Life is a piece of cake. Share yours with a smile! 
Every cloud has a silver lining. Problems always have solutions. Don't worry. 
Never miss out on the simple good things in life. You only have one shot in it. 
Okay, so this will be my first food post, or rather my first restaurant post.
The guy I'm dating and I have been exploring different restaurants since we started dating yet we (or just me actually) were not really into documenting date with a blog post. We simply took pictures.
I think it's about time that I make use of the pictures we take and make this blog more alive.
Date: October 30, 2013
Place: Johnny Rockets, Tomas Morato
Event: None, I got back from my Boracay business trip the day before so we just met up.
We weren't able to take a picture of the salted caramel shake, and we also didn't take pictures of ourselves.
I guess we were too engrossed in our chitchat that we forgot to do those things.
I was actually away for 8 days since I had to attend to the company's merchandise and bar in Boracay. It was a very fruitful and tiring experience, and I was just too happy to go back home. But I still have to go back to keep the fire burnin'! Yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh!!!!
Anyway, here's a close up of my meal.
I ordered a Rocket Single, medium rare, because I wanted to know why people say medium rare meat is better than well-done, which is what I'm used to. At P345, it already comes with this bunch of fries which are not salty and only mildly greasy, unlike in more well-known fastfood restaurants here in Metro Manila.
Does the experience justify the price? I can't say that I found the experience superb, I rather think that the price was more a payment for the brand legacy than anything else. The taste is good, everything is cooked just fine, though I found it quite similar to Tropical Hut's, whose burgers are served half the price. But well the burger patty is intact and very juicy, so okay... premium burger as they say. But maybe P300 or P280 is already enough for the experience. Then again, I'm not a burger expert.
My date bought this Bacon Cheddar for P395.
Now that is a manly meal. Judging from the way he devoured his meal, I think he really liked it. But the price... oh well. We won't be spending this much for a loooong time. Haha.
What I really liked about Johnny Rockets was the way it designed its store: it really adhered to its theme, though the place is doesn't look out-of-place with regard to the other restaurants along Tomas Morato. I also noticed that they have a long-lasting relationship with Coca Cola since the service water is served in Coca Cola glasses. the place is also really clean, as you can see the light bounces off the sparkling white walls.
Did I mention the theme?
Yes, it's a vintage American diner.
Johnny Rockets also has Halloween decorations since we went there the day before Halloween. I think the black and orange combination blended well with their store. Good for them! :)
That's it for now. I think I'll be blogging more about the restaurants we (or just I) visited.
Got recommendations? I'll be happy to take suggestions :)
Happy Halloween!
Now I'm not sure if I put the right title for this post, but anyway here's a template I made for the list of officers way back when I was the Communications Manager of UP IBA (SY 2012-2013):
I'm really looking forward to improving my Photoshop skills and also learning either Illustrator or InDesign, though I want to learn both of them actually :)
Have a great day, random stranger! :D
[...]
I'm really looking forward to improving my Photoshop skills and also learning either Illustrator or InDesign, though I want to learn both of them actually :)
Have a great day, random stranger! :D
I love books.
Recently, I reread Paulo Coelho's By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and it is one of the best decisions I made. Reading it while I've just started my twenties made me develop deeper insights than the ones I had when I first read it in my teens. The well-written manuscript talks of love, pain, fear, happiness, peace, contentment: all elements of human nature that we all know but can't really comprehend. I can safely say that the book came nearest to explaining well these profound basic concepts and provided guidelines for us to live happy lives.
Someone once told me that the book (actually he said this about Coelho's writing style as a whole) was primarily a collection of quotes woven (not so well, according to him) into a story.
I beg to differ. To me, the words were just chosen well that almost every sentence is a quotable quote. I definitely recommend this book to those who wish to understand love not through a teenager's eyes, or an obsessive lover's eyes, or a bored fling-seeker's eyes, but through the eyes of someone who's matured enough to know both the good and bad side of love yet still fears to give in to it. While the title and the synopsis suggest that it is a simple love story, the book actually teaches you more than just romantic love. By the River discusses how happiness and inner peace can be achieved by loving oneself fully: opening your heart and letting go of your fears and doubts.
Alright, since this blog is also placed in the ADditional info section, I added a wonderful print ad below, which is basically an ad that relates to book lovers like myself.
I absolutely love this ad because it clearly depicts the ad copy. Brilliant! The images make me want to sleep with all of my favorite books on my bed and dream with all my favorite characters!
I really can't wait to make my own ads! Advertising industry, prepare for my arrival! :D
[...]
Recently, I reread Paulo Coelho's By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and it is one of the best decisions I made. Reading it while I've just started my twenties made me develop deeper insights than the ones I had when I first read it in my teens. The well-written manuscript talks of love, pain, fear, happiness, peace, contentment: all elements of human nature that we all know but can't really comprehend. I can safely say that the book came nearest to explaining well these profound basic concepts and provided guidelines for us to live happy lives.
Someone once told me that the book (actually he said this about Coelho's writing style as a whole) was primarily a collection of quotes woven (not so well, according to him) into a story.
I beg to differ. To me, the words were just chosen well that almost every sentence is a quotable quote. I definitely recommend this book to those who wish to understand love not through a teenager's eyes, or an obsessive lover's eyes, or a bored fling-seeker's eyes, but through the eyes of someone who's matured enough to know both the good and bad side of love yet still fears to give in to it. While the title and the synopsis suggest that it is a simple love story, the book actually teaches you more than just romantic love. By the River discusses how happiness and inner peace can be achieved by loving oneself fully: opening your heart and letting go of your fears and doubts.
Alright, since this blog is also placed in the ADditional info section, I added a wonderful print ad below, which is basically an ad that relates to book lovers like myself.
I absolutely love this ad because it clearly depicts the ad copy. Brilliant! The images make me want to sleep with all of my favorite books on my bed and dream with all my favorite characters!
I really can't wait to make my own ads! Advertising industry, prepare for my arrival! :D
Not all women are granted more than A-cup bra sizes. For those who are not willing to undergo surgery or gain too much weight to hopefully direct more fat to the mammary area, push-up bras come to their rescue.
[...]
With that said, I bring you this ad from Thailand (ehem... yeah, you get the idea now, don't you?)
Were you surprised? I wasn't... but I find it creative. And my, if sales don't go up a hundredfold after this ad, I don't know what'll make that happen.
But just look at this pic and admire the model's beauty...
Isn't she a sight to behold?
Rather, isn't HE a sight to behold?
Yes, it's a he. I present to you the wonderful androgynous model, Andrej Pejic.
What wonderful boobs on a man! Only, he doesn't have boobs.
Yeah, these ads make the sale, baby!
These are the ads-THE ads. These are what we should be creating nowadays, not some brainless bunch of usual visuals and words that we just throw at the audiences everyday.
I hope to make awesome ads like these in the near future. Hopefully, I can make some samples and post them here, though of course I'll have them under copyright so if anyone sees my work and is interested, please contact me through this blog, or better yet through my e-mail which I'll post with my samples.
I'm so excited! Ads coming up soon! :D
So recently, this ad for Kremil-S caught my eye.
I really found it every bit creative. The visuals were direct to the point but not boring and the ad copy was well worded. The rhymes made the ad message easy to remember.
The coined term "tiyanses" was my favorite since it of course incorporate "tiyan" with the old adage "Don't take chances". This thing basically summed up everything: when it comes to stomach/tummy (tiyan) matters, don't take chances. Choose the Kremil-S, a reputable antacid. One sentence to say everything. Brilliant.
I'm posting this ad here on my blog because even if the commercials of today are much more creative than a decade ago, there are still lots of ordinary ads out there that make us wish we could just skip these commercials. Witty ads don't necessarily have to be funny, they could be just stupid, weird or annoying...
...but please, we need to get more brain cells working if marketers need their brands remembered well. After all, even good and bad publicity somehow work the same way, wouldn't it be nice if consumers could say more good things (even praising your ads) when they recall your brand? As a consumer myself, I find it fun to start conversations about witty ads. I seldom want to initiate such a discussion because I know it is word-of-mouth marketing and I really don't want to fall prey to that, but sometimes the ads are just so good that I can't help but share my amazement.
Well, that's all for now. I'm still trying to remember those ads I loved and those I hated. I hope to make both lists soon. :)
[...]
I really found it every bit creative. The visuals were direct to the point but not boring and the ad copy was well worded. The rhymes made the ad message easy to remember.
The coined term "tiyanses" was my favorite since it of course incorporate "tiyan" with the old adage "Don't take chances". This thing basically summed up everything: when it comes to stomach/tummy (tiyan) matters, don't take chances. Choose the Kremil-S, a reputable antacid. One sentence to say everything. Brilliant.
I'm posting this ad here on my blog because even if the commercials of today are much more creative than a decade ago, there are still lots of ordinary ads out there that make us wish we could just skip these commercials. Witty ads don't necessarily have to be funny, they could be just stupid, weird or annoying...
...but please, we need to get more brain cells working if marketers need their brands remembered well. After all, even good and bad publicity somehow work the same way, wouldn't it be nice if consumers could say more good things (even praising your ads) when they recall your brand? As a consumer myself, I find it fun to start conversations about witty ads. I seldom want to initiate such a discussion because I know it is word-of-mouth marketing and I really don't want to fall prey to that, but sometimes the ads are just so good that I can't help but share my amazement.
Well, that's all for now. I'm still trying to remember those ads I loved and those I hated. I hope to make both lists soon. :)
Last April 13, 2013, my dad celebrated his birthday. We wanted to make it a unique experience so my sis and I thought of a creative way to celebrate his day. We made a makeshift photobooth! Armed with colored papers, markers, glue, scissors, some cardboards, and lotsa random stuff we found around the house, we made cute masks, hats and other props. I reused the Time and Vogue boards from our feasibility class's business expo. I am proud to say that I also generated a similar photobooth concept for our booth in the business expo.
Here are some pics from my dad's very fun but simple birthday, sorry if the pictures are not hi-res, we just have a not-so-hi-tech digicam:
[...]
Here are some pics from my dad's very fun but simple birthday, sorry if the pictures are not hi-res, we just have a not-so-hi-tech digicam:
These are our props :D
My little sister here sporting a graduation hat and uhhh some beard :))
My very handsome father :D
Yes, he is indeed the King of the Night :D
King of all Gentlemen
Yeah, that's my sis with a spaghetti-ish wig (made of yarn! It took a really long time and patience before I finished that! haha! worth it! :D)
My cute parents :D
Indeed, the showstoppers :D
It's me and my mom :D
Wacky!
The three wonderful ladies of the house :D
Dad loves making faces... and yeah, he also loves monkeys, I think
you don't often see us like this... in public ;)
We're so FAB! :D
And yes, I'm wearing a wig made of yarn again! :D
Kiss! <3
A bit of creativity and resourcefulness does go a long way :D
This is the layout I made for my own congratulatory tarpaulin. I have such a sweet family who believes in my talent hihi ^_^
I wouldn't say that I was so excited about it, since for me it was more of just some formality, I already finished my studies way before the 28th, so I was in sort of a vacation before the graduation itself, though I didn't rest much. I was out job hunting, and even though I graduated with Latin honors and had what want to believe is an impressive resume', it's still hard to look for that right job for me.
But don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy job hunting... I see places and meet new people, and of course I get a different adventure every day.
Yeah, all I have to do now is believe that I will land a job soon and I do pray that I will stay long in that company. :)
Happy job hunting, Class of 2013! :D
To all the Men I Loved
Before,
Please do not expect me to start by defining what exactly I mean
by “love”… I loved you all, whether we had a formal relationship or not…
whether I merely had a crush on you… or we had a special understanding… they
were all forms of love, and I wish I could tell you all how grateful I am to
have felt all of these because of you.
I’d like to think that it’s not too late for me to thank
you, especially during this month of love, and most especially since now I am
happy with someone I truly cherish…. Please don’t think that I only want you to
be envious of my happiness, but what I really want is to inform you how I also
cherished all the memories we had.
Don’t get me wrong, I have truly moved on from everything,
and I’m pretty sure you have too.
I just want to say thank you…
…for being a special friend who made me feel so special that
you texted me all throughout the day when I was sick, to the point that someone
teased us about it, saying you didn’t pay attention to anyone else on that day
since you were so busy texting…
…for giving me a Valentine’s card, telling me that I should
celebrate Valentine’s too… and yes, that was the very first card I received
from a guy, and I’m glad it wasn’t necessarily romantic…
…for taking care of the Mr. Bean keychain and looking for it
when it was lost… though you didn’t really find it…
…for an almost high school romance…
…for an almost prom date…
…for letting me feel the joy and pain having a crush on a
very special friend, getting jealous with his crush, feeling bewildered at
realizing I was that crush, and the pain of accepting that we really are better
off as friends…
…for having my first crush actually like me (3 years later…or…
hehe)
…for finally giving me a high school romance…
…for the very “sulit” dates we had… Believe me, I really
cherished them
…for the first teddy bear I received from a “romantic
partner”…
…for texting me despite us belonging to different networks…
…for giving me… uhhh a “balabal” (which I used differently
haha)
…for a prom date! According to your PROMise
…for the very first birthday surprise I had… and it didn’t
fail unlike what you thought… it was really sweet and so awesome that you managed
to gather most of my friends, even those who I haven’t seen for a while…
…for respecting my decision to finally end everything…
...for helping me move on…
…for trying to help me with my Cheerdance ticket problem
…for having ingenious plans to get to know me better…
…for giving me my first car ride with a guy, and having
quite an adventure with it…
…for helping me learn a lot, especially with events…
…for guiding me through the camp…
…for introducing me to your family…
…for making my dream of being a part of a choir come true,
even just for one mass…
…for giving me my first and second bouquet of flowers…
…for helping me entertain the guests in my debut…
…for all the adventures and firsts…
…for explaining to me why we can’t be together…
…for trying to help me move and being my friend in the
process…
…for doing your best to be better than all those before you…
…for that surprise in October…
…for that rose in the locker…
…for singing love songs to me…
...for teaching me lots of things…
…for making me feel wanted…
…for bringing me to a different, weird in a good way worship…
…for pushing me to do new things and realize more of my
potential…
…for letting go…
I owe a lot to you, for helping me be who I am now, for all
the laughter and tears, bruises and newfound strength…
Thank you.
Thank you for now; I know who I want…
I also knew myself more.
I have hurt you all in one way or another, and you have done
the same to me… I pray that we both already have forgiven each other. And one
of these days, when we see each other, or when we see each other’s names in the
feed of some social networking site, may we not feel bad, but instead may we
both be grateful that we have met each other and shared memories that taught us
a lot…
…made us all better people…
…and have led us to our happiness…
…or maybe have set us on the direction towards our real
happiness.
Everything happens for a reason, and God’s master plan will
unveil itself in due time.
In the end, all I can say is it is true that it is better to
have loved and lost than not to have loved at all.
I loved you, and may that fact leave a smile on your lips…
…for I loved you, and I only love those who deserve it.
You deserve to be happy, and may you all find happiness in
your journey to find the love of your life.
Belated Happy Valentine’s. :)
Chapter 1
P’re, may alam ka bang part-time job ngayong summer?
Kailangan ko ng pandagdag sa tuition ko next sem eh, hanggang summer class na
lang kaya ng naipon ko. Kung possible sana, yung medyo maganda ang sahod.
Kung may pang-unli call lang ako eh… dapat talaga tawagan na
lang itong mokong na to eh. Palagi namang unli pero unli rin ang katamaran sa
pagreply. Sa akin. Tamad magreply sa akin. Palibhasa para lang raw sa mga
chicks nya yung load nya. Hay, kahit kelan talaga.
~toot toot~
Drew!!! Galing mo tumiming!!! May opening pa kami sa Adonis’
Loft, waiter. Gusto mo? Okay ang sahod, tamang-tama yung summer, makakaipon ka
ng malaki-laki. Saka alam mo maraming magagandang waitress dun!!! Samahan kita
bukas ng 7AM, yun start ng shift ko eh. Daanan mo ko dito sa apartment ng 6 ah!!!
Aba. Ang tindi ng energy. Nakaiskor siguro to. Pero at least
magkakapart-time na ako.
Sana.
***
Dalawang minuto at kalahati. Ayan, tatlong minuto na pala
akong kumakatok sa pinto ng kwarto ni June Narciso, ang taong ginagawang umaga
ang gabi at gabi ang umaga. Nagpa-late na nga ako ng punta dahil alam kong
tutubuan ako ng ugat kung pupunta ako on time at maghihintay ng ilang siglo
bago sya lumabas. Hindi na nakakagulat na 6:30 na ay nasa apartment pa rin sya,
kahit sabi nya halos isang oras ang biyahe mula dito papunta sa Adonis’ Loft. Nakakatawa
lang isipin na mukhang totoo nga ang opposites attract, dahil ako itong
kumukulo ang dugo kapag nasisira ang mga plano at nale-late sa mga commitment,
at sya naman itong walang pakialam sa mundo, lalo na sa oras ng ibang tao.
Ang lamig naman dito sa labas… dapat pala nagdala ako ng—
“Uy p’re sori tinanghali ako ng gising eh!” at ang ganda ng
ngiti ng mokong. At ang ganda rin ng porma nya, mukhang sosyal kahit uniporme
na pang-waiter. Nagpabango rin sya na parang pang-mayaman at nag-wax pa ng
buhok. At sya ang tipo ng tao na nag-aayos lang sya nang ganito pag may
kasamang babae. Sa huling check ko, lalaki pa naman ako. Required siguro sa
trabaho na… magpagwapo. Magpagwapo lalo.
At taliwas sa sinabi nyang isang oras, 30 minutes lang pala
ang biyahe. Nag-MRT at jeep kami. At susme, mas malapit pala sa bahay namin
itong restaurant na to! Pambihira! Ako pa talaga ang pinapunta sa
kasuluk-sulukan ng mundo para sunduin sya…
“Halika ‘tol, pasok tayo. Uhmmm, sandali lang pala,” at
inayos muna ni June and kwelyo ng polo shirt ko. “’tol, lagyan kita ng wax ah,
medyo nagulo na yung buhok mo eh,” at inayos nya rin ang buhok ko. Kakaiba ito.
Sya ang tipo ng tao na sanay maging parasite lalo na sa paghingi ng pagkain at
maging ng damit na matipuhan nya, pero hindi mo basta-basta mahihingan ng kahit
ano. Milagro nga na nagpainom sya nung bertdey nya, pero 50% off lang kami nun.
“Ayan, over-qualified ka na” sabay kindat. Napalunok ako. Parang… parang may
mali sa sinabi nya.
Pumasok na kami sa loob. Sobrang sosyal naman ng restaurant
na ito, may parang gallery pa ng mga painting at sculptures, puro mga nakahubad
na babae at lalaki. May mga poste pa na napapaikutan nung dahon na nasa ulo ni
Caesar, at marami pang element na para bang ginawang restaurant ang greek
mythology. May mga upuan na mukhang mas espesyal, yung parang pang-couple, at
mukha silang mga trono na may malambot na cushion at malambot na tela. May maliit
na sign sa mga table na iyon, may nakasulat na Aphrodite’s kiss. Yung mga
maramihan naman, may sign na Olympic banquet. Ang mahal siguro ng bayad sa
interior designer nito. Naku, ang bagal ko palang maglakad, biglang nawala si
June.
Sige, matignan nga muna ang menu.
At pinagpawisan ako nang malamig.
At halos mabitawan ko ang menu.
Ang pinakamababang presyo ay P500! Ay P70 pala para sa
bottled water! Nakakatakot, mukhang kailangan talagang matino ang trabaho dito…
konting mali lang… kung kailangan kong abonohan…
“May experience na ba siya sa ganitong trabaho? Mukhang kaya
ba nya? Gwapo…” may boses ng lalaking parang may accent na di ko maintindihan…
parang Italiano? At parang…
“Aba, gwapo nga. Muy bien,” yan ang sinabi ng lalaking may
mala-Italianong bigote, yung may kulot sa dulo, at nakadamit na parang galing
sa Renaissance era. “June says you’re applying as a waiter here in Adonis’
Loft. Ako ang may-ari nito, you can call me Maestro Monico,” at iniabot nya ang
kamay nya sa akin. At nag-shake hands kami. Pero may kakatwang hawi sya ng
kamay pagkabitaw nya sa kamay ko. May finesse kumbaga.
Matapos ang ilang tanong at pagbasa ni Maestro Monico sa
aking bio data, may pinakuha sya sa isang waitress na ang pangalan ay Alice. Kung
lahat ng waitress ay ganito ang hitsura, totoo nga ang sinabi ni June na
magaganda ang waitresses dito. Pagbalik nya, iniabot nya sa akin ang uniporme
na katulad ng kay June. Inabutan nya rin ako ng wine glass, pati si Maestro
Monico at si June. Nag-iwan rin sya ng isang wine bottle at dali-daling umalis
dahil may dumating na customer.
“So, congratulations and welcome to Adonis’ Loft, Drew.
Cheers,” sabi nya, pagkatapos nya kaming salinan ng wine sa wine glasses namin
ni June. “Don’t worry, di ako kasing-BI nitong si June, ngayon lang tayo iinom
nang ganito kaaga. Magni-night schooling ka raw? Anong…”
…at dito na nagsimula ang summer na hinding-hindi ko
makakalimutan…
