Revisit Batangas and experience it like no other. Watch the vlog below. Full blog to be posted soon. 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/joeljawsandrada/videos/1781075981949058/

Watch it on my youtube channel here:

The post EXPERIENCE RICH BATANGAS feat TAAL VOLCANO & MT. MACULOT appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

The newest standalone restaurant of Above Sea Level is now open! Last May 4, 2018, I had the opportunity to enjoy a sumptuous seafood lunch when I attended the Bloggers Conference held by Above Sea Level to celebrate the opening of its newest yet standalone restaurant at 120 Maginhawa Street, UP Teachers Village, Diliman, Quezon City.

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3860.181633301672!2d121.05767501396522!3d14.645628729900032!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x3397b774138745f3%3A0xdc5537ea27e2283!2sABOVE+SEA+LEVEL+Bar+and+Resto+-+Maginhawa!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sph!4v1525668076898&w=600&h=450]

Above Sea Level’s newest standalone restaurant has a seating capacity of more than fifty customers. It sports Above Sea Level’s distinct branding of white and blue. The interior appropriately gives one a feeling of being inside a ship’s mess hall.

While waiting for our food, I went to visit where the magic happens… their kitchen! Above Sea Level Maginhawa’s kitchen was clean and in order. Ate (sister) and Kuya (brother) were busy cooking a string of orders of the famous Giant Butterfly Squid and Seafood Festival.

Above Sea Level’s bestseller is the Giant Butterfly Squid. Above Sea Level was the first to introduce the Giant Butterfly Squid, an innovative way of serving a huge yet tender deep-fried squid in the Philippine market. The giant squids are fresh and 100% preservative free, delivered daily vacuum sealed from Romblon.

After a while, the food was served! I wore the gloves and ate away, tearing the Giant Butterfly Squid piece by piece while munching on the shrimps, crabs, clams, corn on the cob and Java rice of the Seafood Festival.

After eating, Mr. Polsan Pangindian, the thirty year old founder and owner of Above Sea Level, shared to us a little bit of Above Sea Level’s history, milestones and his visions for the company.

Above Sea Level, established in January 2017, now has 70 branches, 63 of which are franchises. Mr. Polsan Pangindian shared that based on experience, return on investment maybe achieved in less than a month to six months. For franchise inquiries, please contact:

• Mobile: +639164235001
• Email: abovesealevelph@gmail.com

You may also inquire through their Facebook Page and Instagram accounts.

Watch the video below where Above Sea Level was featured by Karen Davila’s show on ABS CBN, My Puhunan.

[facebook url="https://www.facebook.com/abovesealevelph/videos/744555449080862/" /]

Come and visit the newest standalone restaurant of Above Sea Level in Maginhawa Street, UP Diliman, Quezon City. They are open till dawn. For reservations, call +639564036488 or +639323641755 and look for Mr. Mark Tinte.

“EAT PUSIT WITH A TWIST” Visit Above Sea Level: “Home of the Giant Butterfly Squid”

Visit any of their branches below:

METRO MANILA
-Above Sea Level Main Branch (120 Maginhawa St, UP Village)
– Fusebox Lifestyle Complex (Near UST)
– Streat Maginhawa Food Park (91 Maginhawa St Up Village)
– Casa Blanco Resto Hub (Congressional Ave, Qc Near Mang Inasal)
– The Yard Underground Pasig (Oranbo Pasig)
– The Yard StreetFood Cinema (Timog QC, Infront of Laffline)
– Streat: Maginhawa Food Park (Maginhawa St. UP Village)
– Container Turf (Bf Homes Aguirre ave)
– Devourph (E. Rodriguez QC)
– Terminal 8 Food Park & Lifestyle Hub (Marikina)
– Borderline Food Park (Kalentong)
– Yvan Navy Hub (Barangka Drive Mandaluyong)
– Millenial Food Park (Brgy Villamor Pasay)
– Pioneer Street Market (Pioneer Near TV5)
– Caruncho Ave Pasig (Beside Fariñas Empanada & KFC)

TARLAC CITY
– City Walk Food Avenue (Tarlac City near TSU)

BULACAN
– Gourmet Food Park – Baliuag, Bulacan PH

SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA
– Yatu-Taste the WORLD Food Hall (Dolores San Fernando Pampanga)

ANGELES CITY , PAMPANGA
– Kalye 86 Food Market (KM86 Beside Gerry’s Grill)

BALANGA CITY BATAAN
– The Bataan Food Park (Capitol Drive Balanga City)

SAN JUAN, LA UNION
– 2/F, LU Tower Center

ANTIPOLO
– Backyard Eats Antipolo (ML Quezon Near SSS)

TAYTAY, RIZAL
– Taytay, Rizal / Near NCBA, Beside Sea Oil)

BINANGONAN RIZAL
– Near Puregold and Rusi

TANAY RIZAL
– Manila East Rd. (In front of Jollibee and Vista Barista)

CABUYAO LAGUNA
– Cabuyao Laguna (Centennial Plaza Brgy San Isidro Putol St.)

CARMONA CAVITE
– Sunset Food Park

STA ROSA LAGUNA
– South StrEat Gourmand Container Park (Nuvali,Tagaytay Rd)

IMUS CAVITE
– Inbox Food Hub (Beside South Supermarket Aguinaldo Highway)

ROSARIO CAVITE
– Located at Trias Town Center

BATANGAS
– 3:16 Food & Chill Out Park (Diversion, Batangas)

Is it EAT or EEK? EAT! I had a grand time eating seafood while mingling with fellow bloggers. I will surely come back with my family for more! Signing out for now. Peace!

The post NEWEST ABOVE SEA LEVEL STAND ALONE RESTAURANT OPENS IN TEACHERS VILLAGE MAGINHAWA appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

Verdict: EAT!

If you are into authentic Japanese cuisine, then you have to try Nobu Restaurant located at the Level 1 of Nobu South Tower, City of Dreams Manila, Aseana Boulevard corner Macapagal Avenue Brgy.Tambo, Paranaque City. They serve Nobu-unique modern Japanese dishes fused with Peruvian influences.

On February 21, 2018, I had the most wonderful opportunity to feast on a specially prepared seven-course meal comprised of both cold and hot dishes at the world’s most recognized Japanese restaurant Nobu Restaurant . Thanks to Blogapalooza for inviting me to dine and meet with fellow Travel and Lifestyle bloggers.

I arrived with fellow travel blogger Erica Poyauan of thegirlwiththemujihat.com. We met up in the SM Mall of Asia and grabbed a cab to get to the City Of Dreams.

At the reception area, we were welcomed with the usual Japanese greeting  “Irasshaimase!” or “welcome to the store” in English by the accommodating staff.

Nobu Restaurant’s classic and orderly ambiance coupled with the fine luxuries of a five-star hotel no less got me transported back in time when I last visited Japan in May 2016.

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I love #Japan. #nomad

A post shared by JOEL JAWS ANDRADA | B/Vlogger (@joeljawsandrada) on May 31, 2016 at 4:31pm PDT

Erica and I were then escorted by the Restaurant Manager, Ms. Melanie Dimayuga, to the patio area to meet the rest.

In no time, we were asked to proceed inside where a private dining area was reserved for us. I found the chefs at the sushi bar busy preparing the meals for the guests. Despite that, they agreed to pause and pose for a photo opportunity.

Nobu Restaurant Manila has a total seating capacity of two hundred ninety one (291) people. They have two (2) private dining rooms and two (2) Teppanyaki tables.

They are open daily and below are their operating hours:

Breakfast
6:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Monday to Saturday
6:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Sunday

Sunday Brunch
11:30 AM – 3:00 PM | Sunday

Happy Hour
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Everyday

Dinner
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Monday to Thursday
6:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Friday to Sunday

To me, the seating arrangement was impeccable because we all got to sit next to someone whom we were meeting for the first time. It was a riot sitting between Me-An Clemente  and  Janelle Lazo Tee as we indulged our way to the very end of this seven-course meal. I might just post a vlog soon.

Each one of us got an Origami bird placed next to the menu of the seven-course meal. I must say that the meal selection consisted of seafood, vegetables and Wagyu meat to name a few got me and my taste buds excited! I am no food connoisseur and I will not pretend to be one. Hence, I will be sharing with you how I visualized my taste buds’ reactions to the food assuming that my taste buds had a mind of their own. So here it goes…

ZENSAI

We started with Zensai or  hors d’oeuvre in Nihon-go. Do not be deceived. This small and seemingly simple “taco” dish was explosive. The adage “size does not matter” seemed appropriate to describe it. It prepared my taste buds for what was to come. My taste buds were pretty much warmed-up for some jumping-for-joy moments! #smallbutyummy

FIRST COURSE: SASHIMI DUO

The first course consisted of two equally strong dishes, the Yellow Tail Jalapeno & the Oyster New Style. #notonebuttwo

Oyster New Style 

I had second thoughts of eating the oysters out of fear of getting an upset stomach. I first sniffed one oyster. The aroma that filled my nostrils was reminiscent of my growing up years in the province of Pangasinan.  And the next practical step for me was to open my mouth and succumb to it. Me-An told me that the best way to eat it is to suck and slurp. So I slurped the second one till I burped as  my taste buds swayed to some calming music. #maalaalamokaya

By the way, the Kumamoto Oysters originated from Japan. They were brought to and raised in Australia just to end up in my mouth. #yunlang

Yellow Tail Jalapeno

Next stop was the Yellow Tail Jalapeno. Oh, did I mention that this was just the first course? LOL.

The Yellow Tail or Dalagang Bukid in Filipino melted in my mouth. It was that good that my taste buds were in full synchronicity bowing their heads while chanting in complete unison “we are not worthy” as this world famous sashimi blanketed my palette. #grabesya

Further, the first course came with a pickled relish that cleansed and prepared my palette for the next course.

SECOND COURSE: CHEF’S CHOICE SUSHI

The second course was composed of assorted Nigiri and Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice placed on a rectangular plate that was almost two feet in length.

I asked the waiter where to begin. Do I start from the left to right or otherwise? No further instructions were given. I guess I just got to trust my gut on this one. My taste buds could not agree more as they prepared for this delightful marathon. My taste buds said, “STOP over thinking and just get one ASAP!” #nowna #walanaakongmasabi #bastamasarap

THIRD COURSE: SASHIMI SALAD

The last of the cold dishes, this salad was composed of a lightly sheared big-eyed tuna with mixed greens and Matsuhisa dressing. People close to me know that I am not fond of eating just raw fish. I have always preferred Sushi over Sashimi. But my taste buds told my eyes to close and leave the tasting to them and told my mouth to shut up and partake! And I did… happy I did. That Matsuhisa dressing complemented the tuna.

FOURTH COURSE: PAN ROASTED SNAPPER

The fourth course introduced us to the first hot dish. The perfectly pan-roasted Snapper or Maya-maya in Filipino resting on that golden stash of Miso butter and mixed vegetables such as bok choy, baby corn and shitake star drizzled with sweet chili cilantro sauce on top was a bomb!

“Aaaawww, poor little fish looks so unhappy”, I said. My taste buds did not care and by this time decided to do the Zumba with zest!

FIFTH COURSE: AKA MISO BRAISED WAGYU CHEEKS

The fifth course was Aka Miso Braised Wagyu Cheeks with Soba noodles, onsen egg and Kizami nori. After devouring the succulent pan-roasted Maya-maya, I was already full to the brim. But my taste buds were now out of control and mounting a mass picket.

“Wag you ako pigilan… wag ako… “, they clamored.

“Besides, wagyu is wagyu so why not?”, they added.

#Nagwawalanasila #paEDSAnasila

SIXTH COURSE: BLACK COD HOT POT

This clear soup looked all too simple but this sixth course cannot be undermined. I thought it was going to be bland and boring. Well, I thought wrong. As always, when it comes to food, the final verdict rests on the sense of taste and not of sight. The perfect blend of tofu, mixed mushrooms and negi was just right to settle down the joyous chaos experienced by my taste buds from the first course to the fifth. The sixth course also made sure that my taste buds had a good cool down, ready for dessert.

SEVENTH COURSE: MISO CAPPUCCINO

Delightfully satisfied with the six courses I just had, I thought that there was nothing better to cap the night than a cup of coffee to get me going on my way home.

And so I picked up the spoon intending to mix that cappuccino.

“This cup of coffee is too small for me”, I thought.

Lo and behold, it was not a coffee beverage. I guess I was not being attentive to John Christian Ochoa when he served the last course. Or was it Fidel Cebreros? I can not recall. I was too engrossed sipping my soup that I missed the detailed introduction and whoever delivered it. LOL.

Being a sweet-tooth myself, I must say that this Miso Cappuccino is probably one of the best desserts I have ever had. The candied pecan loaded at the bottom of that vanilla miso custard revved up my already calm taste buds. They stood at attention as they crazily waited for that spoonful to land in my mouth. I finished this last course in less than two minutes! We (my taste buds and I) wanted to ask for seconds. LOL.

Truth be told, this Miso Cappuccino got us all energized that we just kept on and on with our exchanges. We went around the restaurant to take more selfies and photos of the place, too.

Check out our Instagram and Facebook accounts for more. LOL.

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Good food and great company. ❤ Thanks to everyone who joined us at our first ever get together for the year 😘 @nobuhotelmanila, you were excellent as always! #BlogaXCityofDreams #influencermarketing #NOBU

A post shared by 𝔹𝕃𝕆𝔾𝔸ℙ𝔸𝕃𝕆𝕆ℤ𝔸 𝕀ℕℂ. (𝕖𝕤𝕥. 𝟚𝟘𝟙𝟝) (@blogapaloozaph) on Feb 22, 2018 at 2:10am PST

It was already past 10:30 in the evening when we decided to call it a night. We started dinner at seven. We had so much fun that I lost track of time. I did not expect that this was going to be a seven-to-eleven seven-course dinner affair.

Erica and I were among the last ones to leave the venue. We took the 11 PM City Of Dreams bus en route to the SM Mall of Asia and went our separate ways. I got home feeling great and not overfed. Tucking into bed, I messaged my brother in Dubai who is a big fan of Japanese cuisine to tell him that we visit Nobu Restaurant Manila the next time he comes home. He said yes and even commented on my Facebook post that featured the photos of the seven-course meal.

Oh, by the way, I did not get an upset stomach.

For reservations:

Call: +632 800 8080 (24 hours) +632 691 2882, +632 691 2885

Email: ​noburestaurant@cod-manila.com

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3862.3129903845274!2d120.99038096439548!3d14.524081039851225!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x3397ceab79f5059f%3A0xeb58f271e27920f2!2sNobu+Restaurant!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sph!4v1519389695253&w=600&h=450]

Signing out for now. Peace!

The post EAT OR EEK? | NOBU MANILA’S SEVEN-COURSE MEAL appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

This is part one of my travel vlog about my recent visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to have a quick meeting and, of course, to see, taste and feel what Kuala Lumpur has to offer. The last time I visited Kuala Lumpur was in 2016 to attend a major meeting of the company that I used to work for and I did not have the opportunity to experience what they call the country that is ‘Truly Asia’, Malaysia.

The video below is a special episode of EAT OR EEK?, my version of a food review, where  I tried and tasted LIQALIC Fruit Popsicles by M FRUITS (a product of Malaysia). Is it EAT or EEK? Watch the video to find out. Have you tasted this yet? Did you like it? Let me know in the comments below.

It was a quick visit and unfortunately I did not get to see the outskirts or the countryside of Malaysia. I will be posting Part 2 (blog and vlog) soon to share with you the tourist spots that I was able to visit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Two years ago I was in this same spot to attend a major meeting. Little did I know that that meeting was my last one with the company I used to work for because 3 months later I received a letter of redundancy. A lot of self-discovery and reinvention, to better put it, happened after that. Fast forward to 2018, I am back to traveling and this time it is for the very essence of traveling, i.e., discovering places not just getting to them, meeting people not just faces and sharing not just seeing what is good about that travel destination. Things do happen for a reason.Just gotta #keepthefaith and keep on pressing forward. #travelblogger @pullmanklbangsar

A post shared by JOEL JAWS ANDRADA | B/Vlogger (@joeljawsandrada) on Feb 6, 2018 at 7:55pm PST

Special thanks to Pullman KL Bangsar Hotel for the warm accommodations.

I need to go back to my laptop to resume editing. Signing out for now. Peace!

The post EAT OR EEK? | MALAYSIA’S LIQALIC FRUIT POPSICLES BY M FRUITS appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

VERDICT: EAT

For only P199, enjoy a single trip to Wendy’s SM North EDSA Annex Salad Bar and get to choose (or not) from the following in filling your plate and appetite:

1. Russian Salad

2. Chicken Macaroni Salad

3. Pandan-flavored gelatin

4. Strawberry-flavored gelatin

5. Fruit cocktail

6. Cucumber

7. Lettuce

8. Tomatoes

9. Carrots

10. Cheese

11. Hard-boiled eggs

Get to choose from the following salad dressings:

1. Honey mustard

2. Ceasar

3. Thousand island

This is a one-trip, dine-in only deal and food should be placed inside the plate (and not the tray) provided or you will be charged for another serving. Sharing is allowed but only one plate will be provided so better assign the “master builder” in the group to fit in all your salad cravings.

No leftovers and not for take away. The salad bar attendees regularly refill the bar. The last salad bar refill is two (2) hours before closing.

ETCETERA

I went to SM City North EDSA today to meet my loyal customer of AP 24 Whitening Toothpaste. I love this Whitening Tootpaste so much that I decided to become a distributor. Here is a short video on how effective it is with just one use.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/N-aBPGgnIyA]

After meeting my loyal customer who ordered five (5) tubes of AP 24 Whitening Toothpaste (P380 each), I decided to have lunch and found myself inside Wendy’s to order salad, perfect for my 2018 New Year’s resolution of #roadtofitness.

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I must admit this is going to be very challenging. My #NewYears #Resolution is to get back in #shape #roadtofitness2018 #fitnessboy #asian #hunks Photo credits: @iamdansantos

A post shared by JOEL JAWS ANDRADA | B/Vlogger (@joeljawsandrada) on Dec 29, 2017 at 7:15pm PST

Signing out for now. Peace!

The post EAT OR EEK?| WENDY’S SALAD BAR FOR ONLY P199 | ETC AP24 appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

Congratulations to Roselyn P. Dela Fuente. Please do get in touch with me on Facebook and tell me your shipping address so I can send you this special gift pack from Uni-Pak.

Remember, “hindi basta nakasanayan the best na yan kaya basta Mackerel dapat tatak Unipak!”

Read post here for the announcement of this giveaway alert. I regularly conduct giveaways so do stay tuned for more. Thanks to the different brands who believe in me and support my blog.

Signing out for now. Peace!

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Praying that we get the right answers to all our hearts' desires this coming #HappyNewYear2018… More #travelblogs, love, laughters and life. #travelblogger #travelph

A post shared by JOEL JAWS ANDRADA | B/Vlogger (@joeljawsandrada) on Dec 30, 2017 at 8:12pm PST

The post WINNER | UNI-PAK SPECIAL GIFT PACK appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

VERDICT: EAT

For only P295.00, you will get a decent slice of pork meat, refillable Japanese rice and cabbage at Watami.

ETCETERA

Fresh from the province for the Christmas holidays, my brother Jem and I stormed our way to Makati on a rainy Wednesday afternoon to exchange my good old magnetic striped Banco De Oro (BDO) Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card for an EMV ATM card. EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard, Visa, the original developers of the chip technology to minimize fraud. For more information about EMV, click here.

Apparently, my old ATM card will work only until the end of January 2018 and we do not want to start the year with a near expiry ATM card, do we?

After BDO, we were famished and we went around Greenbelt 2 to look for Japanese cuisine. We ended up in Watami.

If you are looking for a Japanese casual restaurant in Greenbelt, i.e., a Japanese restaurant that serves authentic Japanese food sans the usual “formalities” of a Japanese restaurant, then you might want to try Watami.

Watami is located on the ground floor of Greenbelt 2.

The crew was friendly and attentive. Walang suot na ‘horseblinds’ in short (they were not wearing horseblinders)  Don’t we all just hate it when they pretend to be busy and blind? Lol. Overall, service was good. The manager even approached us  to check if we needed anything else.

Jem ordered salmon sashimi and Watami salad, too. Based on the munch rate that he was going, I could say that he enjoyed both.

We capped the day off with a lively conversation and coffee.

Signing out for now. Peace!

The post EAT OR EEK? | PORK KATSU BY WATAMI | ETC EMV ATM appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

VERDICT: EAT

The Christmas Season has been so fun and filling. I gained 10 lbs in a span of just two weeks. Thanks to all the yummy dishes that were made accessible to me by my mom and my brother during my stay in the province.

For the New Year, my goal is to be back in shape. Hence, I will try to stay away from meat and rice. I also want to try an alternative to tuna. I have been eating tuna for as long as I can remember. For today’s dinner, I prepared  a Mackerel Sandwich.

Ingredients:

1 can of Uni-Pak Mackerel 5oz
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 slices of bread
pepper
oregano (optional)

Open the easy-open can of Uni-Pak Mackerel and drain the oil. Put contents in a bowl.

Mix the Mackerel meat with two tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Put pepper to taste.

I put oregano or basil to give it an herbal smell. It is a personal preference and it is completely optional.

Generously, spread the mix on the bread. I prefer toasted bread. Yummy!

With proper diet, regular exercise and enough sleep, I know I will be back in shape in no time. Thanks to Uni-Pak for making mackerel available as an alternative to tuna.

Remember, “hindi basta nakasanayan the best na yan kaya basta Mackerel dapat tatak Unipak!”

I will also be giving away a special gift pack to one lucky winner to be drawn on January 6, 2018.

Just follow this Pak na Pak na Mechanics:

1. Like the Uni-Pak Facebook Page.

2. Tell me in the comments section the dish you will be preparing using any of the Uni-Pak products and remember to add the following hashtags #tatakunipak, #paknapak and #unipak.

Signing out for now. Peace! Happy holidays!

The post EAT OR EEK? | MACKEREL SANDWICH & GIVEAWAY FROM UNI-PAK appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

Today’s featured budget meal is Buddy’s Regular Lucban Longganisa with a cup of rice. All for P 145.00. Longganisa is Filipino Pork Sausage made from ground pork (sometimes chicken or beef). It is a derivative of the Spanish chorizo. In the Philippines, there are regional variations, each using a unique blend of spices and seasonings.

VERDICT: EAT

I am not really fond of eating longganisa because of the big pieces of ground fat found in a regular longganisa. However, Buddy’s Lucban Longganisa has that good mix of meat and fat seasoned with just the right amount of spices. Each order comes in twelve pieces and one has to bring a buddy to finish it. I guess that’s why the restaurant is called Buddy’s. Their servings are too big for one and are meant to be shared.

Eating at Buddy’s has always been a treat and a trip down memory lane. I guess I have this thing for associating restaurants to good memories and people that I miss. Hahaha. My former housemates and I would regularly head over to Buddy’s Kalayaan to feast on their famous Pancit Lucban back in the day when we were all starting out in life… too fresh out of college to eat home-cooked meals or too lazy to prepare one.

I am going back to Buddy’s soon to try their other offerings! Do you want to join me? Let me know!

Signing out for now. Peace!

The post EAT OR EEK? | BUDDY’S LONGGANISA appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.