Every now and then, an invitation to a blogger event would catch my fancy. I don’t usually attend those that I don’t really find interesting, as going there would just be a waste of my time and gasoline. Ever since we transferred here at the outskirts of Antipolo, I’ve been attending events less and less. Not surprising, really. After all, just about anything or anyone can have a blogger event these days.

Below are four events I’ve attended the past few months. Don’t worry, this post isn’t an advertorial. I can honestly say that these products (or food) are things that I will actually use—or in the case of the food, eat—regardless of an event. I’ll compile all four in this one post; I know it can get pretty annoying reading blogs that talk nothing but events regardless of their blog’s niche.

SM Marikina Wi-Fi Stress Testing

A few months ago, SM Marikina had a group of bloggers test their mall-wide wi-fi. Apparently, they’re planning to offer free wi-fi in the mall, just like their nearby competitors, Sta. Lucia and Robinson’s East malls. I have to admit I was excited to hear this, as my husband Marc and I frequently go there to hang out. I even do my grocery shopping there. It’s the nearest to us that is not overcrowded unlike the two older malls (our subdivision is along Marcos Highway).

The wi-fi for testing wasn’t too fast… Though that would be quite unfair to say as about a hundred or so bloggers have signed up to be stress-testers (I don’t really know how many showed up). There are some areas in the mall where the wi-fi isn’t too strong (I still use it frequently even after the testing whenever Marc and I went there), and I usually use my Smart WAP instead when doing shopping (yes, I log on the internet sometimes when doing the grocery whenever I forget what ingredients to buy for a recipe).

Anyway, the organizers also had a raffle with the grand prize being a brand-new Asus laptop. I didn’t win the laptop (Sha did, and it was her birthday too!), but I did win a nice jacket.

Ipanema Launch and Walk the Green Mile

I love wearing flip-flops, so it’s no surprise I insisted to Marc that we attend this one. Ipanema’s flip-flops are so light it seems like you’re not wearing anything on your feet, but the designs are also classy you can wear it even when going out. It’s just a tad bit more expensive than Havaianas, but I like them better because of the design—it doesn’t look like rubber slippers that I usually wear at home.

However, the best thing I like about this brand is the fact that they donate to the Haribon foundation a certain amount for every pair of flip-flops they sell. I don’t know the other organizations they donate to, but I do know whatever it was, it had something to do with trees. They even had a walk-a-ton called “Walk the Green Mile” last March 21 for the benefit of the trees. Unfortunately, my asthma acted up so we weren’t able to attend this walk-for-the-trees cause.

Tapas Filipinas Hermanos Deli and Bar

Through Ivan, Marc and I attended a food tasting for a new restaurant in Ortigas (beside Ortigas Home Depot) called, Tapas Filipinas Hermanos Deli and Bar. I made a separate review for this on my new food blog, you can read about it here if you want to. But bottom line, the food is good though a bit pricey considering the servings.

Adidas store opening and Stella McCartney product line launch

Adidas recently opened a new store at Rockwell, and I’m proud to say Marc and I are one of the first ones to purchase from it. There was a 10% discount on all products since it’s the store opening, so we grabbed the opportunity and bought me a new pair of shorts. Frankly, I like Adidas’ fashion line better than Nike’s, though I like Nike shoes and bags better.

At the same time as the store’s opening, Adidas also launched a new fashion line: the Stella McCartney fashion line. The designs are geared towards women—women who like to look good when sweating it out. The organizers held a little fashion show of the new product line, and had a surprise for all—a guest appearance by their celebrity endorser. I nearly dropped my camera from shock, because as it turned out, their celebrity endorser was none other than Iza Calzado, an old friend of mine and my seatmate for two years in high school. It was spooky, the way she popped into my camera lens like that 😛

If you’d like to see photos of the events, visit my photo sets on Flickr:
– SM Marikina Wi-Fi Stress Test
– Ipanema Launch
– Adidas store opening and Stella McCartney launch

You might also want to read my restaurant review: Tapas Filipinas Hermanos Deli and Bar

Whew. That was a mouthful. Next time, I won’t put off blogging that I’d have so much backlog like I just did on these 😛