Sun Cellular's BB Add-on Plans: Not for Everyone

Having recently acquired a BlackBerry Curve device I was so excited to try out Sun Cellular's BlackBerry services and finally get a taste of what BBM is all about.

After carefully reading about the services that Sun Cellular has to offer, I first decided to try out the one day unlimited BlackBerry service and mobile browsing which costs just Php50 a day. I was actually impressed and happy about the service so I renewed again for a week's unlimited subscription which cost me Php250 for a 7-day service.

After realizing that it is quite expensive, I checked their website if there was a way that I could get only the BlackBerry services and not subscribe to an unlimited internet plan and I was happy to find out that they offer the BlackBerry Add-on Plan 299 (BlackBerry Social) and Plan 350 (Full BlackBerry Service) for postpaid plan subscribers.

It says "compatible with all Regular Postpaid Plans

So off I went to the Sun Shop near our place and had my request processed, they had me fill out a request form and pay an advance of Php350 and told me that the service will be activated within 24-48 hours. After two days of waiting, I followed up via phone and waited to no avail. The day after, I followed up once again and was contacted by a representative from the Sun Shop telling me that since I was on Plan 450 I could not be accommodated for the BlackBerry Add-on and can only subscribe to the daily unlimited service (Php50) or the weekly service (Php250).

To make things short, Sun Cellular has said in its website that the BlackBerry Add-on plans is available to all regular plan holders and as I've checked, my Plan 450 is a regular line so what is the matter with Sun Cellular? I myself have 3 line subscriptions with Sun and even a broadband bundle and still this is what I get? I do hope that the company will make things clear on their advertisements and not inconvenience their subscribers who take the time to go to their shops only to find out that the service is not available to them.

They said so themselves that my Plan 450 is a Regular Postpaid Plan

I'm ranting because I am so frustrated with their service.

Food Adventures: Buffalo's Wings N' Things

A few weeks back my sister was able to buy gift certificates to Buffalo's Wings N' Things from a group buying site so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant is located at a newly-opened place called Jardin De Zenaida along Sgt. Esguerra Avenue in Quezon City.

From the name itself, Buffalo's Wings N' Things, we already know what kind of food we will be having, Buffalo Wings! I am not particularly fond of chicken wings but I gave it a try nonetheless. OK, so we had Nachos with Jalapeno Cheese Sauce, Beef Burrito, Basket of Fries, Triple Sampler on the Champion Buffalo Wings, Buffalo Cheese Burger, Bleu Cheese Burger, and the NY Cheesecake Ice Cream. Whew!

So here's my take on some of the dishes. As I said, I'm not a fan of chicken wings but when I tasted the Triple Sampler, let's just say I was able to appreciate chicken wings more. The flavors we ordered were New York's Finest--quite spicy already, Garlic Parmesan--we all agreed it tasted great, and Honey BBQ--tastes similar to the double-fried chicken places that have sprouted all around the metro.

Triple Sampler - YUM!

Buffalo Cheese Burger

The burgers of Buffalo's Wings N' Things tasted great especially the Buffalo Cheese Burger where the burgers have a hint of the spicy Buffalo sauce which made for a good combination. The Burrito was good, spicy but tolerable for me.

Prices I believe are quite standard for this type of fare so there's nothing much to complain about. They are also partners with Quick Delivery so if you want to just order food, you can easily dial 2121212.

Overall, the dining experience was fun considering it just opened recently, service staff were friendly even though there were just 2 of them around. They have quite a few branches too so it is worth checking out if you haven't visited it yet.

Some pictures:

NY Dirty Rice

Beef Burrito

Bleu Cheese Burger

Cool Sign

Delicakes by Joly: Mothers' Day 2012 Offer!

Mothers' Day 2012 is fast approaching and why not show your appreciation to mom by surprising her with something on her special day? So now you might be asking, "What can we give to mom for Mothers' Day?" Well, Delicakes by Joly is having a special Mothers' Day offer where you can get 20% off on whole cakes and macaroons!

So how can you avail of this promo? It is quite simple, simply book  your orders anytime from May 3-10, 2012 via phone at 622-7118 then you can choose to pick up your order either on May 12, Saturday from 10:30am to 8:30pm or on May 13, Sunday from 2pm to 8:30pm at Delicakes by Joly located at G/F Asia Crest Mansion, 207 M. Paterno St., San Juan. Remember that only pre-booked orders will be given the discount.

What are you waiting for? Better take advantage of this offer and gift mom with a delicious cake on her special day. Pick up that phone and order your cakes now!

Haven't heard of Delicakes by Joly? Check out my Review on Delicakes by Joly.

Delicakes by Joly

G/F Asia Crest Mansion, 207 M. Paterno St., San Juan 

(02) 622 7118

Store Hours:

Tue-Thu 10:30am-7:30pm

Fri-Sat 10:30am-8:30pm

Sun 2pm-8:30pm

www.facebook.com/delicakesbyjoly

Food Adventures: Delicakes by Joly

A few Christmases ago, I remember receiving a box of brownies that tasted so heavenly and right then and there I knew I was hooked. During that time, the home-based cake and pastry business that made these great-tasting brownies was known as First Bite by Joly and her slogan was "Your first bite never lies." Now, together with her business partner, Joly has opened her first cake and pastry store called Delicakes by Joly.

Your first bite never lies

Located along M. Paterno Street in San Juan, Delicakes by Joly is not your traditional cake and pastry shop. Combining the old-time favorite cakes recipes with the now-familiar tea flavors brought about by the milk tea phenomenon, Delicakes by Joly brings to you tea-infused cakes and pastries that really taste good.

White Choco Matcha Cake

Dropping by their store, we ordered three cake slices to sample on: Milk Tea Cheesecake, White Choco Matcha Cake, and Earl Grey Choco Mousse. My sister loved the flavor of the Milk Tea Cheesecake while my cousin liked the White Choco Matcha Cake where the matcha powder sprinkled on top gives a nice bitter-sweet flavor combination. My personal favorite is the Earl Grey Choco Mousse, it may look too sweet at first glance but trust me, it tastes just right.

I ordered their Drip-it Brewed Coffee which I think is a perfect match for their cakes; if you like their coffee, you can grab a bag of their coffee beans for you to brew at home. Delicakes by Joly also has your favorite Frappes and Milk Tea drinks available on the menu.

Before leaving, we grabbed a box of their Matcharoons to go and the owners were so kind to give me a box of my favorite Fudge Brownies for free! Their pastries are also available in bulk if you plan on giving them as gifts. Drop by Delicakes by Joly if ever you are in the area, you won't regret it.

Fudge Brownies!

Earl Grey Choco Mousse

Milk Tea Cheesecake

Drip-it Brewed Coffee

Matcharoons

This writer with the owners, Joly Poa and Lennart Tanganco

 

Delicakes by Joly

G/F Asia Crest Mansion, 207 M. Paterno St., San Juan 

(02) 622 7118

Store Hours:

Tue-Thu 10:30am-7:30pm

Fri-Sat 10:30am-8:30pm

Sun 2pm-8:30pm

www.facebook.com/delicakesbyjoly

New Look: Serenitea Banawe

For those who still don't know, Serenitea Banawe has already relocated to a bigger and better place along Banawe Avenue in Quezon City. This new location is even more convenient and a lot safer as compared to their previous branch location.

They look so comfortable right?

Since almost everyone already know the different products of Serenitea, I'll just talk more on the new branch itself for this post. 

The first thing that you'll notice when you step into the new Serenitea Banawe is that their store space is big, really BIG! - a far cry from the cramped spaces at their old store. They have 3 comfortable sofas that are placed conveniently to accommodate groups of people who come here either to work on projects or to simply chill and have fun with friends without bothering the other groups.

Serenitea Banawe has also added those soft and elegant-looking couches that I first saw in their Eastwood Branch which I prefer to sit on rather than the plastic chairs because of course, they are much more softer compared to hard plastic, but I'm not complaining.

When it comes to space, this branch has lots of it, you are free to move around and not worry about bumping into and disturbing other customers. Based on my rough estimate, they can easily accommodate more or less 80 persons at this branch.

To handle the large number of customers during the peak hours, Serenitea has added an additional counter to take orders so that queuing time will be lessened and customers are not forced to stand and wait in line for a long time. This shows their concern in giving their customers a relaxed feel when coming to their store.

Every now and then, I chance upon the owners personally taking customers' orders. They are easy to approach and will gladly answer any questions that you might have. So, if you want to go somewhere to relax and chill, either with friends or just by yourself, consider dropping by the new Serenitea Banawe - safe and relaxing.

My personal favorite

Serenitea Banawe

Address: Banawe Avenue near Sct. Alcaraz St., Quezon City

Store Hours: Monday to Friday, 11AM -11PM

Saturday and Sunday, 11AM - 12MN

Tel. Nos.: 5599881, 2382545

Finance: Security Bank launches 7-year LTNCDs

SECURITY BANK Corporation (Security Bank) announced on January 29, 2012 that they are offering up to Php5.0 Billion in 7-year Long-Term Negotiable Certificates of Deposit (LTNCDs) to their individual and corporate clients.

LTNCDs are peso-denominated certificates of deposit that have a minimum tenor of 5 years and 1 day. Similar to regular time deposits, they give a higher rate of return for the depositor. LTNCDs are tax-free provided they are held to maturity; they cannot be pre-terminated, however, they can be sold in the secondary market to other investors or even used as loan collateral.

The LTNCD offer period is from January 30, 2012 to February 10, 2012 with target date of issue on February 17.

Minimum investment amount is Php50,000 with increments of Php10,000. The indicative rate for this offer is 5.25% net. LTNCDs are covered by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) up to a maximum of Php500,000.

Deutsche Bank AG, Manila and Standard Chartered Bank were designated as joint lead underwriters for this LTNCD offering.

The funds raised from this LTNCD sale will be used to augment funds for the bank's lending business and refinance maturing obligations, according to Security Bank.

Security Bank has recently embarked on an aggressive expansion program aimed at building their loan portfolio, expanding branch network, and increasing customer base. This program began with the recent acquisition of Premiere Development Bank.

Security Bank is a medium-sized universal bank in the Philippines; they have consistently been one of the top financial institutions in terms of ROE.

UPDATE: Security Bank has closed the LTNCD offer on February 7, three days ahead of its intended end date due to oversubscription. Final interest rate is at 5.50% per annum.

Food Adventures: Adobo Connection (500 Shaw Zentrum)

The entrance to Adobo Connection

When people hear the word Adobo, what usually comes to mind is mom's delicious homemade recipe that is sure to put a smile on our faces.

Driving along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong the other night, I chanced upon Adobo Connection located at a newly-opened commercial center named 500 Shaw Zentrum, (right beside the Goldilocks cake plant / commissary) and since I was already hungry I thought I'd try it out.

At first glance you would think that the only dish they serve is adobo, but when I looked at the menu, they have a variety of Filipino dishes available to satisfy what your tummy is craving for. Aside from adobo, they also have sisig, kare-kare, and lechon kawali, to name a few.

Food Choices

What I had for that evening was Adobo Flakes, Pasta Adobo, Kuya's Adobo, Modern Adobo, Sisig, Beef Kare-Kare, Adobo Glazed Fried Chicken, Lechon Kawali, and a side dish of Gising-Gising. (don't worry, I didn't eat everything by myself)

The Sisig was crunchy and flavorful, while the Lechon Kawali was lean and not too fatty as other stores would serve. The Beef Kare-Kare pairs well with their bagoong; while the Adobo Glazed Fried Chicken has a similar taste to the two recent fried chicken restaurants that have opened in the metro.

And of course, who could forget the adobo? Kuya's Adobo had this garlicky taste that brings out its flavor while the Modern Adobo's sauce is made from a mixture of herbs and spices and topped with nuts for a different twist. Their garlic rice is a perfect match for all of the delicious dishes.

Because of the good food and the friendly restaurant staff, (even the owners were there to ensure that the best service is given to customers) everyone who dines here is sure to have a satisfied smile on their faces when they leave the store.

Adobo Connection

500 Shaw Zentrum

Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Business Hours: 10am-11pm, Monday to Sunday