I saw this in Manila Bulletin’s classified ads display May 17, 2009 (Sunday), issue. This section of the newspaper is claimed to be “read by more people and produce(s) the best result!” This makes me rethink if my education has just been for naught… hmm…

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I was looking for the contact number of Memo Express in SM MOA (a friend is planning to buy her kid a brand new cellphone) when I stumbled upon the official website of SM MOA. And I must say, the site is very good. It is very interactive, allowing you to search for a specific store and showing you exactly where in the mall the store/resto is located. The map looks like this.

Very nice huh? This is especially useful for those who don’t really frequent the mall and just need to find a specific store/resto. So if you’re going foodtripping and shopping in the huge SM MOA, better check out the site!

Hungry? Pancake House could be one of the options to satiate your tummy. Last Monday (May 11), my friend and I had our usual late-at-night catch-up over dinner. Because she was craving for pancakes, easy choice – Pancake House. It was around 9pm when we got in the resto. The Pancake House in the 4th level Robinsons Place Manila looked deserted except for its probably tired crews who were just killing time before going home. After we settled, we were given the menus, and the staff took our order. Before I even gave my choice, I asked him till what time will they be open. 10pm, he said. To our disappointment, they were no longer serving some dishes that my friend and i preferred at that time. So she just settled with her pancakes, and i with my pan chicken special set. She even went out to buy coffee at the nearby The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf because they did not even have coffee available at that time. And because i was sooooo hungry, i would have wanted garlic rice to add, but nada. I just went for a cup of plain rice instead. Comfort food indeed; it’s just that i did not feel the “warm personalized service and homey dining atmosphere” that Pancake House’s site says, and i quote:

Best known for delicious comfort food, warm personalized service and homey dining atmosphere, the brand Pancake House grew over the years to over 22 company-owned and franchised outlets situated in Metro Manila, Laguna and Tarlac. from Pancake House Group

We were just starting our meals when a crew started to mop the floor and kept the chairs atop the tables and the cushions against the couch. Homey, wasn’t it? To add to our disappointment, i was only halfway through my meal when the crew asked if we could bill out already; out of courtesy, we did (shouldn’t they be the ones who were supposed to be considerate enough to wait until i’m done with my food in that situation?). I tried my best to eat soooooo slow just to keep them waiting for my plates and utensils (the crew got my friend’s already right after she’s done eating). We were out of the resto even before 10pm and never looked back when they said their scripted thank yous. Yes, i was full, but it was a not-so-gratifying fullness. So sad because i like Pancake House’s chicken, but at that moment, i did not taste it the way it should. This may be an isolated case only, but still, Pancake House should be responsible enough to train its staff (whether the staff be in a company-owned or franchised branch only) the way its site promotes its service. I have been browsing their site so I can send feedback through email, but i could not find the e-address; it only shows a snail mail address and contact numbers. Or, probably, i was not trying so hard to search for the e-address. Anyone who knows of Pancake House’s customer service e-add? Let me know. Because Pancake House ought to know about this.

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Hello world! Introduction and test posts are never cool. So why don’t we just jump in and start with an entry! Everything you need to know about this blog will be posted in the About page anyway. So as the eternal cliche goes: sit back, relax, and enjoy the chichacorn!

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After reading an entry by Chuvaness about Saizen, I knew, right then and there, with all my cheap-buy by the bulk heart, that I have to be there. So last Saturday, after doing some recon work (running some errands), my friend and I trooped to  Saizen over at the 3rd level of Robinson’s Galleria to get my Wasteland Fix.

I expected to blow more money than expected, seeing that I brought my half a month’s salary with me (baaaaaad idea!), but I was resilient. I gave myself a 500-peso limit so as not to end up with a handful of useless stuff and a dented savings. I successfully did that (with the help of said friend) and only ended up 650 pesos poorer.

My Saizen loot, let me show them to you.

A clear umbrella, several notebooks and kawaii notepads, and a set of cute piggy clips!
My friend says they give away clear umbrellas in Japan, but we’re not in Japan, so I bought one.

Which little piggy went to market?

I wasn’t supposed to get more paper products, but the giraffe notepad is so cute!

A very polite notebook.
It says “This B5 size notebook is useful and convenient. Please enjoy recording or creating with this notebook”.

Whenever I hold onto the words I utter, I hear them bursting into seeds.

I hear a lot of people compare Japan Home with Saizen. I say Saizen has the edge because they allow credit cash purchases, which is very convenient. Saizen has a lot of cute little trinkets that I really did not care much about, while Japan Home is great if you want to go in and out of a place without really getting distracted.