Allphones with market-first Free Shopping Money opens its 61st store at Greenhills

According to research,  most Filipinos own up to an average of 3-4 sim cards and make calls and send text messages more frequently, like everyday than any other nationalities. A survey even stated that one out of 3 Filipinos can't live without cellphones. Source: http://technology.inquirer.net/18168/one-of-3-filipinos-cant-live-without-cell-phones-survey

And with the onset of smart phones, a byword for mobile computer, Filipinos whether young or old, with low, average or high income have a smart phone or atleast a phone that functions to provide communication, and entertainment.

But as most Filipinos struggle with limited resources and rising prices, what everybody seeks for is a value package without the need to sacrifice the quality.

Mobile Phones have become a necessity and Allphones, an innovative mobile retail chain has seen the need and solution to it by combining the best gadget selection and the most compelling deals in a one-stop shopping experience for today's value-seeking users.

Allphones Philippines was created through a partnership between Allphones Australia, TAO Corporation and Globe Telecom. It has invested on research and development to know and provide the exact needs of a Filipino consumer and became very successful now with its 61st outlet in Vmall Greenhills that opened last August 21, 2015. The grand opening started with a conference over a sumptuous lunch at Wafu Japanese Restaurant and a ceremonial blessing of the store.

Allphones Australia began as a single store in Mile End, South Australia in 1989. It eventually expanded to 200 stores nationally and has become the largest independent telecommunications retailer in Australia.

Allphones with more than 60 stores across the nation now have V-Mall, Greenhills  located at Unit V-334, 3rd Level. Applying for a postpaid plan has  been made even fun and easy through a secure and seamless digital “paperless” processing—instead of filling out forms and documents, you’ll enter your customer data using a tablet device. Your customer information is kept safe and private through their military grade security protocols. A consumer hits two birds in one stone having all the perks and promise of best value delivered by trained customer service staff of Allphones.

Allphones is committed to providing the highest level of retail experience to all mobile phone customers and subscribers.

As the country’s Mobile Best Deal Destination for your Digital Lifestyle, Allphones offers the latest mobile devices and postpaid plans in the Philippines. It also offers a wide selection of handsets that you can try hands-on through our live mobile devices on display. And once you find that perfect device, they make it easy for you to have it through a low purchase price or through a postpaid Allphones Shopping Money.

True to its promise of providing a leveled-up retail experience, the brand offers yet another market-first with Allphones Shopping Money, a first of its kind that no other mobile retail chain in the Philippines has offered.

Allphones is giving up to Php8,500 shopping money to each subscriber of a Globe myLifestyle Plan 999 which comes with unlimited calls and texts to Globe and TM, mobile Internet, and access to rich content--whether it be Spotify, Hooq or NBA.

“With Php8,500 shopping money on hand, shoppers can easily mix and match mobile devices with an assortment of digital connectors such as speakers, headphones, powerbanks, among others; giving our customer the flexibility to create and customize gadget bundles fit for the content they enjoy most” said Chris Guarin, Trade Marketing Head of Allphones Philippines.

Allphones make owning a smartphone easy, convenient, and affordable with the features and services you need most. Visit an Allphones store near you and get that perfect device today!


Company website: http://www.allphones.com.ph/

Allphones, Philippines Leadership Team

Tao Technology Group CEO: Brigs M. Merin

Chief Executive Adviser : Geoff A. Hester

COO & General Manager: Blue C. Avelino

Chief Financial Officer : Edmund Minerva

Australasian Mobile Telephony Group (AMT)


Managing Director AMT Group/ Allphones Retail, Australia: Shaun Colligan


TAO Corporation

President : Julio “Jun” D. Sy, Jr

Glentel

Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer: Thomas Skidmore

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer: Jas Boparai

Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer: Cary Skidmore


Board of Directors : Gaylord Hazelwood

Globe Telecom

President and CEO : Ernest Cu


Head of Consumer Division: Dan Horan


For more information about Allphones and the exclusive, amazingly high value-for-money deals it offers, like Allphones Philippines on Facebook and @allphonesPH on Twitter. ###

Usual travel-travel characters

Found something to amuse me. Cebu pacific the second flag carrier of Philippines has given me a full throttle of entertainment onboard. Aside from winning their question and answer ice breaker game, I really got entertained with the contents of their smile magazine.  It doesn't have the usual pure advertisement of products, instead it's full of travel articles that got me reading and awake all throughout the flight.

Wai Ying Fastfood

When we were in college, our favorite Chinese restaurant was North Park. A branch is just a ride away from our school and the price fits our budget as students. Aside from north park we also like to eat at a Chinese resto in BGC. However, the restaurant's name slipped out of my memory and I couldn't recall the exact location as well. 

Since my bestfriend's vacation here is near to end. We decided to go to Divisoria to shop and haggle. It brings back memories of our younger days fun of exploring the market of Mongkok, the cheap wise Jatujak and the shopping haven Luoho. I'm still the queen of 'better late than never' notion so we arrived at Divisoria lunch time. We agreed to eat first and talked about going to Binondo to try some Chinese. Too bad we don't know how to go to China Town so we didn't have a choice but scour the mall. I forgot what mall it was in Divisoria, but we found Wai Ying Fastfood at its food court. People are queuing and we saw one guy ordered a platter of Siomai. Made us pretty curious and found ourselves pointing at every dish on display. 

I've learned from my favorite kdrama 'let's eat' that only amateurs use onions for fried rice. To achieve the perfect fried rice, heating should be longer and we wouldn't want the onion to burn so leaks or onion spring should be used instead. 

No extenders. One of the best siomai I've ever had. Perfectly good even without the chili and soy.

Butchi that is not oily. Good to eat while it's still hot.

A woman ordered congee and we were like 'wanna try their congee topped with that crackers'. Comfort food indeed

Beside Wai Ying is Lydia's Lechon which serves chopped roasted pig. The meat of the Lechon is fresh and the skin crunchy. Exactly the type of Lechon that won't give you nauseous feeling.

We wanted to overindulge in everything. But overeating would definitely make us lethargic. Wai Ying also offers radish cake which I heard is good. At the counter they have a display bread called mantao and people are ordering Chicken feet that I've never tried eating. I've realized there are so many Chinese dishes that I know nothing about. 

No wonder why Wai Ying is flocked by customers. It has a branch in Binondo, meaning they serve authentic Chinese dishes. We ate well and the cashier and order taker were so surprised how we managed to finish eating all those food we ordered. 

Tales of Asia: Eating spider at pub street

I've read that the average person eats up to 4 spiders in sleep during his lifetime.  But those are bimmo spiders, the itsy bitsy tiney spiders. Creepy! And what if you remove 'in sleep', would you dare eat spiders? 

Before jetsetting to Indochina, I've watched on YouTube how the people of Myanmar, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries eat spiders and other creepy insects. There was even a video from a rural area where the locals harvest mount of spiders, cook them and put different seasonings! Biting it would make a crackling sound. The insect bitten apart is just like biting the pizza where the rubbery mozzarella slips away from the pizza bread.

So by the time I got to pub street- the liveliest place of Siem Reap famous for bars and food scene, I scoured the area where to find mr spidey. 

When I found a mobile cart selling insects,  I was shocked at how expensive one tiny insect costs. Tourists can take a photo of the insects for half a dollar and eat one piece for one dollar. I thought I might as well try! After all, I went there to experience eating insects just like how I've watched it on YouTube.

The spider they sell was the big black hairy one. It was indeed crunchy and flavorful. But it left a burning sensation on my tongue that lasted for a couple of days. That was my first time to eat such, too bad I've got no video of myself eating spidey.

Salud! Your Perfect Margarita

"I wanna dance by the water beneath the Mexican sky. Drink some Margaritas by a string of blue lights Listen to the Mariachi play at midnight Are you with me, are you with me?" There goes the Margarita song by Lost Frequencies with dreamy lyrics conveying the sexiness of drinking margarita. Perfect drink while basking out the sun or chilling out with chummies at night, a tonic in life. That much is true.

Todd English is full of black and orange, spacious at 900 sqm. To my dismay Oliver and Chef Todd were not there.

The pica-pica dishes served were exquisite and well presented with gourmet artistry

Salud! Arriba, abajo, al centro y para dentro.

The Margarita Bar Crawl media launch started a little early. It was held at the second floor Balcony of Todd English, SM Aura. 

I wasn't appropriately dressed for the night's event and I was even wearing my specs.

Your Perfect Margarita

What makes a perfect margarita? The answer may be as complex or as varied as the genesis of this very popular drink - the margarita is ranked as the world’s third most popular cocktail and is considered to be the staple summer drink all over the globe. A perfect margarita should be refreshing and tasty without being overly sugary or strong.

Though a perfect margarita may be all about personal preferences, there are basic rules on making your margarita the best tasting one. It is all about using the best ingredients: the finest 100% blue agave tequila, the best orange liqueur, the freshest limes and the cleanest salts. This is why the world’s finest tequila and best orange liqueur companies have come together to give you: YOUR PERFECT MARGARITA

Casa Noble tequila and Cointreau are the two ingredients that most mixologists and bartenders prefer when making their signature margaritas. Casa Noble, produced since the 1700’s, is one of only three organic tequila manufactured worldwide. Over 3,000 acres of blue agave grown on the Casa Noble estate are harvested, cooked in stone ovens, fermented, then distilled three times. The tequila is then stored in silver oak barrels from 364 days and up to five years, to create an elegant tasting tequila. Next, Cointreau, categorized orange liqueur categorized as a triple sec, is best to use to produce the sweet light and tangy flavour in the cocktail. Uniquely, Cointreau is more than a liqueur with its orange fragrance revealing the true soul of a delicious margarita while marrying the taste of Parisian art de vivre!

CASA NOBLE ULTRA PREMIUM TEQUILA

Critically acclaimed and acknowledged the world over as one of the finest ultra premium tequila brands. Made from 100% organically grown “blue agave,” it is widely sought after for its smooth aroma and a distinctly satisfying velvety finish.

Beloved by lifestyle engagers and connoisseurs of fine spirits, CASA NOBLE Ultra Premium Tequila counts music icon, multiple-Grammy award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Carlos Santana as one of its proud owners. Shares with Casa Noble the passion for perfection in everything they do.

ABOUT CASA NOBLE TEQUILA

HISTORY

The Casa Noble tradition starts from a historic 1700s hacienda surrounded by Blue Agava. The ways and customs of a country's population, regardless of its geographic location, have a strong relation to their food and drinks. A perfect example of all of this can be found in one word: Tequila. Tequila is one of Mexico's most significant contributions to the world. This beverage means so much to its culture and values – tradition, perfection, pureness, togetherness, sharing - these same elements were the building blocks in the late 1800s from which Casa Noble began its own quest to produce and offer tequila to the world.

Casa Noble's roots can be traced as far back as the mid-1700s, as a hacienda surrounded by a vast land where only one thing was to be found: Blue Agave (Tequiiana Weber), tequila's one and only source. This particular hacienda became one of the most developed facilities of the region; its lands holding close to 1 million agave plants. The whole region recorded a 6 million total. At the turn of the century, this hacienda had a daily production capacity of ten 66-liter barrels.

By the early 1900s, the beverage known as "vino mezcal" or "vino tequila" began growing in popularity and acceptance as a straight drink, unfiltered and undiluted. Tequila was kept in wood barrels. After fermentation they were carried by mules directly to the cantinas in Mexico City and nearby Guadalajara.

Today tequila is part of the celebration of life. Song- writers have paid homage to Mexico's finest export in many ballads. Passion and tequila go side by side among people's lives, celebrations and meals.

Casa Noble ultra premium tequila begins with carefully selected mature Blue Agave plants, which have met our strict requirements for water and sugar content. We employ only traditional methods and slow cook our rich agave piñas for 38 hours in stove ovens. Then, using only the core and heart of the agaves, we extract our sweet nectar. Our fermentation process is 100% natural, followed by triple distillation. The result is a tequila so pure and full of Agave flavor that it has elevated the concept of tequila to new levels around the world.


CASA NOBLE “CRYSTAL”

All superior tequila starts with only the best "Silver" or "Blanco" and ours is Casa Noble Crystal. We call it Crystal because we believe it is superior to all silver tequilas. It is simply in a class by itself. Contained in a beautiful hand blown glass decanter, adorned with an exquisite pewter engraved label and top. It is the perfect Blanco.


CASA NOBLE “REPOSADO”

This exquisite tequila is matured in French white Oak barrels. Smooth, sensuous and full bodied, this tequila rivals the best spirits in the world. Contained in a beautiful hand blown cobalt blue decanter, adorned with an exquisite pewter engraved label and top. It is perfect marriage of agave and the oak.


CASA NOBLE “ANEJO”

Casa Noble Anejo is our most perfect tequila, this exquisite tequila is matured in French White Oak barrels and extra aged to perfection and produced in limited quantities. Its deep golden tone has an exceptional bouquet and body that ranks among the finest distilled spirits in the world. Beautifully contained in artisan purple glass decanter.

AWARDS

San Francisco World Spirit Competition

Double Gold Medal

Two Time Silver Medal Winner

Beverage Tasting Institute

Gold Medal

Mexican Tequila Academy

About Cointreau:

Cointreau was created nearly 165 years ago in Angers, deep in the heart of the Loire Valley, but has always retained a profoundly Parisian and chic soul. Its iconic amber bottle presents the perfect balance between sweet and bitter oranges, a subtle taste uncovering incredible strength of character. Cointreau combined with fresh lemon or lime, is the base for Cointreau Fizz and a whole host of classic cocktails like the Margarita, the Cosmopolitan, the White Lady, or the Sidecar.

Cointreau is a brand of triple sec (an orange-flavoured liqueur) produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is drunk as an aperitif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called "Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec".

Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur guignolet, but they found success when they blended sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beets. The first bottles of Cointreau were sold in 1875. An estimated 13 million bottles are sold each year, in more than 150 countries.

About Rémy Cointreau International:

The French-based Rémy Cointreau Group is the global leading manufacturer and distributor of ultra-premium spirits and champagnes. With an annual turnover of over 1.2 billion euros, the Group is backed by an outstanding portfolio of brands leading the premium and ultra-premium spirits markets.

These brands include Rémy Martin Cognac, Louis XIII by Rémy Martin, Cointreau Liqueurs, St Rémy Brandy, Metaxa Greek Brown Spirit, Mount Gay Rum, Passoa Liqueur, Bruichladdich Single Malt Whisky and The Botanist Gin.

Today Rémy Cointreau has a presence in more than 150 countries around the world. Increasingly, Rémy Cointreau brands are regarded as worldwide benchmarks for premium wines and spirits by elite customers, with solid product reputations resulting from strong traditions which have been meticulously upheld. Strong tradition and a passion for developing the potential of its premium brands, Rémy Cointreau is set to continue its growth in both existing and new markets, as it remains committed to its customers, retaining the extraordinary quality and sustainability of its well-loved brands.

I actually came late and this picture (from http://beyondgallivanting.tumblr.com/page/3) shows Lee Watson showing a demo on how to create the perfect margarita

There were my favorite oysters that I didn't get to taste. I got busy with my Margarita

Casa Noble rated Number 1 by The New York Times and Cointreau Orange Tequila freebies 

1. 

Now I can mix my own signature Margarita even if I'm just at home.

A lot of the guests stayed to enjoy the night and sip free flowing drinks

MARGARITA BAR CRAWL

We are bringing the perfect margarita to you! Your Perfect Margarita will be bringing select bloggers and media to the top bars and lounges in Metro Manila in August! We are on a mission to taste the best version of Your Perfect Margarita!

Follow us on our official social media platforms: Instagram (@YourPerfectMargarita) and Facebook (facebook.com/yourperfectmargarita to get the latest information on schedules and venues and read up on margarita recipes using Casa Noble and Cointreau!

My Thai kitchen

My sister from another mother decided to take a day off from her work. Consequently 'twas my rest day from my tiring work as well. We both have the liking for food adventure so we both eat out together when we have time, and this time we won't be paying Dutch since she decided to treat me for dinner. 

We didn't really want to go downtown so we just went to My Thai Kitchen which is near Tong Ho Institute. I've been here before and I got to taste their Pad Thai and Chicken Satay. The Pad Thai they serve when it comes to authenticity is a thumbs down, and the chicken satay is more delicious than what I've had in Thailand.

We ordered nachos, Chicken and Basil Fried rice and chicken satay which was not available so we asked the server for her best recommendation, and she said we gotta try their Thai sisig.

Their nachos and fried rice were fine and the Thai sisig was so ordinary it doesn't have any Thai trace or ingredient on it. A regular sisig in a Filipino restaurant is even better than their claimed Thai sisig. I've been many times to Bangkok and never did I see sisig dish offered. I should've known better, that this is a Filipino dish trying hard to have Thai twist. Filipino dishes are good on its own and Thai dishes are famous for its own authenticity and the both shouldn't be mixed up. We also ordered cheesecake and when it was brought we got dismayed it was not the cream layered cheesecake we were expecting. Why couldn't they be more precised on naming things? They could've atleast informed us that they serve cheese bread sort of sponge type and not the cream layered cheese cake everybody loves!

That night was exclusive for us. We were the only guests dining so nobody did see my face in horror upon tasting the sisig.

The refreshments they serve

The pork sisig costs us P170. I could've just bought pork and cook it on my own.

Good thing there are chicken strips mixed with our Fried Rice.

I haven't tried any of their curries. 

Philippine National Railways

Please excuse my 'pabebe' post. This is my first time riding the Philippine National Railway (Filipino: Pambansang Daambakal ng Pilipinas. My best friend has just arrived from Europe and we decided we want to go to Divisoria. From FTI Station to Tutuban Station the journey took less than an hour, I couldn't exact the time as I was all too busy chatting with her.

PNR, is a state-owned railway company in thePhilippines, operating a single line of track on Luzon. As of 2015, it operates one commuter rail service in Metro Manila; its services in the Bicol Region have been suspended. PNR restored its intercity service to the Bicol region in 2011 and the Bicol Express and Isarog Express were scheduled to run daily between Manila and Ligao, but as of September 2013 these trains were suspended.

PNR began operations on November 24, 1892 as the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan, during the Spanish colonial period, and later becoming the Manila Railroad Company (MRR) during the American colonial period. It became the Philippine National Railways on June 20, 1946 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4156.

The long ride cost me Php 15.00. An old ride train ride in Kota Kinabalu designed for tourists would cost less than $100 USD. Maybe we should also improve our transportation facilities and create a theme like that of Kota Kinabalu's Dutch Train Ride. 

The Tutuban Terminal looks like an immigration border. In all fairness, the surrounding is clean and spacious.

Latest News: Japan pledges 240B yen for 36.7-km rail from Malolos to Tutuban