McDo. Not McDonalds.

It definitely lived by its social label.

Took this shot when I was with my friends in Ortigas, Manila. Amusing.

 

DQ: The Queen of Dairies

I got a considerable set of sweet teeth and inasmuch as I delight myself in glucose-based edibles, I don’t have diabetes or related disorders. Fortunately. Well, I often get tonsillitis but it never held back my appetite in gobbling down these scrumptious drops of goodness––all made from heaven.

One of the few things I never miss out to experience whenever I go to Manila is just to grab a lip-smacking 16oz cup of a DQ Blizzard.

A couple of weeks back, I was in Manila with my officemate for a publication and yearbook seminar for client in Antipolo, Rizal. After knocking ourselves out with our long day’s elbow grease, we had the opportunity to take a pitstop at SM Mall of Asia in the evening.

After dinner, we immediately headed our way to a DQ stall located at the ground floor right in the middle of a corner intersection. I ordered a Butterfinger blizzard and if I was timed as soon as I received the cup, it would be about five to eight minutes that I was able to munch it up into this..

We can never blame the queen of dairies.

JCI Manila: Sea of Life

Life has its own way of protecting itself. One of the most evident proofs of this hypothetical postulation is defense mechanism. If it cannot protect itself, others will.

Last week (20 August 2012), I had the opportunity to take part in a press conference spearheaded by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Manila together with JCI Davao, Davaoeña, Daba-daba Inc., and Igacos. These cluster of JCIs come together in their thrust for marine life equilibrium and sustainability.

The Sea of Life project is a concept advocated by Christopher Dearne. Its concept is to install artificial coral reefs in order to sustain the marine habitation and its ecosystem. More than its sustainability, it will also give assistance to the marine industry. Fishermen and small-scale fishing companies will be discouraged to pursue illegal practices on how they treat the seawater.

This pursuit is guided accordingly with the organization’s main focus: individual, community, business and international.

The local media, bloggers (Davao Bloggers), and respective delegates from various sectors of the community actively participated the said event.

Among the sponsors that made this press con possible are the following: Pilipinas Eco Warriors (partner, with Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri), Phoenix Petroleum, Megabuild 101, Zeetex Tires, St. Peter’s Chapels, AGP Trading Incorporated, Toby’s Sports, Honda, , Wrangler, Metrobank (Quirino-Leon Guinto), Go Boyz, Hotel Vicente (venue), JBLE Enterprises, Exclure, The Executive Facial Care, One Tagaytay, Rote’s Place, FFPC, and SUS.

——-

Junior Chamber International (JCI) is one of the biggest worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth service organizations. It is an international community of citizens between the ages of 18 to 40[1]with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes in the world. The organization believes that these changes must result from one taking “collective action to improve themselves and the world around them.”

Comfort and Default Food

MANILA––Flight delayed.

While in the plane, I can’t fail to notice the flood aftermath near the coastlines. The rivers within the metropolis were tinted brown. Albeit delay, all was well with the flight. Smooth and sound.

ETA: 12:00. Time of arrival: 13:00, Taft Avenue

Weather’s fine. It’s hot. Thank God. Since the flight was deferred, I was hungry. Without any dilemma in choosing where to eat, together with my officemate, we headed our way to the company condo.

Every time I come here in Manila, whether for a personal jaunt or for a corporate excursion, I make it to a point to just gobble down a finger-licking meal at…

I don’t know, but it’s more than just my default food whenever I come here. It somehow became my comfort food, and yeah, my default food at the same time. I personally know how unhealthy it is but I never consider it as a guilty pleasure.

BonChon Davao already opened, I guess, last month at SM Davao Annex. Contrary to popular belief that when a consumer establishment becomes nearer, then it follows that its value fluctuates; well, this doesn’t. It remains…

 

This proves that proximity never matters when quality meets reality.

 

One Sunday in Manila

God is more concerned about your direction; not about your perfection.

Apart from the overwhelming worship experience, this line swiftly struck me with absolute precision. It cleared and lead me out from a clouded path that aren’t supposed to be existing. Roadblocks as we may tag it, we are sadly succumbed to some cynical belief systems that certainly corrupt God’s will in our lives.

I attended the afternoon service in VCF Malate and here are the three things that I learned while paying attention to the pastor’s message. By the way, the series was entitled, FAQ (frequently asked questions). It is so because the church wants to know the “frequently asked question” in Christianity. And what they statistically got, which was at the top of the chart, was the question of God’s will.

What is God’s will? How will we know that it is God’s will and not our own feeble will? What would be our action plan in knowing God’s will?

The youth pastor shared three compasses that would effectively help us in knowing God’s will for our lives:

1. God’s Spirit

2. God’s Word

3. God’s People

The first one is worship and stirring up the Holy Spirit in our lives as we live it out with God’s moral will. The second reminds us that God is a creative God but He is not always mystical. He can speak through simple and common circumstance. We can only do that if we read the bible. Lastly, if the first two cultivates the personal benefits of a person, the third one shows the effectivity of our Barnabas’s or partners in faith in knowing the will of God. Yes. They may be imperfect but they are, too, Spirit-led.

Above all, here’s the point of the matter:

Knowing God’s will means knowing God.

How to know God? Read your Bible. Pray everyday.

Work Travel #1

Today is the jump-start of my work’s journey. First stop is Cavite. This brings me to the purpose of our practicable existence–we are gonna market. Apart from acquiring new accounts for the company’s sales, our main aim is to penetrate the marketplace with our sole presence. In other words, awareness generation.

We want the world to know, starting locally up to the national scope, that we basically exist. And not just that. We exist to satisfy their printing needs most especially in their yearbooks and school publications.

Midtown Printing Co., Inc. is a yearbook printing specialist that sells quality beyond all else. It is its core desire to address the possible problems and be part of the effective solution in hard-copy printing. Again, in quality, that is. In its four decades of experience, it is definitely a guarantee that Midtown can.

A few moments from now, we will be heading to the “Historical Capital of the Philippines, the cradle of Philippine Revolution, and the birthplace of Philippine Independence.”

 

Dinner at BonChon

Together with my fellow marketing colleagues, we arrived safe and sound in Manila. The flight was delayed but it was not a big deal because we got to enjoy our time together anyway.

I’m now at our condo unit in Taft and I am very excited to venture new stuff especially with regards to sales and marketing. I’ll be meeting Sheldon (who was with me in Boracay) in a few minutes and we will be eating at…

• Business Hours: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM (daily)
• Phone: (02) 516-1818
• Cuisine: Korean
• Budget: P200+
• Delivery: Minimum Order of P300
• Payment: Cash / Credit Card

It’s deep fried, times two. GTG–Got to gulp.

Bon appetite!!!

 

Quezon City

As the former capital of the Philippines, Quezon City is one of the cities that completes the entire Metro Manila roster. It is also known as the most populous city in the country with a population of about 2.6 million in a 41.7 square mile density. For unambiguity, the Quezon province is different from the city because it is under the National Capital Region.

Given that it was the past capital city, it holds various political offices, for example, the central office of the house of Philippine representatives which is the Batasang Pambansa Complex. Quezon City also handles two notable universities in the country such as the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines Dilliman.

How to pay:

Philippine Peso

How unique:

The city was named after the past Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon – also, the Quezon province.

In the early years, Manila City was the capital city of the Philippines. It was Manuel L. Quezon who initiated the idea of bringing Quezon city on the higher grounds. Before, it was only a small town with three small districts: Balintawak, San Francisco del Monte and Novaliches. When Quezon went to Mexico, his dream was sharpened and soon realized with the help of his fellowmen. From a small town, it became a city in October 12, 1939. A city which became the country’s former capital.

Where to go:

The city is composed of several districts. Each district is a tourist spot of its own.

• Dilliman (UP Dilliman, Philippine Science High School – Main Campus, Far Eastern University College)
• Tandang Sora (National Power Corporation, National Irrigation Administration, subdivisions and villages)
• Timog Area (Tomas Morato Avenue, ABS-CBN, GMA, karaoke bars and night clubs)
• Novaliches (La Mesa Dam, La Mesa Eco-Park, SM City Fairview, TV5)
• Loyola Heights (Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College)
• Commonwealth Avenue (Fairview, Batasan Area, Old Balara, Holy Spirit)
• Cubao (Araneta Coliseum, Cubao Cathredal)
• New Manila (Saint Luke’s Medical Center, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office)
• Santa Messa Heights (Philippine Orthopedic Center, National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Shrine of Our Lady of La Naval)
• Galas-Santol (SM City Santa Messa)
• San Francisco Del Monte (Philippine Maritime Institute Colleges)
• Bagumbayan (Eastwood City Business Center, Camp Aguinaldo, Camp Crame)
• La Loma (La Loma Lechon)
• The Project Areas (AMA Computer University, subdivisions and villages)

When to go:

The city has a tropical wet climate with a short time of dry weather. The preferable time to go to Quezon is during the dry season which is from January until April. The other months mostly experience rainy season.

What to do:

The best thing about Quezon City is the La Loma Lechon (Spanish word for “pig”). It is where people enjoy eating spit-roasted pigs. There is a lot of shopping malls in the city to experience the urban lifestyle.

Tourist tips:

Visiting UP Dilliman and other notable schools is a worthwhile experience. It is also a high recommendation to have a road trip and visit all districts to experience each of the district’s unique qualities.

Manila City

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is the second most populated city after Quezon City. For more than one and a half million people in an area less than 40 square kilometers, Manila is known to be the most densely populated city in the whole world.

Manila is considered to be the Chief Seaport of the Philippines because it has an remarkable harbor that is given optimum protection. The seaport is also the most fully engaged in the world industry. The work done includes transportation in import and export of electronic goods, chemicals, clothing and artifacts.

The most identifiable landmark of the city is the Rizal Park. It is where the monument of the national hero (Jose P. Rizal) was erected in 1913.

How to pay:

Philippine Peso

How unique:

The history of the city traces back to the 10^th century when it was described as an Indianized Kingdom. This is for the reason that the city had an intimate connection with the Kingdom of Medang, Ancient Japan and Song Dynasty in China. The word Manila was coined from the phrase that refers to an area where a shrub called nilad grows. The phrase was may nilad. Later on, it changed to maynila and eventually became manila.

The language spoken by the natives is Filipino. This sometimes create an ambiguity because the term filipino has two meanings. First is “Filipino” as a person who lives in the Philippines while the second meaning is “Filipino” as a language. As a language, its system is patterned from the tagalog language. This is the national language that serves as the lingua franca of the Filipinos.  The inhabitants of the city are called Manilans or Manileños.

Where to go:

Below is a list of tourist spots and must-go places of the city:

• Rizal Park
• Fort Santiago
• Bahay Tsinoy
• Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium
• National Museum of the Philippines
• Intramuros
• National Library of the Philippines
• Manila Ocean Park
• Quirino Grandstand
• Pacific Manila

When to go:

Nothing matters a lot if people go to Manila in any season of the year. Most of the tourist attractions are fully operative in serving people. However, there are also events that give extra spark to the place like the Feast of the Black Nazarene that attracts millions of followers (every 9^th of January). On June 24, the city celebrates the Manila Day when it was chartered as a city.

What to do:

If a person is fond of roller blades and skates, he or she can slide along the wide Rizal Park skating rink. It is also a good avenue for friends and family gatherings for picnics, chitchats, and bonding. For music enthusiasts, the Hard Rock Café is available as a hangout place. People enjoy jazz and acoustic music in this restobar (restaurant and bar).

Tourist tips:

When people visit Manila, they would never fail to stop by Intramuros (Spanish word meaning “inside the walls”). It used to be a barricade to protect wealthy people who reside in well off houses or mansions. It also protected churches and schools against enemies. A person that visits Intramuros feels like he or she is transported into another dimension of an epic adventure.