December 5, 2019

What’s on Your 2019 Christmas Wishlist?

With all the festive lights and Christmas mood around us, we keep busy buying gifts for others. But remember, once in a while we deserve to give a present for ourselves too! It’s not being luxurious or careless with money but simply getting that chance of morphing our hardwork to reality that we can enjoy completely. We don’t need Santa Claus, right? We have as they say, the “fruit of our labor” to convert the holiday wishlist to reality.

What’s on your lineup? Travel. Experience the snow again. Escape the city. Staycation in a fab hotel. Oh, that elusive Kate Spade bag. This new coffee machine. And the Harry Potter Pandora collection! Whatever is on your list, just pick one (or two) then dive into it guilt-free!

This Holiday 2019, there’s a special treat for us Titos and Titas! What if your favorite rockband is coming to the Philippines? Perhaps that changes the perspective of your ideas of what to give yourself? It is a once in a lifetime event and would be too painful to miss…

U2 is coming next week (December 11, Wednesday)! Thanks to MMI Live for bringing the Irish Rockband to the country granting the wish of many Pinoy fans.

“The Joshua Tree Tour” celebrates the release of “The Joshua Tree” album back in 1987 and will be rocking Manila with all the hits! To hear Bono go live with I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and With or Without You will surely bring a perfect chill. Can’t wait.

It is also the first time we are watching at the Philippine Arena! Seeing its grandiose view via the SEA Games coverage makes being there more exciting.

Are you now shifting the yuletide wish and eyeing on attending the concert at PH Arena? There is still time, give in to the U2 holiday craving! #BookYourExperience now.

November 29, 2019

Dine Quietly at BF Homes’ Tropical Avenue

President and Aguirre Avenues are famous for Southies as one of the best food hubs around the area. It represents various cuisines suited to your taste buds and specific budget.

The effect of this comes heavy traffic, crowded restos, and a struggle to get a good parking slot especially during dinner time on a weekend, holiday, and payday.

If you wish to go away from the chaos and craving for Italian food anyway, I suggest that you go straight to Tropical Avenue for a choice of Mama Lou’s or Altrove. These are Italian restaurants hidden from the rush of the busy corners of BF Homes.

Trattoria ALTROV’É

Address: 858 Tropical Avenue, BF International, Las Piñas

Famous for its signature crafted, wood fired brick oven pizzas from El Nido Palawan. It eventually extended a branch in the South. The resto has a cozy resort-feel to it! We particularly enjoyed the Pizza Bianca and Pesto Pasta. Other food on the menu like salad, steaks and chicken fillets are promising.

Just get ready to eat on bare-foot as you will be asked to remove your shoes while dining inside. Service needs to be improved and our server perhaps needs to be more acquainted with the details of their entrees.

Mama Lou’s

Address: Block 1 Lot 36 Tropical Avenue corner Palace Street, BF International, Las Piñas

Mama Lou’s was born out of a real kitchen in BF Homes by founders Richard and the late Malou Tremblay, the restaurant opened their doors to welcome guests in 2010.

What started as a passion for serving home-cooked dishes has now become Mama Lou’s Group with ten plus branches across the Metro and continuously growing. Our forever order is the Quatro Formaggi Pizza to pair with pasta (but Pesto Pasta just okay here, you don’t really get to taste the basil there) or Risotto Pesto Al Pollo. The service is not superb though and they need to push on making their staff show some warmness to diners to keep their promise of a homey vibe “…comforting, memorable experience of coming home to warm food prepared by a loved one.”

Overall, it is still a real delight to eat in either of the two and we are always happy to be back. Buon appetito! 🙂

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Photo courtesy of Facebook fanpages

October 29, 2019

That Moment Stuck in Metro Manila Traffic – Plan Your Own Survival Kit

That moment we are stuck in traffic can really lose with what’s left of our remaining sanity, don’t you think? I hardly go out now and I don’t drive as often just to avoid the horrendous, mindless battle on the road. There are many people who would rather hire a-day driver or get a Grab to lessen the stress of driving or suffer PUV commuting.

Imagine a 1.4km distance from our house to my son’s school can take 30 to 40 minutes one-way?! While a drive to Greenbelt Makati that is only 12km away from home eats up two hours every morning?! What a real waste of time and emotion.

This is not a passing stage that is dependent of the season; it is a matter-of-fact Christmas-carmageddon every single day for Filipinos. Perhaps there are many people to blame and point-finger to—delayed government projects, no discipline of drivers, weak implementation of officials, road closure due to constructions without proper rerouting plan, poor zoning strategy, over flowing number of cars, slow road maintenance or no maintenance at all when mostly needed… list can go on forever but what can we really do? What could be a sure fix here? What can we contribute to ease the problem?

No immediate solution. No guarantee if any of the current effort of various government agencies will work. What now? Hibernate. Migrate. Escape. If we can afford it, maybe. But what about us who are meant to stay and live this chaos on a daily basis? What can we do?

We are even ranked by Waze as the #1 Worst place to drive! 😦

This is a personal battle; even the most buoyant mind setting can lose track. This is a trap scenario for most of us—we just have to find a way to deal with it somehow. Maybe make our own how-to-keep-sane list when outside. Inhale, exhale. Breathe. Think of happy thoughts? The latter might not always work well especially being stuck in a not-moving traffic for 30 minutes but let us aim to push the positive idea, personalize version of a unique survival kit.

Create a feel-good playlist on Spotify.
Get into the ARK (Act of Random Kindness).
On random, call someone via speakerphone.
Don’t go out of the house unless it is a must.
Keep the courtesy even if most are not applying it anymore.
Buy your favorite chips or nuts. I would love to bring a cup of coffee but that is diuretics, so NO.
Once in a while to change a routine, explore other options like the P2P bus, shuttle van, or car pool.
Tune in to your favorite radio program. DZMM’s SRO of Alvin Elchico and Doris Begornia is a real companion when in Edsa between 7:45pm to 9pm.
Treat the moment as your “me-time” on the wheel. This blog was drafted while feeling miserable on the driver seat. Some good ideas pop during odd times, welcome it.
Talk to Jesus while inside the car in a conversational level. We mostly pray in whisper or just in our head but talking to Jesus in a normal voice that you can actually hear yourself is a special Christian experience.
Look forward to what’s waiting for you at your destination—that sofa bed with my boys watching Netflix and munching popcorn. Consider the chances of not arriving safely if we are careless and mad on the steering wheel.
Rather than being pissed with all the constructions going on (well hello there Alabang viaduct), let us focused on the long-term result. I remember when LRT 1 was being constructed back in the 80s and it was a total mess along Rizal Avenue, Manila. My Father traveled to/from Blumentritt to Baclaran and it was a very hard commute. But he remained optimistic saying that in a few years, the trip will be shorter and better. It did, somehow.

We just have to wait patiently and make use of this time to remain hopeful even on top of the struggle. Yes, without a doubt what we have now is a real crisis but let’s try not let the terrible Manila traffic consume our good soul. Still a happy trip to us all!

–

photo credits @JKAustria

September 27, 2019

What to Do on Your Tanay-Laguna Roadtrip?

It was a tough start of the week—so much work load while all of us down with flu. Hubby and I agreed that if we get better over the weekend, we would do a road trip. And thank you Jesus! After taking Tamiflu and doing nebulizer for my son, we slowly got okay. And as planned, we did the Tanay-Laguna route last weekend! Build-up of traffic happened only at the foot of Tanay because of jeepneys loading just about anywhere and crazy motorcycles going out of their lanes… once up, the drive was smooth and scenic. The next heavy traffic was at Pagsanjan Laguna then Pansol but still not that bad. The whole day drive was a good escape to the chaotic city dailies.

Treasure Mountain – the place offers a good climb and a beautiful view of the mountains. There were a couple of campers and an upcoming cottage for rent, perhaps good to visit again for an overnight stay. Imagine coming here without gadgets and just unite with nature! Entrance fee for a day visit is Php150 per head.

Address: Sitio Maysawa Brgy. Cuyambay, Tanay, 1980 Rizal

Treasure Mountain

Lutong Pugon – Wood-fired pizza is really good here! While dining, awesome to see painters on the work as it is also an art gallery. Having patrons coming over after a long drive, I do hope they can improve their rest room—worse than public CR considering their restaurant is pricey.

Address: Sitio Masanting, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal

Regina Rosarii Institute for Contemplation in Asia (Regina Rica) – About 2km drive from Lutong Pugon is a religious site with an elevated path leading to a chapel beneath a gigantic Mama Mary carrying baby Jesus. Take off your shoes and go up to our Mother, appreciate the greens then pray at the Adoration Chapel.

Address: Marikina-Infanta Highway, Tanay, Rizal

Regina Rica

Lake Caliraya – After a solemn visit at Regina Rica, get ready to fill your eyes for a 73km cruise to Lake Caliraya along the urban settings of Rizal and Laguna. It is a man-made lake that is 1,200 feet above sea level situated in the municipalities of Lumban, Cavinti, and Kalayaan. Either you jump into the many water sports/outdoor recreation OR simply enjoy the scenery.

Caliraya Lake

We were supposed to have early dinner with halo-halo for dessert at the iconic Filipino cuisine that is Aling Taleng’s but arrived at their closing (6pm). So we ended up with a hearty meal at Balai Ilocos—bagnet, pinakbet, sisig, gambas!

Pagsanjan River

Full and happy, we are all set to go home. But just need to do one quick stop along the way at Los Banos for the Orient – The Original Buko Pie Bakeshop. This has been the all-time favorite buko pie of Hubby!

It was a whole day of weekend fun drive with family and keen on doing it again! Where’s your next getaway plan?

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#NoFiler photo courtesy of JK Austria

August 29, 2019

That Time of the Year Scribble

Reaching a point that I am no longer too young and perhaps not even too old rather stuck somewhere in between. Trap to where I may be, I run through some realizations that my years has taught me. These are facts, my realities, random thoughts, or simply an occasional personal reminder.

Float calmly.
It is never as it seems.
Know who you really are.
It is better to listen than talk.
Answer yes or no and not half way.
Unearth the beauty in every situation.
Talk to Jesus like talking to your bestfriend.
Follow your commitment with no buts and ifs.
Being lazy is innate so always drag yourself if you must.
Once in a while, it is fun to slurp a bowl of ramen alone.
Too many shallowness in the world, dig your own depth.
Never allow other people’s perception define who you are.
Stand firm with your own standard despite the bandwagon.
Give in to your cravings. Your head will bug you if you resist.
You don’t need many friends; you only need few real friends.
Apply a no phone policy when you are with family and friends.
Go out of your work space once in a while to freshen the mind.
Store memories with your head and not just through your icloud.
Be in the moment and stop overthinking what’s up with tomorrow.
Set your own phase at work without pushing too roughly at yourself.
There is that triumphant feeling when you sleep for 12 hours straight.
Converse and be with people. Look at them in the eye. Drop the phone.
Don’t feel guilty after eating a lot over a good meal. Be thankful instead.
Love your work. It shows when you do and results get messy when you don’t.
Monday morning is always a struggle unless you are waking up to ride a plane.
Conversation without comprehension and proper listening becomes worthless.
You are not entitled to explain your life (the success and failure of it) to anyone.
When it gets overwhelmingly stressful, find your comfy corner and breathe there.
Good, mundane, or even not so good—live the moment. There’s no better choice.
Negative actions of others is not supposed to drastically change your solemn mood.
A lot of people and situations will test your patience, earn the mastery of being patient.
You are done proving yourself, just always do the job well and not to solely please others.
If you don’t begin with small steps or quit over a mishap, you cannot accomplish your goals.
Tag of war happens everyday—the endless delicious food choices versus the depreciating value of metabolism.
Pick a happy crowd. Being with grumpy people and around a judging environment can drain a positive energy.
When traveling or going to new places, capture the moment with your eyes and not with your camera phone all the time.
Avoid negative and rude people. No matter how hard you train yourself to stay positive, they will still somewhat take a toll on you.
You can’t be too busy meeting special people over coffee. Don’t hesitate to let go of those just using you. (At this age, you already know who’s who).
Know when to continue and when to completely stop. Quitting is not always a sign of weakness but can be a hint of bravery—step up when it is too much.
Some people will always ask the foulest questions and give the harshest comments in a know-it-all tone. Aim for a half smile, positive reply, and walk away. No sense to prolong a conversation unless you are in a battlefield mode.
Be brave enough to find your happiness. Don’t settle on your comfort zones; you can’t go far there. Don’t survive, live! We are not a zombie. Take chances, explore the risks. Embrace your mistakes as it happens and learn from it. Fail if you must but don’t linger there. Fight happy!

July 29, 2019

Life Begins After Coffee

Every Monday morning is mostly a struggle. What makes you go up? Work. Meetings. School. Presentation. Perhaps yes to all but there must be one simple reason without digging dip… maybe a cup of coffee? It is another Monday and the last for July, trying to focus and make the day productive with caffeine-related thoughts, are you up for it? Collating another batch of feel-good coffee thoughts to inspire the sluggish head.

Now wanting to get a mug after seeing the images, have a merry Monday! Enjoy the new week’s adventure!

I should be working now after the many gulps on my messy coffee mug! 🙂

June 25, 2019

When Visiting Japan

For many, Japan is one of the best countries to visit with its distinct culture, array of food, and the overall travel experience from its people, technology, and sceneries. Many Filipino travelers have picked Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka, and Kyoto as their top must-go cities in Asia.

Heian Shrine, Kyoto

As you pack your luggage and all ready to leave, here are some things to expect when going to the land of the rising sun.

1.Not everyone can speak English – even most hotel front desk officers or Starbucks baristas cannot converse effectively. But they are very kind and would be willing to exert an effort to somehow understand what we are trying to say. Practice the point system—like point the food you want from the picture menu with a smile.

2.Room is very small and bathroom smaller – whether you book from a hotel or Airbnb, you get to live in a really tiny space over the duration of your stay there. Anyway, you did not go to Japan to stay in a hotel so room size should not be a major problem.

3.They are a right-hand drive so direct your cautious eyes accordingly – coming from a country that has least respect to pedestrians, I kept on saying “aww” and “arigato” because drivers would automatically stop at the pedestrian crossings without a chase (as it should be).

4.Get ready to get lost on their train station maze – the transport system is very sophisticated and it is a delight to ride a train, even explore an underground shopping mall at some stations.

Finding Our Way in Tokyo

5.When you are on the escalator, it is not an option to choose which side to stand if you are not moving up – make sure to be on the “left” and not block the way on the right where people will pass.

6.Smoking is very common and they do it just about anywhere – we even pass by at a restaurant that appears like it has fog machine inside because of the cigarette smoke fume from customers.

7.Lineup for matcha green tea or other food they love – this is serious, the queuing can go for one to two hours or even more! Yet they do it patiently, no cheats to sneak and no whines while on the line.

8.True to its promise, this is a real haven for ramen and coffee fanatics – most shops offer delicious ramen and strong fresh coffee brew even those stores that look strange, uninviting, and isolated.

Somewhere in Nagoya

What amazes you the most? Looking forward to the next JaFun adventure!

May 17, 2019

Learn How to Successfully Work from Home!

I started my digital marketing career as a Content Writer and Virtual Assistant. I had a sensitive pregnancy and OB advised to stop my stressful job in advertising. It was not the bed-ridden type and I was still allowed to move, even teach part-time. But working a lot has been my life so going lay-low started to itch and knew the need to do more. While 4-month pregnant, I started exploring the possibility of working home-based but was not lucky to get a “real” client. Getting jobs from online freelancing portals was heartbreaking as the rate was way low and the load too much. Until one friend told me to apply for a writer and VA post with an office in Metro Manila; my bosses and colleagues were all Moms with strong professional background but have decided to work home-based to focus more on their families… the rest is history.

One of those brilliant Moms is Paula Uy, she now owns her own VA company. Paula is generous to share her expertise as she opens a great opportunity to people wanting (even dreaming) to work from home.

Scope covers relevant topics, as follows:

Be informed about the variety of work–from-home opportunities available to you. You may already have the skills needed to become a VA. There are many overseas companies who outsource a variety of tasks — from social media management, content creation, administrative duties, and so on.
Know what you need to get started. You’ll get clued in on what you need to invest on in order to become a VA. You’ll find out what equipment or digital setup you can get to be an efficient and reliable VA.
Get clued in on how and where to find clients. Find out which online platforms or resources you should check out for job leads.
How to ensure you don’t get scammed. As with all other ventures, it helps to know which companies and clients are legitimate. You’ll get tips on how to spot possible scammers.

On top of this, what excites me is the evaluation on the most suitable work-from-home job for you based on your current skill level. I would not really discern “online marketing field as the work of my life” if I did not start as a Virtual Assistant.

The workshop is for two hours and will be held at Gather Café, BF Resort Drive, BF Resort Village, Las Pinas City.

There are slots available on the following workshop dates: June 5, 7, & 8 at 6PM. Just pick your preferred day and register for it.

Early bird: PHP 600.00 per person
Regular rate: PHP 800.00 per person

The early bird rate is available until May 20 only. Regular rates will apply after that.

Get ready to welcome your new career. Register now!!

April 17, 2019

Tagaytay and its Beautiful Churches

Tagaytay is a go-to place for day tours and weekend escapade but it may not be the most solemn place to visit during Visita Iglesia (unless you are staying there). We tried going to these beautiful churches on a Good Thursday as part of our Lenten itinerary but we did not get beyond Casile Road as the traffic was not moving.

Lent or not, you can always pay a visit as these parishes offer a corner of solitude all year round.

Pink Sisters Convent – This is our favorite sanctuary. Writing a prayer request, seeing the nuns in pink praying near the altar, and experiencing the tranquil environment is always worth the trip.

Address: Brent Road, Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, 4120 Tagaytay City

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish – It celebrates a lot of weddings and always full with crowd filling the patio on Sundays

Address: Tagaytay – Nasugbu Hwy, Silang Junction North, Tagaytay, Cavite (near Serin Ayala Mall)

Tierra de Maria – The chapel is easy to find with the huge shrine of Mama Mary but get ready to squeeze inside as the chapel area is really small.

Address: Tagaytay – Calamba Rd, Tagaytay, Cavite

Ina ng Laging Saklolo – We usually attend a mass here with fewer crowd and the location is windy.

Address: Tagaytay – Calamba Rd, Tagaytay, Cavite (near Crosswind)

Adding up to the list is Caleruega. It is in Batangas but still very near Tagaytay; wrote a separate blog back in 2015 and it remains to be an ideal destination for prayers.

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Photo source: Facebook page and/or website of each Parish, if any.

March 29, 2019

On Freelancing: Craft Your Own Standard

Being a freelancer requires a lot of focus and demands a strong will to deliver on time, quality output. Perhaps there is never going to be a valid reason to not submit a deadline and we must respect our commitment no matter what—rain or shine, wifi or none, feverish or not, with or without water and electricity… we do our job. At this stage of our career, we don’t have much luxury for vacation leaves or any form of leave in that context; unless it is way too critical and our clients simply understand our rare situation. I say rare because we can’t always run an excuse that we are sick or we have no internet access. It is frustrating to work with fellow freelancers giving so many scapegoats and this behavior can give the entire freelancing community a negative impression.

Build our own standard and live it no matter what the circumstance offers us.

At the onset, say no if you cannot submit from the given schedule of client; don’t get all the jobs you cannot finish on time or worse, you cannot accomplish at all.
Be more resourceful and don’t just stop when there is a technical hindrance. When you suddenly get a poor wifi connection at home, perhaps there are hotspots to consider or coffee shops to visit?
Learn to troubleshoot when there are glitches as we have no local number to call the corporate’s IT department.
Work in advance to avoid cramming. Come to meetings on time.
Ideally, drop personal reasons as an attempt to escape what’s due.
We all have so many things on our plate and to say we are “busy” is an insult to other people who are also busy but can perform well.
Give client a heads-up for unavoidable scenarios leading to a possible delay of project submission.
Do not just vanish. Answer calls and messages. At most time, we cannot acknowledge at once but get into the habit of calling back and replying within a 24-hour timeframe.

We choose our job and we must aim to excel in doing the tasks mandated to us; eye on properly serving clients following our strong professional protocol.

WriteNowNa

Writing From Down South of the Metro