much, if not lighter than, a water bottle. The ash grey matte finish on the speakers allow it to blend in to the background or stand out as a centerpiece, depending on your preference. It has no frills, no distracting elements to take away the essence of what it truly is -- a high-definition speaker.

For such a small object, the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers deliver the punch of a full 3.1 audio system with lots of bass to spare. It delivers a full range of sound without losses between levels. There's no lack of power here, as it can easily fill a medium-sized room with its sound. I was very pleasantly surprised to have a near audiophile-quality experience from an unexpected source.

This speaker can also do what maybe four or five other gadgets would separately; the best part is, it's extremely easy to use. It connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth with a simple press of a button, thus allowing you to be mobile with your music player while having your speakers in one place. The range is pretty limited, but it removes the inconvenience of being tied up and tangled with wires. If your device is not Bluetooth-ready, the speakers come with a 24" 3.5mm audio cable to connect into your headphone jack and act as any regular speaker. What's even better is that you can daisy chain several of these speakers to just pump up the volume.

The Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers act as a Bluetooth speakerphone as well, with a built-in noise-cancelling microphone to provide good sound quality both to you and whoever you're speaking with. If you're like me and often are part of a conference call, I can see how convenient it would be to have your phone's speaker magnified so that you can be on the line anywhere throughout your room.

Apart from being a speaker and a phone accessory, it is also a battery charger -- that's right, you can plug in your mobile phone via the built-in powerbank without interrupting your listening experience. While the Braven 600 comes with a modest 1400mAh battery, it still gives you 12 hours of play time or 2 - 3 full charges on an iPhone 4S. Its limitation here is that it wasn't designed to charge anything more than your smartphone, so you can't use this to charge higher capacity gadgets such as tablets. Given the low capacity, it's best used for the rare occasions you desperately need to charge your phone, but hey, I challenge you to find another speaker that can do just that.

In summary, I think it's pretty plain to see that the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers delivers an extremely enticing package. It is extremely lightweight, enabling you to bring a full high-quality audio system without having to bring a ton of equipment. It can link up to other Braven speakers to generate even more power, it can act as a speaker for your calls, and it can even power your phone while it's at it. This isn't just another accessory to add to your collection; this is an essential necessity to have with you to complement your mobile lifestyle.

Standard Retail Price of Braven 600 HS Wireless Speaker: Php6,450.00

Available at the following resellers:

• Beyond the Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• iStudio
• Astrovision
• Astroplus
• iCenter - Cebu
• Powerhub - Cebu 

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant in one of the biggest global IT companies. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker too. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Simplism Handy Cover Set for iPad Mini

It's quite exciting - the first time you get your hands on a gadget that you've been eyeing for so long. You save up for it, you skip meals, you sacrifice buying other things just to have more money to put in for that new tablet. The day comes that you finally have enough to buy your coveted toy, when suddenly, the worst happens: out of your excitement, you turn a corner, bump a wall and dent your beautiful new tablet.

Protecting your investment is always top priority, and in this case it makes sense to buy a case. There are a variety of cases today available for the iPad mini, ranging from the elegant to the heavy duty, and the most difficult choice to make is usually how you compromise between protection and aesthetics.

You usually have to ask yourself, "Do I want something that will turn heads when I'm out but won't survive a strong impact, or something that will really keep my tablet safe but is ultimately bulky and heavy?" What I have today is somewhere right smack in between -- enter the Simplism Handy Cover Case. 

   

True to its brand name, the case features a simplistic, yet elegant design. It comes in a brown faux leather pattern and also feels like the real thing. The case is also accented by a white stitch across the back, which adds to the feel of elegance. 

In terms of function, the Simplism Handy Cover set doesn't disappoint either. The coverage of the case is pretty good, ensuring that all four corners are protected while allowing easy access to the ports and buttons of the iPad mini. It also provides a snug fit to make sure that there's no chance of the tablet separating from the case unexpectedly.

A little extra that you'll find in the case is where it gets its namesake from -- in the back, you'll find a small flexible band which will allow you to slip your hand in and make it more secure to hold your tablet while in use. It's pretty useful, especially if you have a tendency to be clumsy.

With the case, you also get a few nifty accessories that come along with it. You get: a screen protector, a dust removing tape, a card leveler (for squeezing out bubbles), a cleaning cloth, and a multi-purpose stand. The stand is pretty useful, as it allows you to hold the iPad in two ways: either vertically for reading, or horizontally for typing, watching movies or as a picture frame.

The Simplism Handy Cover also claims to be 99% anti-bacterial, which of course can't really be practically tested, but will be very useful considering that most tablet owners don't bother cleaning their gadgets.

Overall, the case is certainly a good compromise between form and function. It looks clean, simple yet eye-catching, and at the same time provides good protection for your iPad mini while allowing easy grip to keep it even secure.

Suggested Retail Price of Simplism Handy Cover Set: Php1,299

Available in the following resellers:

• Avant
• Beyond The Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• E-Central
• Electroworld
• Gadgets in Style
• Globotel
• Gui
• iBook
• iCenter
• iGig
• iStore
• iStudio
• Lenin Computer System
• Liteware
• Meetrovi Mobile Shop
• Mobile 1
• Octagon
• Podworx
• Power Hub
• SencoLink
• Sidrah
• Silicon Valley
• Switch
• Technoholics
• The A. Shop
• The Inbox Store
• Wow Mobile
• LMK
• Games and Gadgets
• Astrovision/Astroplus
• Vertex, Rockwell
• Fortress
• Additekh
• Banana Telecom

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant in one of the biggest global IT companies. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker too. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Manang's Chicken Garlic Pork Fillet et al

I've known Manang's Chicken for its tasty double deep fried crispy chicken with soy garlic sauce. But just a couple of days ago, I went to Glorietta and saw that they now have what they call as the Garlic Pork Fillet Meal. And so I decided to try it.

Since I didn't have heavy breakfast before working out at the gym, I was famished by lunch time. As such, I order A LOT! Let's start it off with appetizers.

Manang's Chicken actually has three sides - Macaroni Salad, Coleslaw, and Buttered Corn. I got the latter two since I love corn to bits and I want some veggies for my meal. Their corn was really fresh, but the coleslaw needs improvement. Both were okay, nothing fantastic, but I wish I ordered more corn, corn, corn! The small cup costs Php29, while a bigger one is at Php45.

Still trying to prepare my stomach for the main meal, I munched on the zero-oil, crispy Potato Chips. It came with several dips - creamy cheese, spicy ketchup, and garlic mayo. All three were good, but if you ask me to rank it, I'd say garlic mayo, spicy ketchup, then creamy cheese. Large size of chips come with 2 dips for Php64.

On to the main meal - the Garlic Pork Fillet meal. An order costs Php109, which includes rice, pork fillet, vinegar (with soy sauce), and regular drink.

Starting off with what's visual, the pork fillet is huge. It's fillet, so the cut is thinner than the usual pork chop. Covering the meat is a light breading fried to a right kind of crisp. As the picture shows, it's topped with tons of toasted garlic bits, which I took in like crushed chips. The garlic has mild taste and pairs well with the meat, especially when dipped in the sauce (which I absolutely love!).

With its price, I couldn't ask for anything else. The Garlic Pork Fillet meal is affordable and really filling. It's a good alternative to fast food meals, which cost almost the same if not more than this. I wouldn't say it's top-notch quality and taste, but definitely something good and worth eating once in a while.

I wanted to end my meal with a red velvet ice cream, but it was out of stock. Sad as it is, overall, I had a great meal already. And my stomach cried 'stop in the name of love' coz I'm very full.

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