Are you looking for a web designer?

I was previously looking for a web designer for a website I was planning to put up. I was referred to Bench Castil by one of the commenters of this blog. And then, last month I needed a designer for our materials for the Tuna Festival Culinary Expo. I inquired again from the designers who have expressed interest in my website project.

Luckily, Bench replied and yes, we had an agreement. Am I so glad that Bench said yes to the project. He is a breeze to work with. His designs are really beautiful. Almost all of the people who have seen his designs were impressed. Also, hindi maarte at hindi mahirap kausap at bigyan ng instructions. I really hope that I could send more business his way because aside from being a really good designer, he has the right attitude to succeed.

So if you ever need a web designer or a graphic artist, send an email to Bench at cha0zbeta@hotmail.com.

Motorcycles in the city

I have to be honest that I don’t like motorcycles. I’m referring to the single motorcycles. Most of the drivers of these motorcycles don’t know how to drive!

Yes, they are trying to save money on fuel or want a convenient mode of transportation. However, some of them just don’t know how to drive! (did I say that twice?)

Every day that we travel, there are probably rare occasions when we don’t get upset by lousy driving. Motorcycles suddenly pop ou from the sides or overtake on the wrong side or lane or just plain confused driving.

Some don’t wear helmets. Some don’t turn on their headlights even when traffic regulations tell them to. One of the other things I hate is when little children ride with the drivers totally unprotected from the dangers of the road. Have you seen those little kids hug the driver so tight for their dear life?

If you have a motorcycle, I hope you are not one of those defenseless and uninformed drivers we meet on the road.

Calling all food enthusiasts

CALLING ALL FOOD ENTHUSIASTS!

Join the Tuna Festival Culinary Expo competitions.

LIVE MARKET BASKET

TABLE SETTING

CAKE DECORATING

These contests are open to schools and professionals.

Below are the details of the said competitions. Should you have inquiries or wish to register, you can call 5524628 or send an email to tcegensan@gmail.com.

Contest	Registration Fee	Number of participants	Materials c/o contestant	Contest date
Live Market Basket	GSCTA members: 800 Non-members: 1,000	3	Cooking utensils, selected ingredients	Student category: Sept. 3, 9am Professional category: September 4, 9am
Cake Decorating	P 1,000	2	Cake and icing ingredients, decorating utensils	September 2, 1pm
Table Setting	GSCTA members: 800 Non-members: 1,000	4	All materials	Setup date: August 31, 7pm

Announcing the 2008 Tuna Festival Culinary Expo

Despite a bulging tummy, I am blessed to be given the chance to co-organize the coming Tuna Festival Culinary Expo. Wow, am I excited!

The Tuna Festival Culinary Expo will be happening at the Gaisano Mall of Gensan Atriumon September 1 to 7, 2008. This event will be organized by GSC Tourism Association, Project O! Consultants and Chimes Concepts.

Featured events:

Live Market Basket Competition (September 3 and 4, 200

Cake decorating Contest (September 2, 200

Table Setting Contest (September 1 to 5, 200

Fishdance: The Mindanao Showdown

Bodyfest Modelling Competition

Search for Ms. Gensan 2008

Food and Hotel Trade Exhibition (daily)

Target audience: Restaurant and foodservice operators

Hotel and hospitality owners and managers

Purchasing managers and officers

Restaurant consultants

Businessmen

Franchise owners

Foodservice distributors

EXHIBITOR RATE. The rate is only P 8,500 per booth.

Inclusions: 2x 3meter booth of white panel boards with aluminum framings

- Exhibitor’s name on fascia board

- Two units fluorescent lamp set and one convenience outlet

- One information table and two white mono block chairs

- Gray carpet

Deadline for confimration (Exhibitors and Sponsors): August 5, 2008

Deadline for confrmation of contestants: August 15, 2008

Should you wish to be part of the event either as an exhibitor, sponsor or contestant, please send me an email at chimesconcepts@gmail.com or call 5524628.

Cornhusk Association of the Philippines Website

Good news for all cornhusk crafts makers! The Cornhusk Association of the Philippines already has a website. Visit their website at www.chapcornhusk.com. Learn more about the association and the beautiful cornhusk products the members make.

Don’t you think this hawaiian doll is so pretty?

Figueroa Highlands in Marbel

Happy first day of July to you!

Last weekend, my family went to Marbel to accompany our mommy. She attended Dr. Gary Sy’s seminar in Notre Dame of Marbel University. So while, waiting for her, we had coffee in a coffee shop in Fitmart (well, I would have wanted McGregor but the cafe had a play area right beside it so it was ideal for the kids). After a couple of hours sitting there, we trooped to Alunan. My husband decided to check out Figueroa Highlands.

I told him about it a couple of months ago since it was similar to Sarangani Highlands‘ name. I am glad we made the trip.

Photos by Milper Bolodo.

First of all, let me say that I cannot help comparing with Sarangani Highlands, it being my baby. I think it’s because they had to name it highlands as well. Well, the highlands is right for them too since it was on a hillside.

Right now, Figueroa Highlands is on a hillside just a couple of meters from Alunan Avenue in Koronadal. It has a wide parking area and a covered space for about 25 people.

The view is great. It reminds me of Baguio City. It must be a sight at night. It is functioning as a restaurant right now and maybe, function venue. Their menu is not a spectacle. It had the usual barbecue and beverages but nothing different. The garden is landscaped and very neat. According to the staff, they opened in January this year and that they get a lot of guests for dinner.

So that’s another discovery for us. If you’re in Marbel, you should go see it. For my family, it was another happy mini-road trip.

Business permit and everything

Okay, so last May, I finally decided to get a business permit for my events organizing and marketing consultancy business, Chimes Concepts. I figured if I want to cater to corporate accounts, who would need an official receipt, I would have to go get a business permit. It all started with the business name registration. Dealng with DTI would be the easy part. My business name was registrered in no time, though, I didn’t get to attend an orientation because it was unavailable. DTI said the semnar room was being renovated or something.

The business permit all started with CEMCDO, then barangay clearance then off you go to city hall for all the pitstops. I think the whole process was made difficult with going to and from the different departments. Some are just in the compound. Some are way out of the area like City Health Office. There was always a couple minutes of interrogation when they see my line or nature of business. Hmm… they haven’t seem to have heard about event management. Really? Yup, really.

The BIR part was tedious because it required birth certificates and marriage certificates in my case being a sole proprietor. I had to go to NSO for all the certificates which was not pretty. The place was stuffy, the waiting is tiring. BIR also is not as business-friendly or applicant-friendly unlike business permit. You see, the business permit had a guide or list of things to do, in proper order, to get to the finish line. BIR had a list but it was not a guide. Parang application pa lang, pinahihirapan ka na. Paano na lang sa filing ng returns? If you look stupid, they might make it hard for you. (So I try not to look stupid.)

So bottomline, if you want to get a business permit, go get it in January where they have a one-stop shop in the oval plaza. I am sure it will be much, much easier. Please also come prepared with cedula, change, multiple copies of your documents and all the other things they require.

Check out this motorcycle with a mini-store

I ws lucky to get on this tricycle a couple of weeks ago.

As you can see, the front part of the motorcyce has a candy and snacks rack. Very enterprising! I think this tricycle has been featured on TV Patrol Socsksargen also. Too bad my trip was just really short. Otherwise I could have bought from his store on wheels.

Why are flights and hotels in Gensan expensive?

Being active in the tourism industry in Gensan, hotels have been asked why there are not a lot of cheap hotels in Gensan. Well, there are cheap-cheap inns but what I think the question was referring to are decent hotels that don’t charge say more than 1,000 pesos.

Until Cebu Pacific came in, the airline ticket for Gensan to Manila and vice-versa was horrendous! It was about 10,000 for a round-trip ticket. It was more expensive than a round-trip ticket to Hongkong! But, lo and behold, when another airline came in, ticket prices were reduced substantially that it was almost a third of the previous rates. Well, I don’t blame Philippine Airlines for charging that much. It was the only airline who cared enough to put a flight to Gensan. If you come to think about it, we should even be thankful for the lone flight. But it was still expensive then. A lot of people were saying, we were fooled for a long time. *smile*

Now, the hunt for cheap tickets is not really hard. If you want the low fares, get on the not-so-busy days. But compared to other cities, our ticket prices are still a notch more expensive. As to the reason why, my theory is that its the frequency of the flight and the load factor. Since Gensan’s load factor says it can only sustain one flight per airline, then they just put one flight. If you only have one flight, it’s like a precious thing that the airline companies can charge what they want.

As to the hotels, it’s because a lot of the things that we need for the hotels are not made in the city and have yet to be bought from other cities like cleaning materials and linen. The hotel-booking market in Gensan also does not really provide the volume that can make hotel owners lower their rates. Therefore, it is a must to cook up some touristic activity in the city. Otherwise, things will pretty much stay as they currently are.

Veranda Cafe

Veranda Cafe on Tandem Center, National highway, is one of the newest restaurants in the city (I think they opened last year). I have been there twice but it was only on my second visit that I got to see their rooftop.

I honestly liked the place and sad that they didn’t really get a lot of guests that night. I do plan to go back there another time at around 4 or 5pm to catch the sunset. It is probably the only place you canget a good view of the sunset in the downtown area.

Here’s a photo of the cafe’s interior dining area.

On the two visits I have had, there were not a lot of guests. Too bad. The menu is neither astounding nor too simple. They coffee blends, pasta and all the assortment of dishes but nothing that differentiates them from other restaurants.

I cannot say a lot about the food because I have only tried an order of cold cafe mocha and cheese sticks. The cheese sticks were good but the dip dould have been different. The cafe mocha was sadly served in a lousy takeout cup that drips from the lid. The taste was good though.

On the question of will I be going back, yes, I will because I do want to try out their food and to catch the sunset again.