Business Buzzing in Ber Months. Holiday Peak Season Picking Up!

Buzzy Busy September! I'm ablaze with so much activities and excitement especially now that I have just recently carried a new personal loan product to market.  While most of the competing personal loan products available in the market today target the much older clientele who have worked long years in their present companies, the new personal loan product  is open to regular and permanent employees who at least have a work tenure of only 6 months and a total cumulative work tenure of at least 2 years! That's really some good news to our previously declined clients due to below minimum work tenure. Also, the loan program is open to regular employees as young as 21 years old but not to exceed 65 years of age upon loan maturity! The loanable amount is from P15,000 up to P 1 Million starting at a very low monthly Add On Rate (AOR) of only 1.39% payable in flexible terms of 12, 18, 24 and 36 months! Another very good consideration is the universal bank's solid reputation as one of the Philippines’ top ten private domestic universal banks in terms of assets, deposits, capital and return on equity. The Bank was first established in 1951 as the first private Filipino-controlled bank in the Philippines of the Post World War II period. From then on, it has established itself as one of the country’s most stable and best managed financial institution, with six decades of corporate success.




I'm also at my wits end with the made-to-order food deliveries that Prasa Picono's Food Line get aside from the regular packed lunch we cater to hospital employees and other industrial businesses. Not that I'm complaining, oh no! In fact, I'm so grateful for all the referrals and the new clients we get everyday! We even had an inquiry from a popular deli-grocery store in Annapolis Greenhills, San Juan who took interest in carrying our Prasa Picono's Special Puto Pao! I am hoping for it to push through although the main concern is the Puto Pao's shelf life that could only last 4 days at most, if properly refrigerated. The deli-grocery store mostly carry frozen and preserved, home-made bottled foods.

Prasa Picono's Pork Barbecue

The Prasa Picono's Pork Barbecue and Siomai with Special Chili Garlic sauce are also picking up since it's the start of the holiday peak season with all the events and parties lined up! By the way, I'd like to thank a dear friend who placed an early order, as in really early order of the Pork Barbecue, Puto Pao (steamed flour cake with asado pork filling), Siomai (Steamed pork dimsum) and Leche Flan (caramel custard) for the 5th year anniversary of her Travel Agency this October and also for her company's Christmas party on December! I think this good friend of mine is more obsessive than I am in planning, well as they say, birds of same feathers... eat together! *LOL*.




Speaking of 5th year anniversaries, I also would like to thank my very good business partner for 5 years now who had been the "wind beneath the wings" of our small businesses .... Sulit.com.ph!  Thank you for continuously supporting the SMEs (Small and Micro Enterprises) by giving us a venue to advertise and promote our products for free! Happy 5th year Anniversary! I am definitely celebrating the Sulit High Five with you! May our buy and sell community continue to have many more years of success and prosperity through the grace of our Lord!

Birds of same feathers... fly high together! :)

Are You Stressed Out? Here Are Some Tips to Manage Stress!

Hello September! It's the final stretch of the year and the last quarter is always the best!

I feel so invigorated after last week's 4-day long weekend vacation despite the storm. Saturday and Sunday were rainy so I dismissed any idea of going out of town but it did not prevent me from my earlier plan of having a relaxing and enjoyable furlough! Rain or shine ... It was divine :)

Sinead O' Connor

Alanis Morisette

Roxette

I woke up early that Saturday to vocalize and scare Storm Mina away. I was rather intense, to my neighbors' dismay! I belted (or more like belched because I swear I felt so out of air) Roxette's classics such as It Must Have Been Love, Alone and  Listen To Your Heart. The rockstar diva in me went on with Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill cuts with my favorite, Hand in My Pocket ... not yet satisfied, I felt like shaving my head while I sang Sinead o' Connor's Nothing Compares To You. Aha! Maybe, you're thinking I'm an 80's baby! But hey, who doesn't love the 80's? Just look at the 80's hairstyles on the photos, they absolutely depict interesting times!

But after awhile (may be after 2-3 hours of headbanging the mic), I figured ballad was more my style so I changed the tempo of my concierto with my own rendition of... yes, The Carpenters' hits *LOL* you know,  Rainy Days and Mondays (except that it was actually a rainy Saturday)... and Superstar. I didn't go to the ABBA thing but I managed the Sharon Cuneta classics, Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko (Literal Transalation: Even If My Hair Turned White, yep in the Philippines our hair turn puti not gray as we old. Gray is Abuhin, if so, the song title should have been Kahit Abuhin Na Ang Buhok Ko, which could be translated as Even If My Hair is Torched! Because "Abuhin" being color gray also means "turn to ashes." Hehe.) and I also sang Bituing Walang Ningning (Literal Translation: Star with No Shine). I was undecided if I would shift to jazz with Basia, Sade or Astrud ...so, I mellowed and just listened to David Pomeranz's absolutely hang-yourself-and-jump love songs with my favorite killer, "If You Walked Away." (I wonder why that song really triggers me into a melancholic mood). But before I really fall into the deep emo mode, I decided to hit the grocery!

Don't hit the diner before the grocery, Geez!

I couldn't believe that during my 4-day vacation, I went to the grocery daily! By the way, I was there again the other day, and I heard my very first Christmas song for 2011! Yipeee! It was "All I want for Christmas," Mariah Carey Version. I really don't know why the first Christmas carol I hear during the Ber months always gives me a happy feeling that makes me want to smile and jiggle dance. On this case however, I refrained from the latter because I was in a public place... tsk! (But I smiled from ear to ear, good thing I was with a friend that time). Anyway, I have one good grocery tip aside from making the list before going there: I avoid hitting the diner prior to the grocery because in my experience when I'm full, shopping for food is not as enjoyable as it should be. I feel sleepy and lazy to go around pushing my cart and grumpy lining up to pay for my grocery items. So, I eat AFTER...or at least I try.

Prasa Picono's Puto Pao

I geared up for the menu I prepared for the long weekend and boy, did I have a real sweet time cooking! I enjoyed making my Pinoy Style spaghetti... the tomato based sauce was thick, a little sweet and spicy with ground pork and lots of hotdogs. I also made my copy version of mom's pork Sinigang (tamarind based pork stew with vegetables) and I'd say I made a good clone of my favorite comfort food (which I previously blogged about HERE) because I brought my oldies some and my dad thought momsie cooked it! I also felt generous and invited my siblings and friends over to serve for free (uhmn!) my very own, Prasa Picono's Puto Pao (steamed flour cake with special pork asado filling) and Prasa Picono's Pork Siomai (steamed pork dumpling) with special chili garlic sauce.  Last year, I hosted a "Free Taste Party" before my Prasa Picono's food line launch and according to my honored guests (whoelse but my sibs and friends), it's the best! Hmnnn... I didn't think they were being honest considering that I invited them for a free taste and of course, they didn't want to hurt the party host's feelings (That's not nice!), except that they actually ordered, paid for it and promoted it to friends many times after! Whoah! I also now receive lots of made to orders especially when I started marketing it online! So modesty aside, it really must be good! I promise to blog about how I started Prasa Picono's food line next time.

My new Addiction, NCIS.... Semper fi!

I love eating spaghetti while watching TV. I like twirling it with my fork, round and round before finally putting it in my mouth without taking my eyes away from the screen! But it was not a good idea when watching a TV series marathon like the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) with all the bloody murders and forensic autopsies happening on Ducky's table. Oh no, not good at all.

My long restful weekend also included a visit to my favorite salon. The David's Salon at Valley Fair has been operating for 12 years now and my trusted hair stylist, Mila is a pioneer of the said branch. I have the typical Asian hair which is very straight and black that make it very hard to style especially if the layering is not good. Surely, it will flip out! I grew it below the shoulder length and I thought it needed a good chic bob so I went for it!

Below the Shoulder Flips

Prepping

Ready!!!

Careful Mila, not so short please....   Thanks Bryan!

My new bob!

Now, I'm totally de-stressed! 

I just sang, listened to good music, shopped, cooked, ate, watched a series  and beautify! 

and not to forget, I kept good company 
and smiled... a lot :)

Small and Micro Enterprises Orientation Course and Technical Advise Visit (TAV) by the Department of Labor and Employment

Mc Loan Pro received an invitation from the Department of Labor and Employment Region IV-A CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon). The government agency held a one-day Orientation Course for Entrepreneurs on Work Productivity Improvement and the DOLE Technical Assistance Visit (TAV) to SMiEs (Small and Micro Enterprises) at the 3rd Floor Hamaka Hall, Taytay New Municipal Building in Taytay, Rizal.

Its aim was to provide the SMiEs information on the vital role they play in the country’s economy and how they can further improve their business operations in the light of market demands and changes in the economic environment. Other topics include advocacy on just compensation package, child labor-free workplace and occupational safety and health program. There were also representatives from the Social Security Systems, Philhealth and Pag-Ibig who discussed workers' social welfare and benefits.

The seminar was well attended by more than 60 business owners all operating in Taytay, Rizal. The event was well organized and adequately funded. The Orientation Course started on time and progressed according to schedule. They distributed leaflets and modules in a brown envelope that even came with a ball pen and yellow paper for taking down notes! They have provided breakfast, lunch and snacks to all attendees. Best of all, the speakers who used PowerPoint presentations were remarkably knowledgeable in their assigned topics. They also gladly accommodated all the business owners' queries and concerns at the end of each subject.  They even have a photographer who documented the whole affair.

The national government's effort in reaching out to small and micro entrepreneurs is an acknowledgement of the sector's contribution and significance in strengthening the country's economy.