Why the 2013 Starbucks Planner deserves a second look

Posted on by jane

Over the years of seeing my planner-loving daughter collect her Starbucks planners, I’ve become familiar with the format. Most years, they were really targeted for the very young ones because of the artistic illustrations that covered the pages, the vivid colors, the variety of planner covers and the overall look and feel of it.

But I was pleasantly surprised when the 2013 Starbucks Planners launched with a different look. It looks like Starbucks just may get the best of both worlds (their very young fans and the young ONCE) because next year’s planners have some pretty cool features.

Here are some of the 2013 planner’s neat items that make it a collectible for the yuppie, the teeners and even prime time women like me:

* So much more room to write!!! The planners look more like the executive planners available, with lots of lines and more writing space. There are no artsy designs to cover pages. Each planner page looks more elegant, professional, and more practical for really jotting down stuff.

* Embossed leather covers in white, green and black – I found this year’s planner covers to be classier than the past ones, featuring a vertical embossed panel of what looks like stylized parols (Christmas Philippine lanterns)

* A magnetic bookmark in the shape of a Starbucks cup clips the page you want to mark, front and back. The magnet holds both ends in place, keeping the bookmark exactly where you want it.
* Thirteen (13) “kindness cards”, the equivalent of Starbucks coupons in the past, let you share a Starbucks treat with family and friends during specified periods of the year.

* Post-it notes scattered throughout the pages that you can give out to special people.

* Postcards – Every few months you’ll find a postcard stuck to the planner page that you can send off as well to someone special.

* Every few pages, Starbucks has inserted a “kindness suggestion” that you can do for someone. It is usually something very easy to do but would mean a lot to the other person.

To start collecting stickers for the planner, get a Starbucks Christmas traditions planner promo card )you have till Jan. 8, 2013 to do so). You’ll need seventeen (17) stickers all in all to be able to get the 2013 Starbucks Planner: nine (9) Christmas beverages plus eight (8) core beverages, except bottled drinks. One beverage gets you one sticker.

As part of the usual Starbucks tradition, every redeemed Starbucks Philippines 2013 Planner means a donation for the children of SparkHope – an early childhood care and development program in partnership with UNICEF.

Shop during Black Friday from the Philippines with Globe GCASH and American Express

Posted on by jane

Black Friday in the United States (that’s this November 23!) is always a long-awaited shopping spree day after Thanksgiving when huge gadgets, appliances and just above everything drops heftily. It is not uncommon to see long lines of people outside stores at dawn waiting for the shops to open. And even more people visit online shopping sites to avail of the huge discounts available. Of course, one has to be in the United States to avail of all these and those of us here in the Philippines have been left pretty much to ourselves to ogle and be envious of those who could get their hands on the items of their dreams for so much less.

Well, if Globe and American Express were to be asked now, they’d probably yell in unison, “Not anymore!”

They’ve come up with something that will allow you to buy from Best Buy, K-Mart, Target, Amazon and more this coming Black Friday — the GCASH American Express Virtual Card!

“With the GCASH American Express Virtual Card, you simply need your GCASH wallet to pay for your purchases even if you don’t have a credit card. And what is good about the Virtual Card is that even if most US online sites only deliver within the US you don’t have to worry how to get the goods delivered to the Philippines. We provide you with a personalized US address where your goods can be delivered and from there, you can have them shipped to the Philippines right to your doorstep at very low shipping rates,” said Paolo Baltao, President of G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a fully-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom and operator of GCASH.

Here’s how:

1. Register your GCASH wallet and email address online at www.globe.com.ph/gcash-amex

2. Once your account has been validated, you will immediately receive your virtual card number, your personalized US shipping address, and other pertinent information via email so you can already start shopping.

3. Just remember that you need to have enough balance in your GCASH wallet for the transaction to push through. Converting cash to GCASH is FREE at over 7,000 GCASH outlets nationwide.

4. First-time subscribers get a one month free trial. After the trial, subscribers can continue with the subscription by paying as low as P250 per year via GCASH or have it charged to their postpaid bill. Monthly and semi-annual subscriptions are also available.

More details on this service are available HERE.

Amway Home: Going Even More Green

Posted on by jane

For some time now, I have been making the slow move to greener and more environment-friendly cleaners. Those which I found too strong but still useful, I donated to a government hospital.

When I received an invitation to learn more about Amway Home – Amway’s line of home cleaners which were made better for the environment – I readily went to see what it was all about.

First, meet Dr. Phil Sliva

Dr. Phil Sliva of Amway was in town to explain the improved line of Amway Home. Dr. Sliva is Amway’s Senior Research Scientist and Chemist for the Home Care Product Development group so he should know what he is talking about. He is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Oil Chemists Society, and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute Formulator Round Table. His Amway team is responsible for the BioQuest Formula found in many Amway products including its popular LOC Multi-Purpose Cleaner (formerly Frisk).

Dr. Phil Sliva

Apparently, Amway already had a biodegradable cleaner as far back as the 1950s — Frisk. It eventually became LOC which stood for Liquid Organic Cleaner or Liquid Organic Compound. During those days, no one was really that concerned about biodegradable features. Today, we are becoming more concerned that toxic chemicals found in commercial cleaning products are flushed down our drains and end up in rivers where they affect the environment. So even back then, taking care of the environment was already in Amway’s mind.

The Bioquest Formula

On every Amway product, you will see a seal that says “BioQuest formula”. That seal means 4 things: Concentrated (less waste, less water, less energy), Biodegradable, Dermatologist Tested (gentle on any skin type) and Derived from natural sources (improved formulas made with more ingredients from nature such as coconut-based surfactants and cleaning agents, naturally-produced organic acids, and fragrances derived from natural essential oils).

Amway Home

Amway Home is a line of products that encompass environmental safety and high performance. It is an umbrella brand that covers existing product brand names. So now, Amway Home carries the following products under this umbrella:

LOC Multi-Purpose Cleaner (1L)

For decades, LOC has been a popular household name, known to homemakers as a concentrated, multipurpose cleaner. It can be used on all washable surfaces at home like floors, bathrooms, kitchen and other household surfaces. It now contains natural, renewable cleaning agents like coconut oil to help remove dirt and grime. LOC has no harmful chemicals or abrasives and surfaces become shiny and residue-free after cleaning. Because it has a neutral pH and mild surfactants, it is safe to use even if you scoured surfaces without using protective gloves.

LOC Multi-Purpose Cleaner (SRP PhP 360)

Here’s a demo similar to the one shown to us during the event. It proves that LOC’s pH is gentle enough for human skin.

SA8 All Fabric Bleach (1 Kg)

This active oxygen bleach eliminates the toughest colored stains like tea, coffee, wine, fruit juice and more. Many bleach products contain chlorine or phosphates and when those go down the drain, they contaminate the environment. SA8 does not have these ingredients.

SA8 All Fabric Bleach (SRP PhP 910)

Dr. Sliva said one of their more popular demos was the dollar washing demo. Money laundering, he kidded. I would have wanted to see that in action but he had no soaked dollar with him. Anyway, here is a demo that Amway prepared.

Dish Drops Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid (1L)

Because it is concentrated, just one drop can produce suds that last a long time and able to clean so many more dishes compared to less concentrated products. They’ve added Aloe Vera to the formulation for a soft and smooth effect on skin, plus an anti-inflammatory botanical called shiso, and AHA to protect your hands. And more importantly, it still stays powerful enough to cut through grease and even dried-on dirt.

Dish Drops (SRP PhP 585)

Watch Dr. Sliva show how just one drop of this dishwashing liquid produces a surprisingly large amount of bubbles.

Amway Home seems well on its way to providing us with household products that are so much better for our own health and for the environment. This is something that I laud as we become more concerned about the ill effects of packaging and plastics that are adding to the planet’s trash.

If you are concerned about the environment while still getting products that clean effectively, try out Amway Home.

Fighting the Onset of Menopause

Posted on by jane
A few years back, a friend and I were swapping girl talk and we happened to talk about symptoms women go through when they hit their 40s and 50s. There’s the dreaded hot flashes, moodiness, osteoporosis risk, to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or not, and many other things that perimenopausal and menopausal phases bring.
That was when she first told me she was taking Evening Primrose Oil. Of course, at that time, I thought it was just one of those numerous health supplements you find in health stores. I was just too overwhelmed with the number of choices available that I chose not to choose.
If you still don’t know, I am already at that stage of my life where I am supposed to experience the usual symptoms besetting an aging woman to be thrown at me. But I felt that instead of just “bearing and grinning” this whole phase, I could go and do something about it.
It began when I discovered the benefits of yoga. I really went into it at first more for the exercise and mind-body discipline but what was amazing was that the beginnings of my hot flush episodes suddenly disappeared. And my monthly period which began skipping suddenly turned regular again. Intervention was possible!
This time, you can again call it providential that I was asked if I could sample a Health Express product. Lo and behold, it turned out to be the evening primrose oil my friend was talking about! I was sent a month’s supply of evening primrose oil and as of this writing, it’s been close to a month already that I’ve been taking this supplement. During this period, I have had time to read up on what evening primrose oil is really all about so let me share what I’ve learned with you.

Evening Primrose Oil, 50 500 mg softgels, PhP 325
(photo from Health Express website)

What is Evening Primrose Oil?

It’s the oil derived from the crushed seeds of the evening primrose plant which can be found in America and Canada as well as in other areas worldwide where there is a mild to moderate climate. The plant produces beautiful flowers and can reach up to a height of 8 feet. Most gardeners actually classify this plant as a weed.

The oil gathered is rich in omega-6, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and Cis-linoleic acid (LA) which have healing properties. This is important because our bodies are unable to produce omega-6 fatty acids and must get this essential compound from external sources.
Based on some of my readings online, I have seen some benefits and uses attributed to evening primrose oil including (not a comprehensive listing):
  • Absorption of insulin
  • Inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis
  • Women’s health conditions such as PMS, breast soreness during the menstrual period, and menopausal symptoms like hot flushes
  • Reduce symptoms of skin disorders such as eczema, acne and psoriasis and reduces sebum production which is responsible for acne and lesions
  • Osteoporosis, when combined with calcium and fish oils
  • Potential prevention of heart disease and some types of cancer
  • Prevent nerve damage attributable to diabetes
  • Treatments for infertility, inflammation and cholesterol levels

I have been following the dosage specified in the bottle of evening primrose oil I was given, which is one 500mg softgel, three times a day, taken with meals. The directions said I could take up to 6 softgels a day but I decided to stick with the minimum dosage as maintenance dose.
The timing of taking evening primrose oil is just right because this past month, my blogging activities have spiked to the point that my yoga practice has become erratic. For a while, I was afraid that hot flushes would come back with a vengeance because it did when I stopped a few years ago to do part-time consulting work. But after almost a month of taking the evening primrose oil — surprise, surprise. No hot flushes! And my body did not have any adverse reaction to taking it (which confirms my readings that this supplement is generally well tolerated by most people).
Of course, I will have a better gauge of other benefits of evening primrose oil as I continue to use it beyond just one month. But for women who are approaching their prime and are already considering how to combat the effects of menopause, rethink before you go into hormone replacement therapy (HRT). I opted not to take HRT because of the risks of breast cancer and instead, am addressing the risk of non-HRT treatment (i.e. osteoporosis) via yoga, calcium-rich food and herbal supplements like evening primrose oil.
Like all medications, it is always prudent to consult your doctor. Pregnant, breastfeeding women as well as those with bleeding disorders or those about to undergo surgery must ask their doctor before taking evening primrose oil.
You can get your supply of evening primrose oil from Health Express.
Choose to become a Health Express Card Platinum member for an annual membership of P450 and you are entitled to 20% discount on all regular products and 15% discount on all Pascual products. You will also receive monthly newsletter updates and health tips.
Health Express is on the web –
Follow them on Twitter: www.twitter.com/healthexpressph
Check their Website: www.healthexpressph.com
Their hotline customer service nos.: (02) 892-7978/ (02) 846-9364
Go to any of the following Health Express store locations:
METRO MANILA

Makati City:
   2/F, Glorietta 3, Ayala Ave., Tel 892-7978
Manila:
   Robinsons Supermarket, M. Adriato St., Ermita, Tel 523-4711
Muntinlupa City:
   Makati Supermarket, Alabang Town Center, Tel 842-4332
   3013 L-3, Festival Supermall, Tel 850-4069
Quezon City:
   Stall F01, Shopwise Don Antonio, Commonwealth Ave., Tel 931-8853
   Level 2 #0214, Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Cubao, Tel 911-4763
   Eastwood City Walk 2, Bagumbayan, Tel 687-3799
San Juan City:
   Unit S-1030, Ground Floor, Shoppesville Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center, Tel 571-5719
PROVINCIAL

Visayas:
   Robinsons Supermarket, Lacson St., Mandalagan, Bacolod City, Tel (034) 441-1000
   Stall 215 2nd Level, Ayala Center, Cebu City, Tel (032) 231-6575
   2103 A Northwing SM City, Cebu City, Tel (032) 236-6486
Mindanao:
   Lower Ground Level, Gaisano Mall, Davao City, Tel (082) 297-6528
   Level 2, Robinsons Big R Supercenter, Cagayan de Oro City, Tel (088) 852-0400
Reference Sites:

Friendships span a lifetime under the sun

Posted on by jane

It is not the number of friends that you have; it is the quality of the friendships.

This is a beautiful lesson in life that I have picked up after looking back at the friendships I have had for decades. Some friends come and go — acquaintances, childhood friends, classmates, officemates, sports buddies, and other friend connections. These are the ones you meet along the way as you grow up. During periods of your life, friendships with them can be strong. But as you move to another phase of life, they somehow get disconnected from you and fade away. They are there only for a season or two.

But if you really think about it, there is a special class of friends whose connection to you knows no bounds – beyond space or time. These are the friends that come into life, sometimes on purpose, others by accident, and even rarer, by destiny. But the difference is that they make such a mark in your life and stay there, regardless of whether they are physically near you or distanced from you by miles or circumstance.

I call them my soul friends.

I don’t have many soul friends and I prefer it that way because I want to cherish the quality of their precious friendships. The circumstances under which I met each of them are in themselves quite serendipitous because it is as though the universe conspired to weave them into my life. As I look back now, I know with certainty that they were meant to come into my life at that particular point in time and even now, as they continue to bless my life with their presence, I keep thinking how lucky I am to have friends who stick by you through thick or thin; don’t mince words when they need to ground you; support and pull you when you fall down; act as your sounding board, shoulder to cry on, and stress deflector when you need them; don’t judge you; and basically are just there at the right time and moment. It helps that the internet connects those who are far from me.

Sun Life Financial recently sought the skills of 5 renowned film directors in the country to produce Sun Shorts, film clips that are not more than 5 minutes long each. My previous post on that is HERE. These videos can now be found on YouTube and each one, while different, all portray how life is so much brighter under the sun.

The video that I was asked to view and write about focuses particularly on friendships like those I wrote about above. Sun Dance, a film brief by Jerrold Tarog, is a celebration of friendships won and kept and reminds us how important it is to keep those friendships alive and vibrant. Sun Dance features the lead girl (played by Ina Feleo) whose two friends always caught their accident-prone friend and saved her on more than one occasion from harm. As you watch this film short, you will see how these 3 friends stuck together and were there for each other through different circumstances including a heartache. The whole film is done in dance, which really interested me because of my ballet experience. And Ina Feleo is such a natural dancer — just right for this film!

Who makes your life brighter under the sun?

Watch the video below. I think it will make you remember all the special people in your own life who have been there for you through good times and bad – family, friends, mentors…

SUN DANCE (Director’s Cut) from Jerrold Tarog on Vimeo.

Even the words in the film resonate so strongly with the meaning of friendship:

I am fragile
I am accident prone
But you are my guide
I am never alone
When I stumble
When I miss a beat
You pull me up
Till I’m back on my feet
At times I push you away
When my mind’s occupied
But when I need you
You are there by my side
Whatever the weather
in triumph or tragedy
we stick together
like words and melody
when hope seems out of sight
you are a true friend
your love is my light
we’re in this together
for the long run
with you, life is brighter
under the sun

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sun Life Financial pioneered life insurance in the Philippines in 1895. In 2011 it was ranked the #1 insurer in the country based on total premiums of P14-B. If there’s another friend that Filipinos can consider, it’s Sun Life, whose robust role in the financial services industry is coupled with its team of advisors who are not just there to give financial advice but can also be counted on to “bring the check”, so to speak, when times turn for the worse.

To know how life can be even brighter, visit Sun Life’s website at www.experiencethesun.com.ph

And…you still have a chance to be chosen as a winner in Sun Life’s Fly to Singapore promo. Click HERE for the mechanics/details.

My Lock&Lock Day

Posted on by jane

My water bottles, kids’ snack boxes and kitchen containers are all Lock&Lock. Not since Tupperware invaded my home have I loved another brand this much. The design of the water bottles are perfect because the grooves allow me to grasp pitchers without it slipping, even with wet hands. The various containers don’t just lock down on 2 opposite sides but on all 4 sides, making it virtually airtight and spill-proof.

So when Michelle told me there was a Lock&Lock event, my initial reaction was “There is an outlet aside from the malls where I can buy them???” Happy, happy, joy, joy! There indeed was!

Why do I pay particular attention to the kind of plastics brands I use? Safety. We know that there are more expensive plastics versus much cheaper ones. The cheaper ones are fine for storing non-edible items. But when it comes to storing food, I am very particular. Certain plastics are likely to leak chemicals into food. Lock&Lock products are made of eco-friendly PP and are free of Bisphenol A (more commonly called BPA), an endocrine disruptor.


In September 2011, OKO-TEST, a German independent consumer goods rating agency established in 1985, conducted tests on 15 airtight containers manufactured in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, China and other countries. The containers were judged on the basis of:

* Safety of material
* Airtightness
* Durability
* Ease of opening and closing lid
* Microwavable safety and convenience
* Ability to store heated food
* State of container after taking food out
* Discoloration resistance
* Ease and convenience of washing

Lock&Lock was the only Korean brand included in this test AND it received the highest rating, particularly in safety, airtightness and durability where it garnered the highest rating. And only Lock&Lock and Tupperware received the highest OKO-TEST rating. That’s my seal of safety right there. And while I still love Tupperware, which dominated the kitchen brands in our home as I was growing up, Lock&Lock is so much more affordable while retaining the same quality and safety features I look for in plastic, airtight containers.

Lock&Lock’s flagship store is located in Araneta Avenue. It’s not a huge place but on both sides of the walls were floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with everything Lock&Lock.

Here are displays of their containers and water bottles. There are actually more varieties in this place than you would find inside any mall. I know now where to go if I can’t find what I’m looking for in the mall’s home section.

If you thought Lock&Lock was all about plastic containers, you are in for a surprise just like I was.

Surprise #1: GLASSWARE!
Lock&Lock products are NOT all made of plastic. They have glass containers and bottles as well!
Boroseal glassware combined with the popular Lock&Lock plastic covers

These Boroseal glassware lines are the perfect “Kitchen to Table” items. Boroseal is based on the borosilicate glass technology that addresses heat resistance so that they can be used with microwave ovens and withstand boiling water as well as open flame. Boroseal glass is found in laboratory equipment, proof of its being chemically stable and not posing any hazardous substance leak.

To illustrate the difference between the Boroseal glass and tempered glass usually found in Pyrex products, the Lock&Lock team showed us two samples of broken glass: one from common tempered glass, the other from Boroseal glass. Tempered glass apparently shatters into big and tiny pieces (we locally refer to as bubog) so it is harder to clean up; Boroseal glass, on the other hand, shatters into big pieces.
Tempered glass, when shattered, has small glass pieces
Boroseal glass shatters but stays in big pieces (easy to clean up)

Right there and then, I wanted to buy glass water bottles and containers, except that I had no car that day and was afraid the ride home might make me drop my heavy load and shatter them.

Surprise #2: COOKWARE!

Their COOKPLUS cookware comes in 3 different lines – with each line having different features so as to fit whatever the needs of a household would be:

COOKPLUS Vitamin Pans – a colorful array of frying pans, casseroles, woks and saucepans. This line focuses on three E’s: eco-friendly, economical and easy cooking.

COOKPLUS Ceramic-coated Pans – Unlike Teflon-coated pans which, over time, can peel and bring risks of health-hazardous chemicals leaking into food, ceramic coating does away with that worry. The ceramic coating is made of Ecolon, which is not harmful to environment or body because its main ingredients consist of dirt, sand and rocks.

Those circular bumps prevent food from burning,
distribute heat more evenly and even conserve use of cooking oil
White version of ceramic pan

COOKPLUS Premium Grade Cookware – These are 18-10 stainless steel cooking pans and pots graded as one of the highest in quality and made with a longer lifespan. Pouring rims, ergonomic handles and a triple coating bottom structure for thermal dispersion.

Surprise #3: STORAGE BOXES, BINS & BASKETS!

Good news for those who have lots of stackable storage bins like me. Lock&Lock has them in different, bright and vibrant colors. They have stackables with and without covers, laundry baskets, cosmetic cases, rack baskets, and many more. I got myself a red soft basket. Here it is together with my haul for the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed my foray into Lock&Lock land that day and plan to go back to get the glassware I was not able to get the first time.
Find Lock&Lock here:

Lock&Lock Plus Store
G/F Megastate Bldg.
Araneta Ave., Quezon City

Amanda, Loving Life: a lifestyle show celebrating motherhood and womanhood

Posted on by jane

I’ve always known Amanda Griffin to be a popular VJ, host and supermodel but she disappeared from the celebrity scene some time back. At that time, it seemed that her face could be seen in almost every major event, show or happening around town. Then she suddenly disappeared from the scene.

Recently I saw her at an event, very pregnant, but still so gorgeous. Apparently, when she left the limelight, Amanda settled in Hong Kong with her husband David Jacob and their 2-year old son, Kieran. The once popular and sought-after, multi-talented celebrity had changed all her hats for motherhood.

Looking at her blooming while in that very delicate state, I conclude that Amanda really took on her new role like fish takes to water and became a hands-on mother. Being an entrepreneur at heart, Amanda used all her knowledge and resources and poured these into her very own website, Glam-O-Mamas (www.glamomamas.com), which became an online resource guide for young, newbie mothers.

But….she’s back!!!

Amanda has become the perfect host for a new lifestyle show where she shares her own personal journey, views and tips on balancing her role as mother, wife, career woman and modern urban dweller. She now hosts a show every Sunday, 7:30 PM on the Lifestyle Network.

Watch this teaser video:


Catch Amanda on the Lifestyle Network weekly and learn all about loving life…

Figaro’s Avalanche of Flavors

Posted on by jane

Figaro, the first Filipino coffee company, recently introduced us to an avalanche (yes, that many) flavors of iced coffee and cakes. These yummy beverages are available already in any of Figaro’s outlets.

Each of these iced coffee variants costs PhP 130 for the 16 oz. and PhP 150 for the 20 oz.

White Chocolate Mocha Frost

White chocolate mocha topped with whipped cream makes up this beverage. Creamy but not too sweet. Of the four variants I tried, this is the least sweet and actually a bit bland for my taste. Those watching their sugar intake may want to go for this one.

Choco Chip Java Frost

This was my preferred variant because I’m such a chocolate-y person and the chocolate flavoring plus the choco chips just got me. I like the experience of sipping the chocolate while crunching down on those choco chips.

Figaroccino Cookie Crumble

Here’s another fave of mine. Oreo cookies crumbled into bits and used as topping over the iced coffee.
Well, okay, maybe I like the Choco Chip variant more but I think my Oreo-loving kids will go for this one.

Figaroccino Caramel Chip Frost

Because of its caramel chips, this one is more on the sweet side for those with a really strong sweet tooth. Somehow, this tasted like the sweeter version of the White Chocolate Frost with the added caramel sprinkles on top.

Of course, it could not be complete without the dessert combinations.

Carrot Cake (PhP 105/slice)

The Carrot Cake is moist sponge cake with shredded carrots and almond bits mixed into it. Carrot cakes are always a favorite with me.

Orange Coffee Cake (PhP 105/slice)

The Orange Coffee Cake is a soft, sponge cake that has an orangey flavor to it. To add texture to it, Figaro added bittersweet, coffee-flavored crumbs. It’s quite a combination to taste that sweet/sour orange flavor followed by the coffee flavor alongside it. And yes, this one goes very well with a piping mug of hot coffee.

Lastly, we had a choice of chicken or fish for dinner. I went for the Crusted Dory Fillet in Creamy Pesto Sauce with Rice Pilaf and absolutely had no regrets! Not only was the dory fillet tasteful with that crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture but the pesto sauce and rice pilaf spelled H-E-A-L-T-H-Y. I loved the touch of mango and cucumber cubes on the side.

Crusted Dory Fillet in Creamy Pesto Sauce with Rice Pilaf (PhP 150)

Cognizant opens in Ortigas Center

Posted on by jane

When people hear the term “business process outsourcing” or BPO, they immediately think of call centers. While it’s true that the Philippine call center has now overtaken that of India, we can be proud of the fact that we have gone beyond these services alone.

Just recently, I attended the launch of the SECOND delivery center of Cognizant, a NASDAQ-listed company with headquarters in New Jersey, USA, and is one of the leading providers of IT, consulting and BPO services. The center, located in the IT-BPO services hub in Ortigas Center, was designed to house as many as 1,000 professionals. These professionals  will be providing applications, IT infrastructure and business processing services to global clients in different industries: financial industry, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics, retail, hospitality, telecommunications and consumer goods industries.

Cognizant executives include Mr. Lakshmi Narayanan (Vice Chairman), second from left,
and Mr. Prabhakar Bisen, Country Head, third from left

Cognizant started operations in December 2009 in McKinley Hill with 40 people. Their expansion into the Ortigas Center signifies a very positive outlook in the BPO industry. Asked why they chose to set up their second delivery center in Ortigas, Mr. Prabhakar Bisen, Country Head of Cognizant Philippines said, “We are pleased with our experience and growth in the Philippines and chose Pasig City to expand our footprint in the country because of its high-quality talent, sound infrastructure, good connectivity and a great business environment.”

During the Q&A portion, I asked Cognizant if all their work force were office-based. My rationale for the question was my firm belief that a good number of well-educated and experienced women (and possibly, men) have opted to leave the workforce to attend to family needs and this is an untapped market for BPOs, given the breadth of these people’s backgrounds. If this group of people can be tapped by BPOs and allowed to work from home, it could be a potential new asset for the sunrise industry.

Mr. Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman of Cognizant, acknowledged this fact and I was happy to note that he felt this was definitely something to consider in the future. Part of the issues preventing this from happening at the moment are the conditions of telecom infrastructure as well as ensuring that customer service quality is not affected or impaired from a work-from-home arrangement.

Cognizant is still on the lookout for people wanting to join their organization in Ortigas Center. If you’re interested in a future with Cognizant, check them out at their Ortigas location.

COGNIZANT
Hanston Square Bldg, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City
Follow Cognizant on Twitter: @Cognizant

Samsung’s Concept Store at Robinsons Magnolia

Posted on by jane

My very first trek to the newly opened Robinsons Magnolia mall in Quezon City was for the launch of Samsung’s concept store.

With Odette Velarde of Samsung and friend Noemi Dado at the launch

Celebrities at the ribbon cutting ceremony

A Peek inside the Concept Store

The Samsung Concept Store is located on the al fresco area of the mall on the 3rd floor. At first, Noemi and I got lost and thought the Samsung store inside the mall on the same level was it. Apparently that one was just for mobile phones.
Upon entering the store, we found that it contained all the appliances one would need for the home. We saw the inverter airconditioners, washing machines and refrigerators which we had previously seen up close in another event. My post on that is HERE.
But the star of the event on that launch was Samsung’s series of Smart TVs for 2012.

The Samsung plasma TV sets
These TV product offerings center around 3 ‘Smart’ pillars: Smart Interaction, Smart Content and Smart Evolution.
Smart Interaction
Why even use a remote? Many times, I get frustrated looking for the remote especially when someone does not put it back in its place. With the Smart Interaction technology, the TV set itself detects your hand. There are no more boundaries between the TV screen and you. Motion Control, Voice Control and Face Recognition technology let you turn the TV on or off, select apps to activate, or search and select web content — all without having to use a remote.

Playing Angry Birds with hand

Celebrity using hands to play Angry Birds

Smart Content

While Samsung’s Smart TVs have already been providing premium content through over 1,500 apps worldwide, in 2012 it is taking that a step further by providing a Smart Hub, a simple user interface (UI) in full HD. Through AllShare Play, Samsung allows content to be pulled in from a Smart TV or mobile device or manually pushed out to the cloud, regardless of a user’s location.

Smart Evolution
Samsung is proud to be the only electronics company worldwide to offer Smart Evolution. This feature is available on select Samsung Smart TVs and really addresses the obsolescence issue. Many times, we buy a TV only for a new model and feature to come out soon after. With the Smart Evolution feature, the select TV sets have a Samsung Evolution Kit. A simple slot-in at the back lets consumers keep up with newer introductions of both hardware and software without the need to go out and bu a new TV set. You can potentially keep up-to-date by just “slotting in” the new features using Samsung’s proprietary system-on-chip technology. That is just so cost-effective!