Forest Lake Releases "PAGPAG" Video: A humorous take on Pinoy Superstitions

After having a few of these videos on their social channels and website, the folks at Forest Lake just recently released its 4th installment, just in time for Halloween, and they call it PAGPAG.

For those who don't know, Filipinos have this thing they do right after visiting a relative/friend/loved one from a wake, right after mourning for them in a chapel/place, they must go to a different place before they actually go home. It's a superstitious belief, that when they don't do that, spirits will actually go to their homes and become restless souls.   


Forest Lake actually uses these useful mediums to send their message across about preparing for the unexpected. According to Alfred Xerez-Burgos III their CEO and President, Filipinos desire to always have peace of mind, and telling this story would make the matter a bit light to watch and understand. This one talks about different ways to prepare, the other videos they released tackled unpredictability, bad luck and getting taller on a New Year's Eve.

This new video teaches people how to lessen stress when it come to memorial services, and the things that come with it. This also includes a serious look in what you need for yourself, or your loved ones when the time comes. To not be a burden to those you left behind, while they are already stressed from their loss. Forest Lake does Total Memorial Care services. You can do interment wherever it is possible, give free interment details, QRonicle so you can send shots and stories to family or friends, plus a Customer Portal so those who are far away could look at it online when they need to. If you want to know more, just search ForestLakeMemorialParks on Facebook, IG, and their channels.

Globe Business Offers Cyber Security Solutions

 

Good news for businesses and individuals who want their cyber security game to another level as Globe Business is ready to give you cyber security solutions this side of the woods. 

We got to experience their services a few days ago at the CyerHeist 2023 event at The Globe Tower in BGC. It's a three day event to showcase how several of their partner organizations are able to help you and protect your data.

They can start by checking your current systems and help you decide on what road to take and put cybersecurity measures in place, to make sure you put up your defense, lessen security risks, threats, vulnerability in different parts of your organization. This is to put them before they happen, something every IT professional should implement if you're dealing with data. Executuves from Globe Business like KD Dizon, Cocoy Claravall, Marlon Cruz were there to explain how different sectors could be greatly affected if it happens. Protection of digital assets is important, and Globe Business offers solutions to make sure enterprise markets don't get victimized.

Partner organizations that showcased their wares and products included ZScaler, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Checkpoint, CyberArk, Tenable, Dell Technologies, NS Focus, WithSecure, Yondu and Samsung. Yes, even competitors have bonded together to make sure YOU get the best choice when it comes to securing your data.

If you want to know more about it, you can visit their portal via https://www.globe.com.ph/business/enterprise/cybersecurity and get the proper solution you need before it happens.

Quezon City to Kick Off Business Investment Summit

Quezon City has been doing quite good despite of the current challenges of the economy. With the pandemic happening, the various complications we get from EU war, the higher US interest rates and inflation, it's hurting us most where it hurts. This has raised prices of essentials, making it difficult for ordinary pinoys to put food on the table.

Not gonna take it without a fight, the Quezon City Government is slated to do a Business Investment Summit with the theme "QC is Future Ready" slated October 7th at Novotel Manila in Araneta, Quezon City. This would be an event where they'd present to various stakeholders how the city has been able to achieve phenomenal "ease of doing business" levels despite the business challenges encountered by the local government unit. They will also be presenting the different initiatives they have planned and currently implementing.

There is more to see in QC! 

This will also be the perfect venue to exchange views about programs and policies, with the aim of better managing LGU and private sector expectations, to help different sectors grow especially in Quezon City. Expected attendees include local and international investors, business leaders, government officials, various stakeholders. Mayor Joy Belmonte has put in reforms on her first term that has garnered 83 awards and recognition from different organizations. It is crucial that in the next few years, she would be able to address to bring more investments and help generate more jobs for her constituents as we all recover from recent years. Suffice to say, it's time to make Quezon City the paramount choice of building businesses. The city is benefiting from the automation and digitization efforts on services like registrations, assessments, tax payments which has been prioritized by the city. They also will continue with social services, the fight against corruption, educate and enhance skills of those who serve the people.

This is certainly a good step to an even better Quezon City, to make people feel progress especially at these very challenging times. It's time we take it to the next level!

BDO and Huawei Join Forces to Provide Inclusive Financial Services for Filipinos

If you are currently using any form of online banking in the Philippines, consider yourself lucky. Over half the population only have access to that and although a lot of Filipinos have access to the internet and social media, a lot have still no access through financial technology.

We have all been very active online which you probably see on online voting competitions when a Filipino bet is included. BDO knows at the current rate, they need to improve more of their services so Filipinos have access to it. April this year, BDO launched BDO Pay which is a mobile wallet solution so more people have access to digital banking and contact-less payment systems. This expansion was made possible through Huawei's OceanStore Dorado All Flash Storage solution which does reliable, secure and future proof way of storing information on the cloud platform. It safeguards all of the data of the bank including transaction history. This solved a lot of BDO's infrastructure needs over the years and since business grew, they needed to scale up fast, safe and efficiently.

The old system needed automation and this solved it including operation and maintenance of the system. Previously, they got hounded with complaints on certain occasions that they did it through manual ways. Digitizing made it accurate, easier to diagnose and very efficient. BDO also upgraded to Vitrual Private Cloud as part of their innovations, and with Huawei right by their side, they'll maintain BDO's leading post as the largest bank in the country.

Titallennials Frozen Goodies

Mom is the best cook at home. No contest.

She's the queen, the kind that would whip up some good ol home cooking whenever, wherever and however our meals happen at the dinner table. She learned through life experiences and always made it a point to go home at the same time, so we can eat together almost everyday. Food bonds us all, hence our big pudgy family. 

Just like you, I want to continue this tradition, but it's not always a good day for them to spend all day in the kitchen. They get "aged" but not old... and I don't want her to get tired. Now who do you call for help when this happens? Perhaps your LOLA? Or maybe your TITALLENNIALS?

This SME business made for and by Moms in their own right are now selling frozen items, dairy products and even teach you how to cook it. If you check out their Facebook Page here Facebook.com/Titallennials/, they have easy to follow recipes on videos so you don't really have to be a genius to do it yourself. Aside from that, they also put instructions on the label of the products they sell so it was a breeze for my relative who couldn't even boil an egg LOL!

The Pork Tocino was something I like too. It wasn't overly sweet, it won't get your kids to run around because of a rush. They probably spent a lot of time researching the recipes because this would cater to a more general market. They didn't have to make it extremes, they did it just right.

My Mom loved the Homemade Garlic Longganisa. It was just something good served on the 4th day for breakfast. It was garlicky but still sweet so it's like a mix of spiced and hamonado type of sausages. My Mom always looks forward to breaks like that, garlic rice and the longganisa plus a cup of sugar free coffee, she's good with that.

The Chicken Teriyaki was sweet and savory. I didn't even have to go out and dress up to be in a Japanese joint to have this. They deliver straight to your doorstep so just give them your details and enjoy the meal.

I love the Japanese Dumplings. I'm saying that because I felt and tasted like it was new even if it was already frozen when I got it. I simply put a rack on top of boiling water, waited for it to cook and got still firm wrappers and chinese restaurant like quality on the dumplings.

My personal favorite was the All Meat Franks. It had the right amount of spice, a little crispy-chewy outside but still juicy inside. I ate it as soon as it landed on the table, I dreamed about it the next day LOL!

Now if you want a treat like this in the comforts of your home, I'll post their pricelist on this article. You may order through their page which I mentioned earlier or their number 09209274177 and look for Anna Chan. Thing is, there are no minimum orders, you just have to pay for delivery. So if you want to save, order a lot!

I'm actually eyeing those dairy products next, Titallennials might actually save you and your family some trouble. Go call them quick!

KUMAGCOW

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Are You Ready for NECRO Tourism?

The Ecumenical Chapel inside the Centennial Garden

This is one of the weirdest things I've covered this year, read on and I'll tell you why.

There's an 8 hectare property over at Macabling, Sta. Rosa in the province of Laguna that we visited a couple of days ago. Right now, it serves as an establishment in the front for Phoenix Memorial Chapels and Crematorium, and the rest of the land serves as the Centennial Garden. It belongs to a corporation that aims to provide unparalleled compassionate memorial service that's available 24/7.

Launched in 1999, Centennial Garden is a Greek inspired memorial park with state of the art facilities in Sta. Rosa Laguna. It's filled with statues of gods and goddesses, with easy and affordable lots. They also built a colombarium and crematory facility in late 2003 to serve as a respectable and solemn place for rest for those who have already departed.

This is OLYMPUS, a fully air conditioned 3 floor facility that houses urns for the dearly departed.

It's their 17th year, and they're making this a little different because they're launching a leisure place, and dubbing this whole area as a tourism spot and not just a memorial park. You heard that right. It's going to be housing a full museum, to show a glimpse of history coinciding with their necro and Greek theme. It's a bit different from the other ones with the same business. You also might think it's expensive for what you think people might have been getting but they say it's going to be reasonable. It's something that they have been working on for the past few years.

Phoenix have walk in packages as low as 25K, it's not that expensive and if you think about the amenities for your family, it's worth it.

Their thrust is, it's not going to be just for the rich and famous. These air conditioned rooms, the large buildings, all will be available for people who have their plans and not only that, they've been doing concerts, events inside the Phoenix memorial park. When the project for an eco tourism facility pushes through, they're going to be some sort of an attraction as they want to be different from other parks. Theirs is fun, a little festive and their current clientele is alreasy appreciating this believe it or not. 8 hectares means a long list of upgrades too so if you're already impressed with what they have right now, you can look forward to more in the future. In the coming months, they are also celebrating Halloween like never before. 

This is the ACROPOLIS. It houses 2 chapels that can fit up to 200 people. It also has a working loft, with 2 rooms, airconditioning and a shower. If you wish to spend a night or two here without going out, or if you live quite far from the property, it's easy to stay here.

The planned museum will also be housed at the bottom of this structure and we already saw some of the items they're planning to put there. It will be like a necro tour so people would know how people around the world take care of the dead.

There's a section of the land dedicated to a full play area, plus an indoor airconditioned one so you can hold parties and sing to your heart's content with the karaoke machines. I'm sure you've never seen anything like this right?

For good luck, and a more Grecian feel, they have this Water Plaza right in the middle of everything. It makes the place more relaxed, and serene.

 

They're going to have a full concert, allow kids to play on their pens and even have several videoke facilities ready for the adults. If you are part of the Phoenix Memorial Chapels and have availed of their services, this can be part of the things you'll enjoy when celebrating the life of your loved ones. It's unorthodox, I know, but who says that you have to be always sad when remembering someone you love right? I've even heard relatives celebrating their birthdays there with kids included. Putting up facilities like that must have only come from those who want to really care not just for the dearly departed, but for those who you have left in the real world. I know tons of people who would prefer it that way rather than the usual. That's what Phoenix Memorial Chapels and Crematorium provides and if you're interested, you may contact them on their channels below!

Email: coo@onephoenix.com.ph

Website: http://onephoenix.com.ph/

Photo Credits: Phoenix Memorial Chapels

For more information about their activities and services:

Phoenix Memorial Chapels and Creamatorium

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http://onephoenix.com.ph

Colored Right "The Hombre" Way by Jerusalem N Dio Salon

I haven't been able to fix my hair for a couple of months and I always get crazy when I get bored from it being black. It went black for a reason though because I had to be Professor Snape for one day during Ruth Dela Cruz's birthday. So I did the next big thing with my friends over at Jerusalem N Dio Salon at 58 Pentagrand Building in Mother Ignacia in Quezon City. It's a stones throw away from St. Mary's College of Quezon City so you wouldn't miss  it. They've treated me like family and just like the countless celebrities/clientele they've had over the years, I feel they only want YOU to be happy with your hair. Now that's a really great deal for me and I've been yearning for a color change. Tita Bing told us about  "The Hombre" which is a coloring style that makes you look like you've got root growths already even if they're coloring it for the first time. This has been done in Europe and in the US, which is pretty current in Philippine standards so I was so excited!

I love my hair, and the only way to treat it right is by looking good all the time. They're a neighborhood salon with the right amount of courage to experiment with their patrons, and I like that part. It's also near my place and it's accessible even by public transport. Best of all, you get treated like family. I don't know how to actually put that in words but if you go there, you'll experience it. That's how Tita Bing Dio has actually been able to do this for years. You should experience that yourself and get that hair fixed. They did my hair, really good in fact that I'm wearing it like this almost everyday in events. Oh, and it's organic! 

Thank you so much Tita Bing Dio and your whole staff! From super black hair to this? It's AMAZING! I love what I look like now and it's all because of you!

For more information about their services:

Jerusalem N Dio Salon by Bing Dio

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https://www.facebook.com/jerusalembybingdio

SmartSAT: Smart's New Satellite Phones and Services

When disaster strikes, are you prepared? Are you really ready for the big one?

Well, we got schooled about that a few days ago when Smart hooked us up for an Emergency Management Center Workshop at the New World Hotel in Makati City. The Philippines belong in the Pacific Ring of Fire where a large number of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and Typhoons take place every year. During Typhoon Yolanda, the provinces of Samar and Leyte suddenly became disconnected from the rest of the Philippines. There weren't any infrastructure that was left standing in some parts of the province and people had no idea what happened in different places. It was like the blind leading the blind. It was a realization, that sometimes, the worst could actually happen. Without communication, it was hard to asses the situation, it was hard to find people, it was hard to look and send help.

Eventually, we were able to get through that hardship, and we learned quite a lot about the essentials, what to do in case we were in that situation. We also got the 214 on Satellite Phones and how much the services cost when you get it through Smart SAT.

These are two phones, one is the SatSleeve which have compatible phone sizes for iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and Samsung S4. The other one is a Thuraya XT, manufactured by a mobile satellite communications company with the same name who partnered with the biggest network in the Philippines SMART Communications. The SatSleeve can last a total of 36 hours (in standby time) and the Thuraya XT on the other hand can last up to 80 hours (in standby time) which means you can use it for days when disaster strikes and communication bogs down. From the looks of the coverage area, I think the only one they didn't include is the US (although some island territories are), north and south America, the north and south pole (Artic and Antartic with some bodies of water). You can check the list of countries here.

It costs Php 38,500 which is already pre-loaded with 225 units which is about Php 10,000 worth of airtime credits. The credits expire in a year and you have to top up credits again so your number won't expire. You can also get this cash or at 0% interest if you have credit cards with their partner banks on 12/24 month installments. If you think about it, it almost costs the same as the normal smartphones today. Good news is, it's perfect for travelers because the call and text rates on these prepaid phones cost way cheaper than roaming rates plus you can get credits in different denominations like 35 units = Php 1,575.00, 100 units = Php 4,500.00, 250 units = Php 11,250.00. You may check out information about SmartSAT Plans here for more information.   

They also have docks, Thuraya IP+ (which is a mobile data and satellite terminal for Internet!), solar panels that can get your gadgets on even in the most difficult situations. That's living the Smart Life!

P.S. Oh by the way, this was also the instance where I met one of my blog idols Ms. Tina Tagle. Unfortunately you won't get to read her previous blogs (which were super cool btw!) but she writes now at her new site and jewelry design haven She Did It Anyway aka Willow Jewelry. I don't know how to tell you why, but just by reading her entries in the past, I've grown to love her and all her kids. She was even prettier in person! Totally, I turned into a fanboy right there (I kept telling my seatmates when I saw her enter the room!). Also to Ms. C (of Chuvaness.com), it was an awesome time to connect and talk with you again! I'm sure there will be another time! Hopefully real soon!

For more information about their services:

Smart Communications

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Visit their official website

http://smart.com.ph/satellite/