a non-review: Amazing Cones

It’s past midnight and I’m still up.

I went downstairs to look for food because my stomach’s grumbling. I just realized I haven’t had a proper dinner yet. The last meal I had consisted of a can of Coke and a pizza cone. The boyfriend and I tried this place at Greenhills called “Amazing Cones” that serves pizza, well, in a cone. Pretty unusual, I know. Let’s just say that curiosity got the best of me. I was handed one of their flyers on our way to V-Mall. After rounds and rounds of looking for an appropriate screen protector for my laptop, I was craving for pizza and the flyer got me at the “mess-free” part.

The place was nice. The counters were kept clean, so there was no undesirable odor unlike in other fast foods. Basically, they just microwave their pizza cones. I’m not a fan of microwaved food, but we were there, tired and hungry. It took less than 10 minutes before our cones were served.

I had the supremo italiano. The verdict: except for the mozzarella cheese on top, the pizza cone wasn’t all that amazing. The crust/cone was fine, but overall, it lacked the pizza taste. A Jimini’s Pizza Bar would’ve been more flavorful. The price was pretty steep, too—PHP 70/75 for something close to the size of your favorite drumstick ice cream. Their ads also claim their cones to be mess-free, but by the time we were done with ours, our table was littered with crumbs. Handy, yes, but definitely not mess-free.

The idea is brilliant, but they could definitely improve on the flavor part of their pizza cones. This is not to say there will never be a next time because I still haven’t tried their ice cream, and I would like to be back for the bubblegum kool twist. :)

I took crappy photos with my camera phone so I won't bother posting them. You can see the Amazing Cones website here.

getting my muse back

Cheers to the new layout :) Finally made one for this blogspot however simple it may be. Hand-coded a classic template from scratch because I don’t how to make one on Blogger Beta (boo, XML). Needless to say, I’m pretty much satisfied with how this turned out. So who cares if my codes are a mess, LOL. (And I still have to put something in place of the Lorem ipsum on the sidebar.)

Sometime last year, I posted about having some sort of a block thus resorting to freely distributed layouts on the web (with a few tweaks here and there). I also said something about needing a new (own) layout, and what it had to do with the rarity of posts.

Maybe now, I’d find myself updating this more often. :P

newest toy

Picked this up today, and the seller also gave me a free Fuji Proplus 100. Yay! I hope the sun's out tomorrow so I can start on my first roll. :)

Next on the list: Fisheye. Or maybe the Supersampler. Or maybe that 35mm reusable underwater camera I saw in Hidalgo which Kodak sells for thrice as much. Or the IC 400, if I happen to find one. Ang dami kong gusto, hay.

weekends are made for movies

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with.

And, of course:

Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... fuck that.

comfort food of the week

Caramel Banana Walnut pancakes, with a giant scoop of butter and smothered with a generous amount of maple syrup. Sometimes, it doesn't take much to relieve stress. Really. :)

internet marketing bootcamp

The Internet Marketing Bootcamp: Learn the Industry Trends

In recent years, the Internet has become a potent tool for selling products or services. It has also opened employment and income-generating opportunities to many Filipinos. So much so, Internet marketing has become the latest buzzword in the online sphere.

A series of seminars aims at sharing basic information on the creative and technical aspects of Internet Marketing. The “Internet Marketing Bootcamp” will run for six consecutive weeks from January 26 to March 1, 2008. Each session will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at RCC Center, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City.

Some of the country’s Internet Marketing luminaries from U.S. Auto Parts Philippines (USAP) will discuss the key concepts and strategies on this emerging field:
• Michael Joseph Villar, USAP Affiliate Marketing Manager, will give a crash course on performance-based marketing, how companies and individuals can benefit from it, as well as the challenges confronting affiliate marketing.
• Email Marketing Manager Alvin Jimenez will present the email marketing campaigns and their relevance.
• Rico Sta. Cruz, USAP Creative Director, will discuss the essential principles in Web design and how to apply them to the Web.
• Copy Editing Supervisor Jennelyn Tabora will talk about online copywriting and its crucial role in attracting and building readership.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Project Managers Gabriel Libacao Jr. and Rhiza Sanchez will explain the basics of search engine marketing and how to convert visitors into sales and profits.
• Senior Web Analytics Specialist Maia Nuguid will discuss how Web analytics can help in assessing Internet marketing strategies.

Marc Hil Macalua, USAP Vice President for Marketing, will give the inspirational speech. Web Project Manager Elymar Apao will facilitate the Bootcamp sessions.

The Bootcamp is sponsored by the U.S. Auto Parts Network, the premier warehouse of auto replacement and performance part brands in the United States. One of the leading players in the Internet retailing industry, U.S. Auto Parts ranks among the top 100 online retailers in the United States in 2007.

The Bootcamp is open for all professional bloggers, Internet marketing enthusiasts, or anyone who has a background in Internet marketing. Interested persons may send their updated resumés at elymar@usautoparts.net or glibacao@mbsautomotive.com. Qualified applicants will be informed via a confirmation email.

Participants are encouraged to bring their resumes as a Job Fair will closely follow each seminar.

For further details, please visit the US Auto Parts Internet Marketing Bootcamp, US Auto Parts Official Website and US Auto Parts Job Listing.

Contact Persons:
Elymar Apao and Gabriel Libacao Jr.

the past week that was

Obviously this blog isn't being true to its description; maybe I should put semi-weekly (or monthly?) instead of semi-daily. As much as I wanted to sit down and blog about things, I just couldn't find the time and energy. The past week has been a flurry of events (not counting work), so I'm just posting a few pictures I took to remember.

There was the Boracay trip, thanks to my uncle and aunt who came home to the country after 23 long years, along with their son who has never set foot here before. The vacation was on a very short notice, and I was glad to be able to sneak away some time off from work.

There's food. The boyfriend and I recently discovered Sushi-ya. Cheap bento sets for two! :)

Then there was the cousins' dinner at Pho Hoa. I loved Pho Hoa ever since my mom has found the joys of free wi-fi in Galleria, and she had no other place to stay but there. She surfs, I eat.

So yes, the lack of posts is mostly because of food. I just got hungry again for posting these pictures.