The Daily Overdose

HARANA.PH: Bigger and Better Very Soon

2012-10-16T20:26:00.003+08:00

It's been two years since we started, and we are vigorously preparing for a bigger and better HARANA.PH, one of the companies under our group. HARANA.PH is the first and only serenade and surprise service to hit the country, and we aim to deliver high quality events to your loved ones.

Below is a short highlight video of the past HARANA.PH serenades, with background music by one of our haranistas, Joey - an original composition entitled "WALA NA" which we hope will hit the air waves very soon.

If you ever need us, just visit our site http://www.harana.ph or our Facebook fanpage.

Make Up Like a PRO Workshop on July 21!

2012-06-23T19:57:00.002+08:00

Another great workshop has come to COWO. Register early for discounted rates!

Our New Creative Space

2012-06-20T21:39:00.002+08:00

We are believers of collaborative and coworking.

That is why our new creative office that will serve as the idea jamming place for our four organizations: Virtual Campus, Prime Logic, HARANA.PH and Purple Wave, is exactly that. Minimizing cubicles, and more open collaborative workspaces. We're almost done with the finishing touches - before we move in the furniture, equipments and toys. It kinda reminds me of our other business venture, COWO - a coworking space for members, because of the inspiring kindergarten colors. Sometimes we all have to work like children in order to create new things.

Here are multiple doors to the management offices, including the war room for the core teams.

Knobs were removed from these doors. Access to I.T. nerds only!

Gateway to break time bliss....the pantry.

Entry into the place where ideas will be created...The conference room.

The view from the conference room.

The view from the war room.

My office.

The pantry and toilet was not spared from color.

We hope that this place will generate innovative ideas and create remarkable things.

The Noodle Boss

2012-06-14T21:28:00.000+08:00

As I made a U-turn along Shaw Blvd today towards home, the words UDON and RAMEN caught my peripheral vision. Without any plans of eating merienda after office and picking up my wife and son from first day of school, my instincts just took over like hypnosis and I decided to just park my car in front of a restaurant that is unknown to me. MOSHI KOSHI NOODLE BOSS and I had unconsciously started a gastric relationship.

We were the only customers in the shop. MOSHI KOSHI probably isn't a merienda crowd.

Nice and clean interiors, comfy and a simple, modern Japanese design.

The large menu on the wall was very enticing. MOSHI KOSHI NOODLE BOSS is set up like a fast food restaurant - you have to order at the counter.

We ordered two recommended Ramens - the Shio Buttered Corn Ramen and the Miso Ramen, supposedly the restaurant's bestsellers. We also got side orders of Agadeshi Tofu and Gyoza (Pork dumplings).

The Mison ramen had a good broth - on the salty side, but well complemented by thick noodles. I didn't like the fishy white and pink thing, but the rest of it were good.

The Shio Buttered Corn Ramen, which has Pork, Corn and a teaspoon of butter in the broth, was surprisingly good. Actually, my wife liked it better than the Miso Ramen.

I can't say much about the Agadeshi Tofu. Simple and clean taste. Not bad at all for tofu lovers like me.

I've had better Gyoza. Filling was too gingery for my taste.

What I loved about the Ramen at Moshi Koshi is the thickness of the noodles.

My son really loved the noodles too.

I wonder who that guy on the menu is. Anyway, if you check out the little cartoon above, it says "There is a simple rule to follow in order to enjoy your KOSH NOODLES: eat them as fast as possible. Slurping is permitted and even encouraged."

Why, is there any other way?

For a quick Ramen fix, I would recommend Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss along Shaw Blvd (near PureGold, beside Red Ribbon). I wouldn't know how the service is when the restaurant is full though. We enjoyed the quiet and unpopulated place, and we got all the waitresses for ourselves. I spent about 540 pesos for a satisfying meal for two adults and a three year old.

Is Moshi Koshi THE noodle boss? I'm not ready to make that conclusion yet.

The All-new Macbook Pro with Retina Display

2012-06-12T08:54:00.001+08:00

This is what greeted me on the Apple website this morning - the all-new Macbook Pro with Retina display! As a heavy Mac user, I've been waiting for Apple to come up with a new Pro line - hoping for a lighter, thinner, and monstrous specifications.. the portability of the Macbook Air and the power of the high end Pro series. I guess this would be it.

Well, it's not as light as the Macbook Air, but it has let go of the optical drive, which was what I was expecting (0.71 inch thin and 4.46 lbs), and it only comes with an ultra fast Quad-core i7 processor. It has the new thunderbolt ports (2 of them), two USB 3 ports and an HDMI port. All flash storage (256GB and 512GB) makes data trasfer faster than the old Macbook pro lines, with a roaring 500 MBPS sequential read speed; and 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory.

I guess the real stunner here is the 5.1 million megapixel Retina display. Yum.

More detailed specs are here: http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/

The 13inch and 15inch Macbook Pros are still available, and this new Macbook Pro is a separate offering with only a 15inch version. Price starts at $2,199 which is I think reasonable. I've gotten used to the Mac price ranges already ever since I started using Apple.

Yes, I'm getting one.

A Successful Blogger's Night for Ayosdito.ph at COWO

2012-06-09T09:12:00.000+08:00

Last night was the Ayosdito.ph iBALL Grand Blogger's Night event at COWO. It was jampacked - a night of cool drinks, food, music, celebrities and conversations.

Welcome to COWO! John Lloyd and Solenn welcomed all the blogger-guests at the main entrance.

The gateway to the event guarded by none other than life size standees of Ayosdito endorsers, Solenn and John Lloyd.

People were welcomed with assorted drinks from the bar. I particularly found the multicolored Rainbow shot drink interesting.

The food was inspired by Pinoy street food transformed into gourmet delicacies - Tempura Quek Quek, Sisig, Tuyo Pasta, Chicken Skin, and Angus Roast Beef.

There was a message board at the entrance for guests to write their messages.

The open bar was a main attraction situated near the entrance of COWO.

The event was well attended. Here are bloggers registering at the reception area.

Solenn came early! Here she is holding a HARANA.PH banner. HARANA.PH was the provider of the entertainment for the evening.

ABS-CBN Actor John Medina of Walang Hanggang also visited the event.

Here's John Media grabbing the chance at a photo op with my son Gabby. Haha.

Jon Santico, country manager of Ayosdito.ph, talks to the bloggers and answers several questions. The team did a fantastic job.

My son had a great time with the photographers and all the props. An image model for the day! John Lloyd eat your heart out, hehe.

Lots of games and prizes for guest bloggers!

Photo op with the country manager of Ayosdito.ph , Jon Santico.

HARANA.PH's Jason, Jaja and Edil giving a great performance for the bloggers.

The bloggers and photographers went wild with the celebrity guests, John, Solenn and DJ Tony Tony (the host).

The event from the outside. COWO is a cool place to hold events :) Check them out too!

Congratulations AYOSDITO.PH! Wishing you all the success.

Best Pork Buns in the City

2012-06-07T23:27:00.000+08:00

If you happen to be in High Street at the Fort, why don't you drop by CAV, a COWO Spot, with the yummiest pork buns I've ever tasted. Soft, white buns with arugula and sweet/salty tender pork in between.

Three buns arranged on a black rectangular plate.

One order definitely is not enough.

Doesn't that look so appetizing? You've got to try it.

CAV is a COWO SPOT, which means that COWO members can enter exclusively from 10am to 5pm to work, use the wifi, have documents printed or picked up for delivery, or use the facilities such as the private meeting areas. Members can enjoy 20% discount on food and beverages including wine (by the glass). Just make sure you bring your COWO membership card ( or the temporary card if you still don't have the actual card ). Learn more about COWO here.

This is the second COWO branch to hit the metro, the first one being in Sapphire Street, Ortigas Center.

Better than Chocolates: Send a Serenade with HARANA.PH

2012-06-06T10:52:00.001+08:00

Year after year, we try arduously to look for special gifts we can give our loved ones, whether it's a birthday, an anniversary or Valentine's day. Even doing the once in a lifetime marriage proposal can sometimes be mind stomping. It gets difficult, because you just don't know what to give someone who seems to have everything already.

Look no further. HARANA.PH, the first and only professional serenade and surprise service in the country that can be booked online, can send something very unique and Filipino: a harana. What's good about it? Well, if, for example, you give flowers to a special someone. The next day, if not put in water, it wilts, and the essence of the flower is gone. With a serenade, what you give is a memory. And the great thing is, every harana or surprise is done by professional artists, celebrities and veteran musicians to ensure the great experience for your loved ones. Every surprise is a unique event. The HARANA.PH coordinating team can do all the stuff that you want them to do - let's say, fill a room full of roses, or reserve your favorite restaurant ahead of time.

HARANA.PH captures everything on video, so that the memory stays on digital file for years and years to come.

Just take a look at some of HARANA.PH's captured moments:

Harana in UST Hospital

Harana from Dubai

Harana on Valentine's Day

HARANA.PH Feature on Jessica Soho

More videos can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/haranaph/videos

HARANA.PH has also recently launched the HARANA Giftshop where you can buy special gift items delivered anywhere in the Philippines. http://harana.ph/giftshop/gift-packages/

Father's day is coming, anything special in mind? Here's a great promo. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=403410796364063&set=a.163257107046101.26926.157032884335190&type=1&theater

Check them out! HARANA.PH or on FACEBOOK

Office Space for Less than a Few Fraps a Month

2012-06-05T17:09:00.000+08:00

There are a lot of entrepreneurs, bloggers, freelancers or professionals who can actually be effective working with nothing but their laptops and mobile phones. Working has gone beyond the cubicle and the formal office. You would see a lot of people sitting inside coffee shops or restaurants the whole day, taking advantage of the ambience, the wifi (sometimes paid by the hour), the coffee (sometimes one order good for the whole day), and the convenience of meeting people inside a public place. It's cost effective and it beats having to work at home, with all the distractions and lazy atmosphere. But what are the disadvantages?

First, holding office in a coffee shop lacks the representation you need to appear professional. You don't want to put "Starbucks" as an office address in your calling card.

Second, you don't know the people around you, and certainly, you can't just approach anyone to network. You have a mix of families, old people, kids and other people that you won't be able to trust until you've actually had a chance to sit down with them.

Third, it's not fair to the coffee shop if you order one iced latte, and stay there for the whole day. After a few hours of working, the security guards will start to look at you funny.

COWO has the solution for the mobile entrepreneur. With Php 10,000 a year, or only the price of a few frappuccinos a month, you can actually have a well-represented workplace where there is strong wi-fi. Not only that, you can actually work with trustworthy individuals who are also members of COWO. You now have an office address outside of home. Once you become a member of COWO, just bring your laptop and your phone, find a comfortable place to sit, and start working. Check out the website at http://www.cowo.asia or the Facebook fanpage http://fb.com/cowoasia.

The Secret Escape

2012-06-03T00:04:00.001+08:00

There's a secret escape in the South that we visited today. I could call it many things - a spa, a resort, a wellness center - but one thing's for sure, it's a place I would go to take all the stress of the city away. It's not open to the public, but let me show you photos that I took today.

The rooms are all separated by waterways instead of walls.

Comfortable bedrooms facing the common area.

Clean bathrooms in every room.

There are places where you can meditate or pray.

There are a lot of pools such as this around the spa.

Interesting? If it's already open for public use, will let you know ;)

Pinoy Comfort Food on a Rainy Day in Tagaytay

2012-06-02T20:58:00.000+08:00

During a Saturday family trip to Tagaytay, we dropped by Taal Vista Hotel for lunch, since we were looking for good Pinoy comfort food on a cool, rainy day.

The menu had very little Pinoy food selections, not like the other "taal view side" restaurants along the highway which served everything from bulalo to sisig to tawilis. Taal Vista had around seven or eight choices only.

Since we were hungry, we just decided on the usual stuff (we almost ordered the Crispy Pata, but we didn't want anything that would increase blood pressure). We waited quite a while for the food to come, calling the attention of the waiters twice. It was a good thing I enjoyed watching the performance group who were performing different ethnic dances during lunch time.

We ordered soup because it was on a cold, wet day. The Bulalo was your usual clear broth with mixed green vegetables, beef and corn. Overall, it wasn't bad - the meat could have been a little more tender, the soup a little less peppery, and probably they should have added more beef. If we had gone to a restaurant like Leslie's, for example, the serving size would have been bigger, and everyone would have a big chunk on their plates.

I would say, the Kare Kare was my favorite dish on the table. Great balance of peanut sauce, beef and mixed leafy vegetables. The bagoong (shrimp paste) was really good too, a perfect accompaniment. I would order this again on my next trip to Taal Vista.

The sizzling bangus (milk fish) was a bit of a surprise. I liked how they used gravy on the fish, which was rather unusual - but it worked. I'm not a big fan of bangus because of its earthy taste, but this one was good.

The highlight of my meal was also the ender of the meal. The strawberry sauce topped New York cheesecake was yummy. A good size too, that everyone had a chance to slice into it. The photo says it all. Don't you just wanna put your fork into the screen?

Overall score of the meal? About 6.5/10. A good meal, but I wouldn't travel all the way to Tagaytay just to have it. Just your basic, ordinary good Pinoy food that became extra good because we were really hungry. I hope they improve their speed of service, though.

AYOSDITO.PH iBALL EVENT at COWO ASIA

2012-05-30T19:09:00.000+08:00

COWO ASIA is AYOS DITO's Venue of choice for their grand blogger's "iBALL" and it's going to be next Saturday, June 8, 2012. It's open to all bloggers, but space is limited so call maris.basco@nuffnang.com to pre-register. I hear celebrities are coming, but I'm really not sure who ;)

COWO's New Services

2012-05-28T23:18:00.000+08:00

For you as an entrepreneur to work efficiently, you must have two important things: a way to send/receive payments, and a way to deliver/receive goods.

The good news is now you can have these services within your reach: in the place where you work. COWO, our co-working space (some might call it a virtual office), has installed a Western Union branch for money transfers and a Xend retail outlet, for domestic and international courier services. Members of COWO who are working inside the space can have immediate access to these services. Working and doing business would be very easy.

Aside from these services, we also offer printing, secretarial, messengerial services, meeting rooms, and many other things that makes doing business easy and convenient. If you want to know more, just visit http://www.cowo.asia or http://www.facebook.com/cowoasia.

Boy of the 80's PART 6

2012-05-27T22:13:00.002+08:00

Here I am again with my nostalgic blog posts. Those of you who missed the past few blogs on the same series, please check them out first:

PART 1: http://thedailyoverdose.blogspot.com/2011/05/boy-of-80s-part-one.html
PART 2: http://thedailyoverdose.blogspot.com/2011/05/boy-of-80s-part-two.html
PART 3: http://thedailyoverdose.blogspot.com/2011/05/boy-of-80s-part-three.html
PART 4: http://thedailyoverdose.blogspot.com/2011/05/boy-of-80s-part-four.html
PART 5: http://thedailyoverdose.blogspot.com/2011/06/boy-of-80s-part-five.html

And now on to PART 6....

Coney Island Ice Cream - I can still taste that bubble gum flavored ice cream that includes real bubble gum bits! It was color blue if I remember correctly. I can recall the branch in the old Unimart, with the different tutti frutti flavors. Is there a Coney Island still existing anywhere in the Philippines?

Wordstar - The hi-tech word processor of the 80's, goes together with the noisy dot matrix printer. To set a word into bold face, you had to put it in between ^ characters. Did a lot of assignments in Wordstar.

The Junbo "generic" joystick - If your computer did not come with a joystick or game paddle, you can buy one of these Junbo generics. Played Summer Games on the Apple with this Joystick.

25cents Phone Booth - Tatlong bente sinco lang ang aking kailangan, upang makausap ka kahet sandali lang. 'nuff said.

Tretorn - Oh yes, if you had the Tretorn, you were cool. Today, I think you would be bullied. But the guys my age now would still think I'm cool.

Lunch box with matching tumbler - I don't know why the Dukes of Hazzard version was a popular one. But do you remember these lunch boxes that you brought to school for merienda? A sandwich and a tetrapack sunkist can fit inside.

IBM-compatible PCs - The joy of upgrading was experienced during the PC-revolution when 40MB hard drives made you the envy of the entire student body. From PC AT/XT to the 286 to the 486.

ORIG magazine + Other magazines - I'm sure you had these magazines lying around somewhere in the house. This is where you found out about Tonton and Sharon, and probably Romnick and Sheryl as well.

Kaypee Rubber Shoes - Are these still around? I hope not.

Betamax player - plays the Betamax tape. Usually you have this Fast rewinder beside it so you can rewind all your tapes to the beginning. You go to small stores in Greenhills, and choose titles from the wall of Betamax tapes. You rent them for 3 days, and if they're overdue, you try to ask the store to waive it because you are suki.

Lego that was still fun - Lego before was fun to play with, with basic shapes and people. They've been replaced by Star Wars and Dragon robots Lego, or that sort of thing.

Casio Calculator Watch - I had one of these, and recently my brother in law gave me one. What a classic watch. To hear those little beeps when I press those little buttons...aaahh what nostalgia. You can light up the screen by pressing the side button. None of that touch screen shinanigans.

New Wave LPs - Echo and the Bunnyman, Tears for fears, Debbie Gibson, New Order, Pet shop boys..etc... - Big black records on a turn table with a needle. It played on a Kenwood or Pioneer component system with a trebly, sharp sound. Miss those days.

SIMON memory game - Did you have this? Either we did, or the neighbor did. Repeating lights and sounds generated by the then hi-tech AI.

Popples - Stuffed toy that can hide its arms and legs and then pop out by unfolding the front part all the way to the back. A lot of kids were scammed into asking their parents to buy these because of the TV commercials.

I guess there's going to be a Part 7 :) Can't stop thinking of nostalgic stuff, I think I'm gonna start crying. You can't bring back the past, but at least we can remember them.

The World's Shortest Review of Men in Black 3.

2012-05-27T14:02:00.000+08:00

They looked old.

COWO: The Blogger's Workspace

2012-05-27T08:44:00.001+08:00

Blogging is serious business.

Most bloggers do it part-time, because income from it does not immediately become stable, so they report to an office religiously, and write during their off hours. However, there are entrepreneur-bloggers who have found real opportunity in doing it full time, because of the different sources of revenue they have derived from covering events, social media marketing, copyrighting and advertising. So just like any other business, bloggers who write full-time are conscious of overhead, growth of their advertising sales, and impact on their savings. So they work at home, or go to the nearest coffee shop to write, spending a few hundreds on food and beverage.

But when blogging becomes more serious, there is a need to get out of the house or coffee shop, and have a more professional representation. A place where you can work, but at the same time, with services that allows you to focus on your craft. That's where COWO comes in.

COWO is a blogger's dream workspace - conducive for writing, lot of space to sit, strong WIFI, built in services such as money remittance of accepting payments from clients, strong coffee, access to printing services, hot pastry, access to rooms for meeting with clients and like-minded, trustworthy people to collaborate with. COWO has all of these, and more. The professional atmosphere makes you more legitimate to potential clients.

If you are a blogger or a writer, you can go into COWO, find a place to settle down with your laptop, connect to the WIFI and type away those thoughts.

You can sit in any of the round coworking tables in the "NOMAD" section (sit-anywhere membership), and stay the whole day writing. It beats working in a noisy coffee shop or mall food court.

Western Union is just at the reception area, so if you need to receive money from your clients, it's very convenient. There will be a courier service installed very soon.

Access to telephones and equipments just in case you need them. While blogging, you can just use the nearest telephone and call the reception area for any of your needs. It's really like having your own office, but without the high overhead.

Private meetings rooms allow them to discuss business with visiting clients or fellow bloggers, where you can rent out projectors and screens.

The good news for bloggers is membership only costs a few Caffe Lattes a month. At Php 10,000 a month, or Php 850 a month, you get access to all of these features. If you are a blogger, why not drop by COWO and see for yourself. Grab a one day pass here http://www.cowo.asia/inquirymail.aspx so you can try it out before becoming a member. Here's how to contact COWO - http://cowo.asia/contact.htm

Taken from COWO official blog http://cowoasia.blogspot.com

The Art of Life Management with Opus Domini

2012-05-26T23:05:00.001+08:00

Back when I first started this blog, I wrote a review on this great little application called Opus Domini, which I purchased from the Mac App Store (now it also runs on the iPad). I've been using it ever since for my schedules, tasks, and basically, managing my work life. Why do I find it effective? Well, it's because it sort of follows how I organize the things I have to do.

It manages everything in one digital planner. I have my tasks arranged categorically on one side, my schedules in the middle, and notes on the next page. About the task management - it sort of reminds me of the Stephen Covey planner I used to have, but a lot less bulkier. I can systematically rank my tasks from A1 (most priority) to D4 (least priority), and I can make each one as Completed, In Progress, Delegate, Forward or Scheduled. I can tag notes to each task as well. This feature gets my work done each day. I like that sound it makes when you've completed a particular task.

The scheduling system is pretty regular, but the best thing is it is integrated with the Macbook's internal calendar - so I don't have to switch back and forth from Opus Domini to my Mac Calendar.

The notes schedule is pretty neat as well, as I can write down thoughts, meeting notes and other random things as I do my tasks.

Other features includes Master Tasks, Goals, Mission and the Compass - which allows you to manage your life in terms of Spiritual, Social, Mental and Physical. I don't use this much, but for those who are a little O.C. about having a balanced life, this is the app for you.

The new version of Opus domini is the integration to iCloud, which means now I can access all the data anytime through the Internet. Now if only I had an iPad to synch it with.

The interface is cool, like actual pages of a planner turning.

If you like to manage your life in a digital way, I suggest Opus Domini - it's simple and very effective in my case.

HARANA.PH Giftshop: More than Just Serenades

2012-05-25T01:16:00.002+08:00

At our online business subsidiary, HARANA.PH, we send serenades and surprises to anyone in the Philippines. A unique twist to the singing telegram concept, and definitely "filipinized", we bring professional singers, musicians, celebrities and coordinators to create the best and memorable event for your loved ones, be it a marriage proposal, a wedding anniversary present or "panliligaw".

I'm happy to announce that starting this month, you can now send premium gifts and items to anyone in the country, with or without a serenade. We can deliver flowers, teddy bears, chocolates, wines, perfumes and beautifully prepared customized gift baskets right to their doorstep. Remember, Father's day is fast approaching so don't miss that chance to make him feel important.

HARANA.PH is a one stop shop for making people happy. Send a song or surprise gift today, with or without an occasion!

Please visit our website http://www.harana.ph or our fanpage at http://fb.com/haranaph. Please watch the video below to know more about what we do.

Bottega Studio and COWO presents: Make-Up Like a Pro

2012-05-23T07:16:00.001+08:00

Great news for make-up and beauty enthusiasts. Our co-working space COWO and Bottega Studio (led by US Trained Celebrity Make-up Artist Au Mauricio), will be holding a workshop entitled "MAKE-UP LIKE A PRO" on Saturday, June 9, 2012 for the whole day. Learn the secrets of professional make-up in the comfort of a cool workspace for collaboration at the heart of Ortigas Center. For Php 5,000, you get PIXI professional make-up products worth Php 3,500 and a lot of freebies that makes it all worth it! Early bird price is Php 4,750. You also get that discount if you are a COWO member. Food and drinks are also included.

The cool and collaborative workshop area at COWO.

Please register! This event is being organized by my beautiful wife, Avegail.

For more information, inquiries and how to register, please call or text Gaye at 0917-5062344.

Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced Custard: Oh Yeah

2012-05-22T23:16:00.001+08:00

My wife and I found a new favorite at Krispy Kreme - the Choco Iced Custard doughnut. It's awesome, you should try it out. Original KK dough, stuffed with a yummy white custard filling and a chocolate icing on top. A sinful indulgence - but not bad if it's not everyday. The MUG Root beer is a good match.

COWO: An Online Seller's Haven

2012-05-15T19:31:00.003+08:00

Our COWO business is a co-working and collaboration space where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and professionals connect in a common environment and "cowork" on projects together. At the same time, they enjoy business related services that allow them to focus on their work, such as money remittance, messengers, strong wifi and even a coffee shop for relaxed meetings.

This type of innovative workspace can benefit online sellers or merchants. How so?

1. A credible office space

Online sellers usually work from home. COWO can provide the credible office address and facilities that makes the customer more confident about making a purchase. Not only that, online sellers can take that "break" from home, and work in a cool, relaxing environment with special amenities such as meeting rooms, receptionists, coffee, and strong WIFI connection.

2. A secure and trustworthy environment

Online sellers and buyers usually meet inside the mall or in public places which could pose as a security risk to both parties, since neither one knows each other personally. COWO can be a meeting place that makes trading comfortable and secure.

3. Money and Courier services

COWO has a western union branch inside, so online sellers can have the comfort of sending or receiving money while working inside an office space. If delivery is needed, COWO has the messengers and couriers to send packages throughout the metropolis.

4. Access to seminars and events

COWO members get the chance to attend free seminars on business, entrepreneurship, personal development and creative topics. Online sellers can benefit from tips on how they can help grow their business.

5. Networking and collaboration

COWO is not just an office space, but a collaboration and co-working environment. Online sellers get to meet other entrepreneurs and work together on projects, or sales leads - which they can't do at home.

Are you an online seller or merchant? Please do drop by COWO and check it yourself.
http://www.cowo.asia

Nostalgic Greenhills

2012-05-10T20:38:00.002+08:00

There has been no many status updates lately from the Greenhills Facebook fanpage of images from the 80's. I went to this place very often as a school boy, and when I think back, I can't help but feel nostalgic about it. It was like a time space warp experience. I'm sure most of my friends from that point in time will feel the same way. Renting Family Computer hours on the third floor of Virra Mall, copying computer games on floppy disks, going around the old National Bookstore on the ground floor, the children's rides at the center, carrying my busted 286 CPU up the stairs to where I bought my first IBM-compatible computer, eating fish ball at the Food Channel (which has been moved outside of V-mall), buying cassette tapes at Radio City, and eating banana cue at the store near the entrance. Sadly, I feel that the new Greenhills has lost its spirit, making way to newer stores and modern designs. I guess things have to move on. Is there a way that we can turn back the hands of time?

Posted some photos from the fan page just in case some of you have not seen them. All photos are copyrights of Greenhills Shopping Center.

Sing Hainanese Chicken House

2012-05-07T08:57:00.000+08:00

For a quick Hainanese chicken fix, I go to Sing Hainanese Chicken House located at the top floor of the Podium in Ortigas. Good serving size with a reasonable price tag. I can also order from New Bombay which is right next to the restaurant if I wanted something spicy to go with my Hainanese.

The Chicken Mami is clean and refreshing - good for those rainy day cravings.

Next time you are in Podium, swing by Sing Hainanese and check it out.

COWO Takes Off

2012-05-05T20:56:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, May 4, 2012, was a very special day for me and my partners. Our newly established co-working space business, COWO, which was in pilot mode since January of this year, had its successful inauguration and ribbon cutting event, with our honored guests Congressman Roman Romulo and Councilor Shalani S. Romulo. Despite the traffic and heavy rain, it was very well attended by friends, family, entrepreneurs, and business men. People enjoyed the great food catered by Bizu, and performances by HARANA.PH.

Our COWO signage "ala Hollywood" came just in time for the launch, which was put up under the pouring rain. I hope that one day, this would be a landmark in the Ortigas Center business district.

All in all, the COWO launch was a great success. Now it's time for some coworking!

COWO is a coworking space that allows entrepreneurs, freelancers, and professionals to collaborate in a creative environment. Here's a TVC that may help you understand what we do:

We take care of several business support needs such as secretarial, messengers, payment or money remittances, business registration and other important services that allows the member to focus on what they do best in their respective fields. COWO provides meeting rooms, telephone lines, high speed Internet access, and private cubicles for resident members at a very affordable rate. We even have a coffee shop inside for that essential morning caffeine kick.

To know more about our COWO concept, please log on to our website at http://www.cowo.asia or our Facebook fanpage http://fb.com/cowoasia .

More photos of the launch:

Virgin Territory: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

2012-03-15T14:49:00.000+08:00

Being a solid Apple user for all my devices, getting the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 was like entering into virgin territory. I've had bad experiences using Android-powered devices inside the stores, but I said what the heck, let's see. Reason for buying: Had a project that had to be tested on the Android operating system. It's been 2 days, and here are my initial comments:

CON

1. I had a frustrating and shaky start. All of my fears about Android were coming true. Hanging, sim card not being detected, had to reboot a few times, applications not opening... but I thought, it's probably just birth pains. So I didn't let it get to me. After day 1, everything was going smoothly, except for a few error messages and hiccups.

2. Unimpressive battery life. In less than a day of low usage, it was at less that 50%. Some apps are disabled (like camera flash and view) if the battery is below 15%, which is a bit annoying.

3. Not many jackets/cases available yet for the 7.7 version of the Galaxy Tab.

4. Memory usage and allocation is bad. I haven't started using it yet, it's already 75% memory full.

5. Body is easily "scratchable"

6. Too many features and widgets that eat up memory and slows down the tablet.

7. Too integrated to Google account, that it downloaded all my gmail contacts - all 1000+ of them. Now it's hard to manage my contact list.

8. Photo Gallery app is not as good as iPad's iPhoto application.

PRO

1. It's a phone + tablet. I used the messaging and calling functions comfortable after a few tries. Although people were laughing at me when I put it against my ear to answer a call. Size is not a large phone, and a small tablet. Have to go and buy a bluetooth earphone.

2. Camera is not bad at all. HD video.

3. Fast download and installation of apps from Google Play. A lot of available free applications.

4. Nice, simple design. Moderately light.

5. Refreshing, bright interface, a rest from the same Apple iOS look for a change.

6. Impressive AMOLED screen display.

7. Responsive touch, but not as good as the iPad's.

8. Nice on-screen keyboard, lots of options.

9. Good messaging app, organized like iMessage of Apple.

10. Expandable memory upto 32 GB.

11. Highly customizable interface, but a lot of times, unnecessary.

That's all for now. I will just update this when I see more notable things. To summarize all, it's not bad at all - It's all about geting used to the Android interface. I would continue to use it - but then again, im not the picky kind of guy.

I should hand it to Apple though. Nothing beats its simplicity and attention to detail - for now.