Food Inc.

See the link for details... http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/food-inc/

Hip Hip, Bantayan, Island in the Sun

Working as risk management analyst is sometimes nerve-wracking... we need some time to relax and free ourselves from work stress. The result, Business Card Team BingGO made an escape to Bantayan Island.

For a brief description on the place, Bantayan Island is currently Cebu's semi-secret little Island Paradise located just off the northwest tip of Cebu's mainland.

Different from the way of life in the city, Bantayan Island is largely undeveloped and definitely not over crowded. It's also very old fashioned and peaceful and life is much slower as there are no big city shopping malls, hotel chains, mega movie theaters or metro discos, etc. It's a perfect place for us seeking peace & quiet, blue skies & clean air, with spectacular turquoise water & great white sand beaches, along with some of the most beautiful sunrise & sunsets in the world! 


We stayed at the Sugar Beach Resort. The place is very ideal for a team building.

.....................................................

One of the favorite games we did was this messy one. It’s called the flour blowing game. We put some coins under the bowl and covered it with rice flour. The representatives from each team will be in a contest in blowing the flour and getting the most coins only by mouth. This was a truly exciting game as we loved getting messy.

This was the rolling of the orange with an eggplant. Each team was given time to create their own strategy on how to roll the orange with eggplant tied in a string. This was very exciting game as everyone was challenged in rolling the orange without arms holding the eggplant and the string.

On the left is Janine and Joan playing the Message Relay Game. The idea is to accurately relay a message between team members as fast as possible. The twist on this game is that the messages are in Spanish. On the right is Joan and Dylan doing the Banana Eating Game. The winner is the one who can eat the regular sized banana faster.

And of course, for a get-together party like this in a beach, as darkness falls, bonfire activity is present. It's an opportunity where everyone shares thoughts and stories, a way of knowing each other more.

To enjoy this pristine and powdery sand beach, everyone slipped in to their swim suits and gears and began posing in front of cameras. Bantayan Island is never really crowded and therefore provides natural, beautiful and peaceful environment to relax and enjoy.The natural environment and picturesque views of the beach make it a great place to take photograph.

A Shoot for a Cause

myWORK... and everything that Goes with it

The Most Creative Youtube Videos Ever

ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID 2010 - Ngayong Pasko Magniningning Ang Pilipino

Perfect Solution to Dining Dilemma... Canvas Bistro Bar

When it comes to shopping, i really have no problem finding the best specialty store specially at Ayala Center Cebu. That's me. I do it mostly there. What's interesting,  when I do my shopping, it also means food trip. But every time I have a food trip, I always find it difficult to find a restaurant that appeals to my preferences.



One day, a friend (Rain) phoned me for a dinner at  The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu. It was around 7pm of Sunday and all you see at The Terraces were people from different ages, races, and lifestyle orientation, but there is one thing that is similar to all, if not having dinner with family and peers, they're in to unwind and relax, the fact that made us so undecided where to dine because of full reservations. Luckily, we've got a perfect solution to that dining dilemma, just within the Terraces as well, and was known to be the first Australian restaurant in whole Cebu Metropolitan.

Canvas Bistro Bar was indeed a very nice place. As I flipped on its menu book, I know it could be something that would receive trade recognition for excellence, although the materials used in the menu book is not that appealing. The menu appeals to every palate, from the health conscious who prefers white meat or fish to red meat aficionados. Diners have the selection for salads and hearty appetizers and desserts, and selection from seafood, beef,chicken and pork in different Australian food preparation.

My total dining experience was great and I know that this restaurant believes in effortlessly blending comfort, value, service and atmosphere.

What does it mean to be a good global employee?

What does it mean to be a good global employee? Presently, as where I am working, we now have shifted from the usual thing the department does to a dynamite blast approach of customer engagement, and the company use this simple framework to answer that question, as its main objective is to bring the company into the position of leading the US financial industry in terms of providing customer service. 

More particular to our department and the current moment are the several changes to our procedures and customer connections criteria. To provide excellent service, every time a customer either explicitly or implicitly voiced out his concern, we should be quick enough to be emphatic and address the needs by offering proactive solutions. In fact to be more sincere about the approach, handling time was taken out from the metrics to provide us opportunity to go extra mile in assisting cardholders. 

Our goal is not simply to participate, but to be a leader in this area. As an initiative, to involve us in a drive, we were provided access to communication tools to communicate broadly, to raise consciousness of the problem we see and to increase awareness of effective solutions. This is why we were asked to determine, as they termed it, "the moon walking bears" in the operation procedure.

Option for Best Food... Cafe Laguna

Food trip is one of the favorite things I do everytime I am off from work. This is how I compensate myself for heavy tasks during the work days and spending it with close friends and work colleages is always a great idea. As much possible I want to try all the different restaurants here in Cebu City and this is for the purpose of knowing who offers the best. After all, if I'll be bringing someone for dinner or lunch,  or host special occassion, i will always have the perfect solution to dining dilemma.

Just as I have thought of knowing what restaurant offers the best food, I came to remember Cafe laguna. I love this restaurant because of its cozy and comfortable atmosphere plus the excellent food at reasonable prices. This restaurant serves finest Filipino dishes cooked in a home-style tradition.


One time, friends phoned me for a lunch at the Cafe Laguna at The Terraces in Ayala. Indeed it was really a great dining experience I had with the restaurant as I was delighted with the food especially their seafood platter (combination of freshly and juicy cooked squid, shrimp, crabs, sea shell) and crispy pata in its crisp golden brown color. I like as well their version of the Bicol Express which they call it as Laguna Express, well as it was named it after the restaurant. It was great in flavor that the taste of green veggies, chilies, pork and shrimp completely blends as simmered in coconut milk.Most of the dishes ranges its price from Php 95.00 - Php 300.00. And of course, they offer a lot of dishes which I know for sure I will be ordering on my next visit.

An Alternative, A Thing to Consider

I made an airline reservation for my trip to Ilo-ilo and Boracay on August 24-31 to celebrate my 25th birthday but it never was realized because of conflict on my work schedule. Instead, as my manager only approved 2 PTO's (paid time off), I made my way home to my place in Kidapawan City. My family was so excited to celebrate my 25th year of existence in this world so we did gather for pool swimming. There were 23 of us, and mostly are my nephews and nieces.

Everytime we have a family get together like this, it is always a big consideration to come up with types of food that would be best for all. I mean, by the looks, seems that food is very abundant to us as our body sizes justify it, hahaha. That's right, sounds funny, but not a good thing to my old folks. Consequently, we need to prepare something that's healthy for them, and that suggests for low or perhaps something that is cholesterol free.

Good thing I remembered Nanay Linda, our house cook in Cebu. She always prepare fried fish meat with oyster sauce everytime I ask her to cook something for me. At least, I knew that fish is a best alternative for pork or beef, which is absolutely not good for them. That gave me an idea, so for the rest of us who have no health issues, well, as always lechon is present, grilled pork belly, roasted chicken are always on top of this food list.

In Search for Financial Health and Stability

For all the discussion about money and work, there's no definitive answer to the question of what, exactly, we mean by a financial health and stability. Owning a car or home? Bank savings? Occupying position for a high paying job? Having portfolio investments or simply just have no debts at all? This is not about as if I will be discussing financial education in the perspective of country's economy or perhaps about the world's financial crisis. Instead I would like to discuss more on the individuals' financial aspect in relation to his work and his level of income. I asked several people and a consultant from a financial institution - all have jobs and sources of income and by definition be characterized as financially stable- to contribute their thoughts.

They have things in common. All agreed, for example, in reality, not all individuals are born with silver spoon - maybe the top one percent. The remaining 99 percent all needs to have the earning capacity and work more to protect that earning capacity. In general sense, the moment an individual is capable to earn or have a job, he is expected to establish his own financial health. But they differ in other respects-on issues such as choosing the best option like whether to seek for employment or go for self employment, and the degree to which an individual needs to adhere to different cultural norms and lifestyle. Their thoughts, which follow describes a range of ideas that are as diverse as the industries they are into.

An Undergraduate Turns Out To Be The Boss of His Own Business

To be financially stable is very easy to say but difficult to do. One must have discipline in terms of spending. It doesn't matter whether you run your own business or you employ in either in a small or global company, so long as you know how to spend, I am sure that would help you become financially healthy.

<

A call Center Representative in a Challenge

A big challenge for us call center reps are the increasing demand for lifestyle change. It is undeniable that as the level of income increases the curve for spending also increases. Because we are working graveyard, we sometimes are deprived of the normal life. For most of us, to satisfy and free ourselves from stress, we go for shopping, plan for travels, go for refreshment and relaxation spas, unwind at entertainment bars and music lounges, always go for convenience, and so to have it, it means money. In effect,  it' s a big challenge to establish financial stability. Surely though, if we can just control it, financial health is very achievable. 

A Single Mom Finding Better Way To Make a Difference

I am connected in a government office. I love my work and I am dedicated to my job. When it comes to money, we are both fortunate and unfortunate. We have fixed pays, plus different bonuses.  I don't know if this is true to all, when you take a look into the pay slips, you will see a lot of deductions. Personal contributions, insurances, taxes, salary loans, multipurpose loans, emergency loans, etc.  I realized that having those on my financial records are in some way not good. This, I know one thing that would help me build my financial health is to save. 

A Consultant Provides Option for Financial Aid

I receive lots of applications for credit cards and personal loans. Before we consider an application for approval, we are reviewing the applicants information like the income, tenure with the present employer, residence information, other related credit information from our sources. Basically we are determining the financial health status of an applicant, so that is why we are setting certain qualifications. When we say financial health, for us it means capability for repayment after the loan was granted. We have our way of defining financial stability as well. It does not mean that you are financially stable if you don't have an outstanding loan.

More than just being a Chocolate... It's a Pleasure

I really love chocolate. For me chocolate is not just a chocolate. It is more than that. I consider it as a pleasure. I visited a lot of websites of company producing chocolates and read about diferent articles because I would like to know how else chocolate is made for other than just consuming it for appetite.

I know for sure that everyone knows about chocolate but the fact still remains that only a few knows how it is being made. Personally, I have not seen any actual production of chocolates. All I've done was to browse through different video network sites like youtube, as some generous people out there share their knowledge and expertise through video sharing. My eagerness towards learning about chocolate resulted me to do research on the local producers or perhaps any raw materials that would be helpful to produce chocolates. My search has gone through getting contact numbers and email addresses of every person who is directly involved in producing chocolates. Until one day, I had a chance to travel to Davao City and visited one of the merchants at Uyanguren St. and found out that they are selling blocks of chocolates in variety. 

I bought 1 slab of dark chocolate for Php 165.00/kg(that is about 10 blocks) and 4 blocks of white chocolate for Php 175.00/kg. As I have considered it as a pleasure, I bought it to experiment on how else I could use chocolate to produce variety of chocolate goodies. My experiment though was not very successful but I am so happy that I was able to satisfy myself in making my own chocolate goodies. Believe me, it was fun and not any single portion of the solid block or single drop of the melted chocolate was wasted. Chocolate is not just limited to a specific purpose. If you are creative enough, Chocolates can even bring you wide range of possibilities. 

Coke Creatures - Summer 2009 Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La Dance Party

Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La. Say Yes to Summer! We’re hairy and we can sing. Yeah Yeah Yeah. We like drinking Coca-Cola. La La La. And we’re in the latest Coca-Cola Summer ad playing in Europe – filmed in New Zealand – featuring music of Calvin Harris.

The spot was created by agency Mother in London and realized 302,261 clip views last week.

Johnson & Johnson Philippines "Botelya" Universal McCann

Credits:

Type of Entry: Use of Media 

Category: Best Use of Cinema 

Title: BOTELYA 

Advertiser/Client: JOHNSON & JOHNSON 

Product/Service: JOHNSON'S BABY OIL 

Entrant Company: UNIVERSAL McCANN Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES

Media Agency: UNIVERSAL McCANN Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES 

Creative Credits 

Name Company Position 

Venus Navalta Um Managing Director 

Alex Dan Tracderas Johnson/Johnson Marketing Manager 

Kokoy Boncan Um Director Of Entertainment 

Eugene Claravall Um Assistant Media Strategist 

Am Sibayan Um Media Planner 

Emmanuel Quindo Pas Freelance Screenwriter/Director 

Ita Karo Karo Johnson/Johnson Brand Manager 

Eloisa Matias Gener8 Head Of Production 

Rachel Titular Global Visions President/Project Director 

Details

• 
  
  
  

  Results and Effectiveness: 

  TNS study showed the campaign successfully communicated the importance of Touch Therapy (96%). Purchase intent (“definitely will buy”) reached almost 100% and actual pantry check recorded a high 58%. In pre-campaign vs. post campaign results, frequency of daily multiple usages rocketed from 22% to 65%. Frequency of regular purchase shot from 82% to 97%. Usage occasions likewise increased from 17% to 40 for “massaging baby”; from 70% to 90% for “before bathing baby” and from 20% to 51% for “after baby’s bath.” Johnson’s Baby Oil’s market share increased from 86% to 93%, trial and conversion went up to 100%. 

  
  Creative Execution:
  Even with such strong product awareness among Filipino women, we discovered that only 37% of Mums practiced infant massage. With this as our big opportunity we created a feature film around the story of an old bottle of Johnson’s Baby Oil that travelled across generations. The film, “Botelya” (The Bottle) told the war-time story of a mother forced to give up her baby to save his life and her final act of love was touch therapy. As the movie unfolded and the bottle passed through many lives, touch therapy was woven in as a primary and timeless act of love from mother to child. The story drew laughter and tears from Mums on the way to a happy ending. The movie became the centrepiece of a mobile “festival of love” event that toured communities engaging Mums with touch therapy demonstrations product samples, lectures, quizzes, even transport to attend the event.
  
  Insights, Strategy and the Idea:
  Johnson’s Baby Oil was a category leader with 86% volume share but there was growth potential. One of our product’s frequent usage moments was just prior to a baby’s bath time, but we saw great opportunity to expand the brand’s usage to other parts of the day. We wanted to tap into the extremely close emotional bond a mother has with her baby and we also targeted the idea of massaging, or touch therapy. One special insight was that traditional health messaging was not effective against this audience, but they loved TV dramas. Another was that Filipino mums live and share their lives as a community and they gather in groups constantly for support and friendship. They talk about general things - their lives, their families and what they have seen on TV. However, one of the most central aspects of these communities is the love and nurturing of babies.
  
  The commercial titled BOTELYA was done by UNIVERSAL MCCANN advertising agency for JOHNSON'S BABY OIL (JOHNSON & JOHNSON company) in Philippines. It was released in the June 2009. Business sector is Toiletries & pharmaceuticals.

JOHNSON'S BABY OIL: BOTELYA from www.advertolog.com

Travie McCoy Lazarus 2010