April 2014 – Just another @owrange site

Pissbull

In the still of the busy night, cars stucked in traffic honking horns, we peacefully eat sticks of tempura/fishball in the dark.

Rocky

Rocky from canso X.

Meg picked this stone from canso x.

Bu-KIDS

Lunch at Lantaw. 1st time in any Lantaw resto.

Then to Canso X in Balamban, Cebu. It was quite a long drive when we have nearer mountains. But it was still worth it.

The kids were counting the mountains on our way there. They said Canso X is the 3rd mountain from the city.

So we hope to go trekking as what we saw in their marketing. Thus tad disappointed when we’re not able to go all the way trekking because they don’t allow without orientation and a guide because the person to do that is not there. Anyhow, we did what we could.

It was still a blast!

Meg picked a round stone, doodled a face on it, take it around with her, and named it Rocky.

We checked the camping ground.

Trek

Open zoo?

Climbed

Kapoy and yaka

And, got stoked!

#word: ideatoki

I was tinkering with linkedin, when I got into “manage page” area, then I saw the description I put for “ideatoki.” I can’t help but laugh at how did we come up with those descriptions.
***
ideatoki is a conversation agency based in Cebu, Philippines. We go for conversion via conversation. We provide social media service provider as an additional way to connect with the people.

We are also a product company — building tools that are relevant to our clients’ social digital media marketing needs.

Ideatoki’s goal is help businesses understand social media. And, if they see a relevance in it for their businesses or their individual goals, we will help them out in:
* PLANNING how to position social media in their business or individual goals
* EXECUTE the plans. Reiterate if there’s a need, and also to keep it fresh.
* BUILD and MAINTAIN the relationships that are made via the social media efforts.
***

In fairness, it got 12 followers in linkedin. And I don’t know them so they’re not friends I bothered to follow the page http://www.linkedin.com/company/ideatoki/followers?page_num=1

Cafe Egao: mind-blown coffee experience

Earlier today, Paolo shared to me a video

Of cafe madge in Iloilo City, and it was just amazing to see the barista do it the old school manual way. You know how we love the novelty of the old school way.

And so I always wonder what is the best coffee experience can be.

After pechakucha at Gilt, we stopped at Cafe Egao in Talamban. We’ve been wanting to try it, dubbed as the the Japanese coffee shop, but just had not found the time. So finally we were able to visit it.

I love small quaint coffee shops owned by coffee enthusiast, and Cafe Egao is exactly like that. That homey kind of feeling minus the budgeted architecture and interior design of coffee shop chains.

But I got totally stoked when the first thing I saw upon entering the place was this lady brewing coffee manually with her different very basic gadgets that looked mismatched with one another. (Though I don’t think those “basic” gadgets are really cheap.)

And, I got more stoked when she said that they have fresh beans, which they can roast on the spot. Is that ever possible? I did not know there is such thing. 🙂

The fresh beans…

Something I learned from the barista is that the finer you ground the beans, the stronger the coffee will be. I really thought it’s the opposite — the coarser = the stronger.

I love the messiness of the place, which I could not tell if it was intended to be part of their interior design, or it’s just how the place is.

And, i wonder if this is how are coffee shops in Japan. It’s functionally romantic (i do not know what word to use to describe the feeling of the place). Now, I wanna go to Japan!

Mi ramen

I so wanted to try the fresh beans, but i’m scared i might not be able to sleep so i opted for a latte, to which i could feel that the barista was disappointed with my choice. 🙂 After all my inquisitions, then I just ended up with a latte? “Girl, you better go back to your starbucks, and order frap,” according to the look of the barista. Kidding. 🙂

Fresh beans, I’ll be back!

I guess I could say that was one of the best coffee experience. It’s probably what you call it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey.

Think & Write. Posteroo.

I always wanted to take time, and sit down to think over how to manage the contents in runroo.

As time passes by doing the runroo, I learned that creating / producing contents is different from managing the contents. A good writer does not necessarily mean a good content manager, and I’m referring to myself (i’m not good, but i’m diligent just like a perfect attendance can sometimes make you look a good student).

I know for a long time that there is really wrong about how I keep up with the contents in runroo. Then after some time, I realized that the problem was that i do not have content scheduling. I produce as whatever would come across me. I am lucky to find wonderful writers who shares write-ups with me. But still I’m stressed because if i could not manage my own contents, the more with the others’ contents.

Now as good content producer is different skill from manager, so is identifying the problem does not necessarily mean having a solution.

My immediate reaction when i learned that the problem is with content management and scheduling was to gedamn find a content manager because I just don’t have IT. I may be able to fake my being a writer, but that part/skill is I cannot. I don’t think that I gave up easily. It’s just one of those things — by gut feeling — that I know that I really do not have it.

So anyway, Mark has been demanding me for a long time that I should write down my tasks so he could look at it, and turn over it to a content manager. We even got into a heated argument because yada yada yada.

So this afternoon, I face my greatest fear — writing down what’s inside my head. Thing is i’m not an organized person. If you can see how messy my bag is, that’s how the stuff inside my brain is also arranged — chaotic as the “taong grasa’s” hair.

After filling out pages after pages of my tasks/thoughts, I tried to find a way of putting a pattern / system to this “content factory” business.

And, viola! I identify 3 steps: Identify months ahead the articles – Production a month before the posting sched — posting.

I know i know this can be pretty obvious to anyone but not to me whose left / analytical part of the brain is totally devoid.

Now I finally nailed it why I felt like I’m always chasing and chasing imaginary deadlines as I operate on fly. It felt like back-to-back race always.

Finally, I’m now feeling happy. I’m

Kind of annoyed with myself for taking so

Long to figure it out. But i also want to give myself a pat on the back for however I was able to manage my messiness for like almost 2 years. How did I ever survive it for that long?!

As always, my ignorance is a bliss.

the profile picture

I know this probably does not best represent myself because this is too cute to be me. But i love the light effect. I’m a sucker for lights-on-the-face effect. I guess because it washed out impurities, and other imperfections.

Another reason why I love this photo because I had my blings on — my favorite hydration backpack, my waistbelt bag, whatever you call it, my new fave orange singlet from Jong / TDR and the visor i always find boring. =) That’s why I love trail running because you can be overdressed/geared, and it’s fine! =)

Photo by Imeka Urasaki (not sure if it’s her real name), she’s one of the photographers during running event, and also runs, and her mom runs.

She is the person behind the iCapture facebook page. If you’re looking for photos of Cebu fun runs, marathons, running, race events, you can check her page.

Of long rides, short trek, quick dip

Mark said that I kept fussing about my (lack of) training program, how about my program for my kids?!? Yeah, right! Enlightenment!

So our mediocre program for today was take a long ride to Borbon with the lolas and lolo. So the MIL has this frand project of building a shrine somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Borbon. So we went there with Lolo benancio (MIL’s brother) who will be doing the road planning.

But before we reached Borbob, we had standing lunch at Carmen’s public plaza.

Dessert at Hillside, Carmen.

Watched bikers from the truck.

Shrine vs Trail Run

I did not know that the “shrine” was going to be up in some mountains of Borbon. But it was fun to get the kids to do a trek, however short it was.

The hats from the MIL, and their made-up trekking poles.

While the MIL kept talking about the shrine and miracle, and sisters and fathers, I was all the time thinking about trail trekking/running on the place

I was happy to hear Mati said “nindot” (nice) when asked how was the trek.

And, kids had quick dip before heading home.

So that was the kids’ program for today. For tomorrow, I hope we would not be too lazy to bring the kids up to Tilhaong for another trek. 🙂

Medieval day: The sub cultured

I mainly belong to the mainstream, and that means I son’t really get the comic culture, the artsy fartsy, the literature, the music, not even anime.

But then, luckily, I have friends who are cultured. And, though I don’t really get what they’re so crazy about like that GOT “throne” and the boardgames but they’re overwhelming passion did not fail to sweep me off my feet.

So anyway, I cannot say in details much about the event (because i don’t watch GOT or play board games) except that all kind of hipsters and “artists” to bordering to “weird” for my taste are there. It felt so ALIVE!!!

On the other thought, thanks coffee for making me not so out of place.

Jon Snow and Chyrel

People in costume and make-believe

Poy the all-media gamer — from online, video to this. He with friends created http://ballistagames.com for your classy boardgame needs. No not that snakes and ladders.