See you at the 35th Manila International Book Fair!

one week to go! have you saved up for this? last year i came with a couple of my college friends and i took home a great haul! this year, i intend to do the same so mega tipid ako ngayon so i can buy a lot of great titles like before! >XD

Date, venue and time

The 35th Manila International Book Fair
September 17-21, 2014
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
SMX Convention Center
Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines

Website: click here for more details!

Tickets 

Last year, tickets were sold at 20 pesos each, right at the venue itself. so considering that, this year's ticket price might be as cheap (sorry, haven't asked). But if you're still worried, guess what... YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY! A lot of exhibitors are giving away free tickets, like Fully Booked, National Bookstore, PCBS etc. Just go ask them when you visit their stores.

But if you're tamad like me, Adarna House is giving away free printable tickets, just PRINT THIS PAGE. that's already 4 tickets per page, and you can print out as many as you want! the gate also accepts black and white prints, so srsly, how cool is that? Thank you Adarna House! one day i'll become one of your artists hihi #bucketList

See you there! >XD

the secret is out! i #ShoweredWithDialCocoWater because Natural is the way to Nourish

last week, the hashtag #ShoweredWithCoco trended the news feeds with selfies of random people holding a fansign saying they #ShoweredWithCoco. if you were following me, you might have passed over one of my shameless selfies and wondered what the hell have i been doing with my life. that, or asked the question "who the hell is coco?", or "ano nanamang pakulo ito?!", or "k. #deadmadela #movingOn".

so to everyone who got curious, here's the reveal!

it took me a lot of courage (and makeup HAHA) to post those selfies, and let alone that fansign, so pagbigyan nyo na ko okay? hahaha

simply put, the #ShoweredWithCoco campaign is an effort to promote Dial's newest line of body care products, Dial Coconut Water! :)

for the record, i hardly put on lotion nowadays because i find it too sticky, and ma-effort i-lather on my skin haha it takes time kasi and yung male-late ka na, maglo-lotion ka pa ba? nevermind na lang diba? haha. apprently, when i tried this body wash, i realized that this is as good a moisturizer you can get if you're not into lotion products (like i am right now)!

it smells clean and refreshing in the shower, but towel-dried and it only leaves off a very mild, and natural coconut scent that is great for everyday use! plus you'll find that it gives your skin ample moisture that is less dense, and therefore not heavy on the skin. :)

Have you ever experienced having dry skin because your soap or body wash was just too strong for your skin? Or have you ever felt icky and sticky after putting on lotion just to get your skin moisturized?

Having too much chemicals on your skin may not be the right way to take care of it. Being the most visible organ of the body, you need to take extra care of it. So, whether you have skin that is as tough as leather, or as sensitive as a baby’s, the proper care on your skin is important since it is always exposed to harmful elements that may damage and spell illness to your skin.

Bath soaps and body washes are essential to clean your skin from all the dirt and grime you get from your daily activities. However, some soaps and body washes can actually strip off essential oils from the skin that could lead to dryness. One way to address this dilemma is to go natural! This is the perfect way to have your skin clean and nourished for that healthy aura people will notice.

Filipinos are not new to cleansing using natural ingredients. Among others, oats and salts are used for exfoliation, honey for skin rejuvenation, milk for moisture, jasmine for its soothing properties, and flower petals for fragrance and indulgence. What could be new to Filipinos, however, is the use of coconut water in caring for the skin.

For many years, coconuts have been used in so many ways, be it for nutrition, in the household, or in other commercial industries. It is only now that coconut water is being used as an ingredient for body care. One of America’s most trusted body care brands, Dial, came up with the innovative idea of infusing coconut water into our daily body care products like soap and body wash.

The Dial Coconut Water line of body care products is the first of its kind in the market, having coconut water as its primary ingredient in cleansing and caring for the skin. With coconut water found in young green coconuts, complemented by bamboo leaf extract, the Dial Coconut Water soap and body wash are rich in anti-oxidants, which get rid of harmful free-radicals that make skin look old and unhealthy, while the electrolytes in it keep the skin ultra-hydrated and rejuvenated. To top it all off, Dial’s crisp, indulging scent leaves you feeling fresh all day long.

Dial understands that the only way to make your skin refreshed and revitalized from all the stress it takes from the modern lifestyle and environment is to go natural for better nourishment. Your skin is the most noticeable part of your body wherever you go, thus your skin health should be in its tiptop shape all the time.

It only takes one shower using Dial Coconut Water soap and body wash to have that much needed skin care – for a healthier aura people will notice.

Dial Coconut Water is available at all leading supermarkets and department stores in Metro Manila. To know more about Dial, visit www.dialsoap.com.

[Review + Giveaway!] A chill night at SF Bistro - McKinley Hill, Taguig [CLOSED]

if you're looking for a cozy place to hang out with your friends for a good drink, and a dynamic menu that offers sound gourmet fusion dishes, here's a chill place you might want to try out!

last week, terai and i got to experience SF Bistro (yup, that's san fran!) for the first time. it's located at the ground floor of Tuscany Private Estates, right in front of McKinley Hills Village, and just a good walking distance away from Venice Piazza. :) so if you work around McKinley or BGC, there's no reason to miss this place out!

honestly, i don't know what's distinct with san francisco's food offerings that are categorically different from the more commonly known american foods like burgers, steaks, and mashed potatoes. but looking at the menu, i figured that SF Bistro is generally an american fusion restaurant so i was excited how the food is going to come out!

Ambiance

the place is a bit small and could come off as pretty cramped, you know when you have to tip toe your way between chairs? haha i even knocked off a lamp. sorry! 

they have a bar counter, and a small space beside the stairs for a performer (preferably solo hehe). the lights are a bit dim for my own liking (and photos) though hehe. but anyway, the overall feel of the place is cozy and relaxed. and with that guy singing over there, there is totally no reason to not loosen up. his voice is amazing! upstairs is where the kitchen is and a function area :D yes, they accept reservations!

Menu

Here's a peek at their menu, they have a lot to offer specially with the drinks (just click to enlarge)!

Aaaaand, the food!

Here's what we ordered during our visit :)

Spinach Dip
Php 195.00

those are crispy tortilla chips, served with a special spinach dip. you could never go wrong with nachos talaga, and this dish is no different. we loved how the dip is so cheesy! simot sarap samin to! hahaha

Ginger Detox
Php 80.00

MY FAVORITE DRINK! i'm a sucker for ginger and anything with detox in it (i've caught the detox fad bug!). this is most probably cold water infused with lemon, ginger slices, and mild sweetener, at least. and the result is an extremely refreshing healthful kick. YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS. i will definitely do this at home since it looks so simple hehe

Portabello Truffle Pasta

Php 205.00

From the menu: Linguine pasta tossed in our creamy sauce in mushroom. Served with two slices of bread

it may look like a glammed up carbonara but it's more than that. the sauce is amazing and tastes very sosyal. hahaha ano ba. this is my favorite among all the dishes we tried! 

Beef Sliders
Php 245.00

From the menu: Grilled beef patty with lettuce, tomato, in cocktail buns. Served with our cucumber sauce.

that's two mini burgers served with drizzled onion rings. aside from being super cute, they also taste great! 

Chicken and Shrimp Chimichurri
Php 365.00

From the menu: Grilled chicken and shrimp in herbs and spices in creamy chimichuri sauce

we told ourselves not to eat rice so we won't gloat easily but the curious sounding dish caught us. we loved how the rice was specked with a lot of herbs but still didn't taste too overpowering. the chimichuri sauce was super creamy, and the lemon which we squeezed to death provided a great contrast to the dish. it could use some more salt and seasoning though, but maybe that's what the condiments are for hehe. >XD

Barbecue Ribs

Php 250.00

From the menu: Slow roasted pork ribs in our very own barbecue sauce. Served with a choice of rice or dirty mashed potato and buttered vegetables

The best seller for entrees! when we read the menu we were like, DIRTY MASHED POTATO? yung totoo? apparently it's a term used to describe mashed potato which isn't totally peeled. in short, may balat. so dirty daw. haha #amused

we enjoyed this a lot! the pork was tender, the barbecue sauce was strong, but was perfectly tamed with the mashed potato. perfect combo diba! at my buttered vegetables pa. 

Vanilla Ice Cream

Php 135.00

Mojitos

Classic Mojito - Php 150.00

Ginger Valley - Php 150.00

terai ordered the Classic Mojito, and i can't get over the ginger feels so i opted for the Ginger Valley! hahaha! she loved the ginger mojito better because obvious ba, GINGER IS OZOM!

aaaaand that's all! i hope you loved this feature as much as we loved eating there! i'm gonna be wrapping this up soon with their contact details aaaand MY VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY!  ma-excite ka, dali! HAHAHA

thanks for having us, SF Bistro!

Location, contact, and stuff!

San Francisco Bistro

G/F Tuscany Private Estates

Upper McKinley Road
McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11am - 2am

Phone: 9492744

Email: reservation.sfbmckinley@gmail.com

Facebook: sanfranciscobistro

Twitter: @sfbistroph

Instagram: @sfbistro

Giveaway time!

hahaha welcome to my first ever giveaway! >XD the rules are simple! just key in your entries using the rafflecopter widget below and get a chance to win Php 1,000 worth of SF Bistro Gift Certificate and a surprise gift from me!

Note: Rafflecopter widget might not work on mobile

Terms and Conditions:

1. Open to everyone who has a Metro Manila mailing address, 

2. Contest will run from September 10 - 17, 2014

3. Winner will be announced within the week of closing date, and will receive a confirmation message via email

4. Prizes will be shipped to the winner's Metro Manila address

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have a winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who joined! Congratulations to Joy Rebleza! I've sent you an email :)

Stay tuned for more giveaways! :)

[UPDATED] I'm joining Blogapalooza 2014! and YOU SHOULD TOO!

Are you a blogger? Do you want to grow your network, discover new and exciting products from various businesses, meet fellow bloggers, and converge in a day full of fun, knowledge, and freebies? Then come and join this year's Blogapalooza!

Happening this September 20 October 11 at SM Aura Convention Halls 1&2, is the biggest business to blogger networking event that you wouldn't want to miss!

For more details, click here!
If you want to know what's in for bloggers, see this link!

AND if you want to join, just register your blog over here and wait for the updated list of invited blogs on their news section, OR just wait for their email! :)

it will be my first time to join this event, and quite frankly, i didn't think my site would get in! >XD i don't know what to expect, what the format would be like. is it going to be like an expo with lots of exhibitors and free samples? a job fair where you drop your blog deets and hop on to the next booth? will it be like Nuffnang's Blogopolis w/ awesome speakers and tons of freebies? I REALLY DON'T KNOW. hahaha that's why i'm so excited!

if you have joined the previous Blogapalooza's, please enlighten me! haha

ARE YOU JOINING TOO? SEE YOU THEN!!! >XD

[RAVEiew] Cyber Month Tech Sale + Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

do you still remember the first cellular phone you had? just like you (probably!), i started with the legendary nokia 3310 (my sister had the indestructible nokia 5110), then a motorola e398 that lasted almost 5 years, then a nokia 1202. when i started earning by working part-time when i was in college, i saved up for a new cellphone because somehow my 1202 has started falling apart. that's when i got myself an LG Cookie. and more importantly, that's when i found a place i consider a second home.

i never knew i had a deep fancy for technology and gadgets until i stepped into this wonderland called SM Cyberzone. it's home to the newest, and latest tech innovations that will surely rock your world, and rack your pockets. for as we all know, the newer the technology, the heftier the price. aw.

fortunately, SM Cyberzone is on a mission to connect us to the world of technology and if money's a problem, they've got us covered!

this WHOLE MONTH of August is SM Supermall's Cyber Month Tech Sale! can you believe it? a month long SALE? havey na havey! i know it's probably too late but if you were one of those who rushed in to this celebration, i'm sure you were able to get the most out of it even if you just window shopped (like me haha). and if you missed it, come on, are you sure you really missed it? doesn't SM mean SALE MONTHLY? haha you bet pakbet! there's more to come! after all, the BER months are gleaming over the horizon already!

everything we do today is dependent on technology. it has become a powerful metric of how society has improved (or not). it is a social symbol, you may not know it but you are being judged by the gadgets you use. it is a powerful marketing tool, it affects your business and how your clients perceive you. what can i say, technology is life. and not only has it shaped our needs, it also has built our identities.

there's no denying how technology has redefined the way we live, and most especially, communicate! i'm saying this because this is the part where i let technology take dibs with my brain (and wallet). gone were the days when all i needed was a basic phone that lets me call and text. now i want to be able to chat online, check and send emails, listen to music, watch videos, access my socials, take awesome pictures, and read books! and that's just my minimum requirements! oha. it still impresses me how i consider those features non-negotiables, when clearly i can live with just a basic monochrome bar phone. BUT CAN I, REALLY? uhh, nope.

which is why i'm sharing with you my favorite favorite smartphone ever (like, so far haha), the *drumroll please* Sony Xperia Z1 Compact ... because it ticked off all of the items in my list of non-negotiable features, plus offered a lot more i honestly don't know what to do with. haha i bought it over at SM Fairview Cyberzone within the month it was released to our local shores because that's how excited i was about it. haha

my Z1C w/ some englishmen

if you know me, you would know that i'm a freak for the latest mobile trends, but i'm never one to keep up cos my hands can't! literally! i have small hands so i'm always on the lookout for quality compact phones. sadly nowadays mobile phone manufacturers have frenzied over the size to specs ratio, and apparently there's no stopping them. the higher the specs, the bigger the phone. thus, nothing suitable for me. :(

fortunately, Sony was kind and smart enough to produce a compact version of the well-received Sony Xperia Z1, sensing perhaps a considerable demographics of small-handed people like me haha! the Z1 Compact is nothing short in specs compared to its parent, except for the size of course, which is why i instantly got excited when news came out early this year.

so excited, in fact, that i raved about it once in this blog as my dream phone because it has everything i wanted in a phone and much much more! and now that i finally have it, it's time to verify if it lived up to my expectations.

i'll be rounding up my top 5 favorite features below (in no particular order), and as a bonus, i'll be quoting actual mall prices so you'll have more to consider! thanks to Cyberzone!

MY FAVORITE FEATURES

1. 20.7mp camera w/ G sensor and a dedicated camera key

i seriously feel like a FotograFer (double F cos F na F) when i'm using this phone to take pictures. the quality is excellent specially in well lighted areas. even the 2mp front camera takes decent selfies, and feeling ko may auto-beautify sya cos i'm always GGSS when i see my shots. #pagbigyan

hashtagNoFilter! haha

2. Waterproof!

one of the reasons i enjoyed our latest barkada outing was because of this! i was able to take it with me in the water, and yeaaaahh, not a single care was given!

3. LTE enabled!

this feature has leveled up my browsing experience. as in. and with our local telcos aggressively pushing this technology to its limit, it'll be no time when not a nook in this metro is reached with that elusive and exclusive 4G signal.

4. Compact size at 4.3"

it's small and handy and perfect for my hands! and like i said, i was happy with the fact that they didn't cut the specs along with the size.

5. Decent 2300mAH battery

kering keri the battery. the phone lasts me 2 days without charging and with regular use (call, text, wifi). plus, the Z1C has an energy management app you could use to control how much juice is spilled from your baby. :)

that's it for my favorite features! to date, this is already my 13th cellphone, and i don't mind using it for a couple more months... unless of course if i win an LG G3! hihi >XD

kaya naman...

mwah <3

OTHER COOL FEATURES (i have yet to find an excuse to use hehe)

USB OTG
ever since CLOUD happened, i'm not the USB type of person anymore. still, the USB on-the-go feature of this phone could come in handy for those occasional file transfers. say you ran out of memory and wanted to free up some space without deleting stuff, you can move them to another storage device w/ the OTG cable.

NFC
Near Field Communications. i have high hopes for this technology but right now there's not much chance to exploit this. when it hits the main road, uhm, i'll hit it too. haha

WHERE TO AND HOW MUCH?

WHERE? obvious ba. you have to get this at SM Cyberzone because I BET it's the nearest, cleanest, and most trustworthy gadget haven around your place. and really, is there any other place you'd want gadget shopping in? nu-uhh.

HOW MUCH? i looked around SM Fairview Cyberzone to see how much it fares 4 months after its release and here's what i found!

Xperia Kiosk
Php 22,990

Cellway
Php 23,690

Techno Mobile
Php 23,350

those are the cheapest i found! and i promise you, for that price, you are not only getting sony's smallest most powerful phone, you're also investing in your future! #makesSenseYan

SO... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Get yours now at the SM Supermalls' Cyber Month Tech Sale! #31HappyCyberDays #EverythingForTheTechieInYou

i've always thought the amount of discount SM offers, is directly proportional to the amount of people it drives in further! 50% OFF? that's 50% more people in the mall! wooooh!

[RAVE + SPOILER ALERT] The Legend of Korra Book 3 Finale

yesterday before heading to the mall to watch Rorouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, i decided to watch the last 2 episodes of Korra, Book 3 - Change. jeckie said it was super epic and i believed him so i watched with him and daaaang was i not disappointed!

IT WAS SO FRKN EPIC!!!

super duper epic that it's the first time ever in my entire life that i was shouting and flailing all over the couch because the fight scenes were so amazing, shocking, impressive, and everything else. there's a whirlwind of emotions in my chest that i soooo cannot contain! even until now, the excitement is still overflowing. every time i remember those scenes, my heart is filled with so much regard for the story and wooooh! grabe! my awe was sustained even when Soujiro already broke Kenshin's blade. past credits and the feeling remains! WAAAAAAHH!!!

i don't know where to compare this too, but i believe this is akin to those die hard NBA fans witnessing an epic buzzer beater. i really don't know, i don't watch NBA. hahaha

now for my favorite scenes!

i have a lot! almost everything awed me, but i selected only those i would watch over and over and over again because i just can't get over the epicness. arghhhh

i did warn you about SPOILERS. so sorry. 

Bolin's lava bending

And we all thought Bolin was going to learn to metal bend eventually, with all his frustration learning it at Zaofu, but no! He was meant for something better and more epic! While escaping a collapsing cave with Asami, Mako and a heavily wounded Tenzin, it was Bolin's task to prevent them from drowning into a stream of lava raging aggressively against them, thanks to Ghazan. His earth barriers only got them as close to reaching a tunnel's end, but with the lava flowing closely behind, he has got to do something. with a deep breath,  he faced the approaching lava and bent for the last time, or not, cos he just faced the best shock of his life. the lava receded and cooled down! achievement unlocked, Bolin could lava bend!

and my super duper favorite scene...

P'Li's end

The Beifongs were faced against the notorious combustion woman, and finding that it'll be impossible to beat her, Lin decided to distract her while she sends Su to follow Korra, but not after saying "I love you" to her younger sister. not a few yards later, Su turns and sees a beaten Lin at the edge of the cliff, struggling to get up, and P'Li poised to put and end to her with that deathly beam. In a split second, Su bends her chest armor and charged it against P'Li's head, covering it and causing her combustion attack to explode against herself.

 Hearing someone say I love you on a situation like that (and from Lin of all people!) was very telling of something tragic to come, and i braced myself for it. i was prepared to cry! thank goodness Su responded quickly!

woooh grabe lang that scene! sobrang aaaaarggh wooooh!! waaaah!! fjkdfhksdjhfdshfkds

yun lang naman! i just wanted to share how awesome those scenes are for me. so awesome that it keeps on distracting us while we were watching Kyoto Inferno. the movie was good but the finale of Korra is much better, so sayang di ko masyado naenjoy. hahaha >XD

goooood morning everyone and have a blessed holiday! >XD

Welcome to www.yanbirog.com!

new domain!

i finally bought my own domain! i always thought it was too expensive to get one but then it's actually very cheap naman pala! GoDaddy has an existing promo when i bought mine this week and i only paid php 824.something for 2 years subscription!

dati kasi, i thought .com websites are hosted where they bought the domain. true. and back then i wanted my blog on a .com. kaso, i was afraid i'll have to move to an entirely different blogging platform, then it'll take too much space that i had to buy the most expensive web hosting plan with unlimited storage because what if i post too much pictures and it eats up my bandwidth? SO WRONG HAHA. apparently, my posts and everything stays at blogspot naman pala! it's just being redirected to a different domain. >XD yey. haha

ang exciting. grabe. amazeballs. i've always wanted my own domain but i never really had enough reasons and resources back then. but now! thank you Lord! hahaha

this week i learned a lot of things about setting up your own domain. i see a lot of online businesses offering this type of service, and i thought it couldn't be too hard to do it myself since all i had to do was pay for the domain and set everything up, by that i mean looking into google for tutorials on how to! #easyPeasy >XD

anyway, i encountered a couple of bummers too...

1. apparently, there's a different setup when it comes to using naked domains (http://yanbirog.com without the www). somehow it feels like using the naked domain is SLOWER. that's kindof sad for me cos that's the address i want to promote. >X(

2. naturally, a new domain means new blog stats as well. no backlinks, PR, DA, PA, and all those SEO metrics i just recently learned about. AS IF naman i was ranking before no? haha echos lang yan.

i'm hopeful i'll get ranked someday! haha

a change on design perspective:

since i decided i wanted to somehow earn from this site, i had to overhaul my entire blog design to maximize ad placements without being too cluttered. i see a lot of well earning sites that aren't visually appealing and while it hurts to know that apparently, good design hardly counts where blog monetizing is involved, i still wanted my blog to reflect my OCD self at least. HAHA

content and design now hold equal weights in my scale of 'what makes a good blog'. i usually don't care about what i write cos i wanted to keep things 'personal', but it matters a lot if my site looked pretty or not. haha! or at least organized! >XD

looking back, i was all about putting my art at the front. i adored big headers displaying my drawings, graphics, and old school javascript sliders of my latest artworks and all. but now i realized they're taking too much space and page loading time that i decided to just hide them in a category and trim the header to accommodate ads. now i just have a small header, but at least i was able to affix 2 leader boards there! haha come on CTR. haha

i settled for a responsive template for one thing: MOBILE.

and look, i finally have a logo!

it's a simple monogram made from some script font i got over at dafont.com. i was supposed to draw it by hand but i thought, why bother when there are awesome fonts out there anyway! >XD haha

i'm excited to turn it into mock-up items like business cards, RESUMES, and other paraphernalia. hahaha eneveh.

hmmm...

i'm still pretty stoked about the whole thing. i couldn't even focus on work because i was so excited to setup my domain! haha thank you so much Lord for this gift! >XD hihi