Entry of Ising

While I was scanning for my name again in google, i kept on clicking the number of results that had my name in the search engine and decided to read my winning piece last June 6,2010. When i scrolled down, i saw this word "at your service yes!". So i clicked on it, and "WALLA", it was Ising's entry, and i was so happy, i did not read it because i have had a chance to read it when he was about to send it to Philstar. I hurriedly called the hospital where he was working and asked him if he wanted to hear a good news, and then i break the news to him. Here is the entry. SM City Bacolod, at your service, yes! By Israel Belnas (The Philippine Star) Updated August 01, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0)

The colors of Bacolod: The Masskara Festival| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - I can remember when there was no SM in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, when I would always go to SM City Iloilo, and spend my whole day shopping when there was a big sale. But not until March 2007 did Bacolod get its own SM City at the heart of the city.
Once a barren land with tall grasses, the reclamation area is where now stands SM City Bacolod: a 16-hectare lot that was converted into the newest shopping center in the city of smiles.
Prior to its advancement, the city was occupied by Spaniards in 1565; at the turn of the 20th century it was under American rule; and during the Second World War, it was under the regime of the Japanese. A blend of different customs and practices, it is now a growing modern metropolis, built by the past and molded by recent technologies and developments.
Bacolod City is a city that serves as the portal to the “Sugar Bowl of the Philippines,” Negros Occidental. The sweet smiles of the Bacoleños can be compared to the sweet and rich foods it produces, such as delicious piaya, or the tasty and juicy Bacolod chicken inasal at Manukan Country, a chain of stalls known for its mouth-watering grilled chicken and just a walking distance from SM North. At the back of Provincial Capitol, an organic market and restaurant can be found selling very affordable and healthy produce.
The city has its notable festivals. The world-famous Masskara festival, one of the most popular feasts in the province, is held every October; and of course the most celebrated is the Panaad sa Negros or Panaad Festival, a hiligaynon word that means “promise,” and a form of thanksgiving to the Divine Providence. The festival of all festivals is also held each year in the month of April, where all towns and cities of the province converge to showcase their individual festivals, history, cultural heritage, commercek, industry and tourism.
Combined with this dashing city, showing off its unique and modern architecture, is SM City Bacolod, a one-stop shopping place, as I see it, for it has everything an individual needs, from the latest technology in its Cyberzone area to the newest trends in the market. SM also has been part of the daily living of every Bacolenos, where it provides the locals with amenities, comforts and the latest gigs in the city.
All of these can only be found in the city itself, and only SM brings so much fun and closeness to every Filipino family. And just as I hear every day when I go to SM, it comes through in the synchronized voices and handclaps of the employees, together with those kids who already knew the chant: “At your service, yes!”
Definitely, SM City Bacolod has got it all for you!

This is my “Story” © 2010 J.J.L.C (previously known as C.GT)

Essay Contest

There is an essay contest for My City My SM and here is the information taken from their blog which is the official blog site of SM Bacolod.

Let us know why you love your city and why you love SM and get a chance to win P5,000 worth of SM Gift Cards or one of six Sony Ericsson phones!

During the last few months, prominent personalities brought us on a visual tour of their hometown in the My City, My SM campaign, sharing with us why they love their city and why they love SM.

Multi-awarded film director Brillante Mendoza and Mutya ng Kapampangan Nicolette Henson let us know why despite all their success, they Left their Heart in San Fernando; while the entrepreneurial Aldeguer brothers – Jay, Michael, and Chris, and socialite Teresin Mendezona talked about their booming and beautiful city in Cebu, Cebu.

Mang Inasal’s Edgar Sia II and Dr. Josette Biyo, who has a planet named after her, gave us a tour of Sweet Home Iloilo; while National artist Bencab and Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2001 and lawyer Zorayda Ruth Andam shared with us why it is Baguio on My Mind for each of them.

Artist, writer, and foodie Claude Tayag and educator and CHED Chairman Dr. Emmanuel Y. Angeles were upbeat about their hometown in Up, Up, and Away at Clark; while Philippine Tatler Magazine’s Managing Editor and Rotary District Governor Chit Lijauco and the Tiongco Brothers – Emil, Jun, and Art – showed us the other side of progressive Santa Rosa in If You Are Going to Santa Rosa.

Now it is your turn to be our tour guide and share with us the attractions, festivals, history, culture, and lifestyle of your hometown in the My City, My SM Contest. Simply let us know why you love your city and why you love the SM mall in it –in a photo essay- and get a chance to win exciting prizes from SM and Sony Ericsson.

The contest will run until July 2010, and you can join by simply sending an email of your photo essay to lorena.martinez@smsupermalls.com or pstar_smmycity@yahoo.com.

SM will choose one lucky winner per week, who will be entitled to P5,000.00 worth of SM Gift Cards, and whose write up will be published in the Lifestyle sections of leading national papers.

There will also be a Special Category for photo essays using a camera phone, wherein winners will be awarded one of six There will also be a Special Category for photo essays using a camera phone, wherein winners will be awarded one of six Sony Ericsson phones. Five (5) winners will each be entitled to a C510 Cyber-Shot phone with the famous smile shutter and intuitive zero-click access to Facebook. One also has a chance to winning this category’s Grand Prize – the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, the second installment in a new family of communication entertainment phones that introduces HD video capabilities in the portfolio.

Lurking Around

We are not killers, but i just wanted to have this kind of blog title.

I asked Ising if he can come with me to pay the power bill since i was not able to pay through Smart money card because according to the lady in the power company that it was not yet fully activated, and they did not have the assigned account number bill yet provided by Smart.

It was 2.00 pm when the power was out, and so i woke up because i did not feel the coldness of the room anymore, and i looked at the aircon, it was unplugged and the television was off. So I stood up and then walked in my original room and there you go there was no power at all. So i fixed myself since we will be out at around 3.00 pm,however, Ising was still asleep, so i woke him up at 3.35 pm and then i told him that were you coming with me? He then stood up immediately and was winging that why did i not told him before that we will going out. Then i of course told him that, did i not tell you that we will going out supposedly at 3.00 pm (LOLZ).

So we left the house at around 3.45 and he thought that i would bring the car, but sorry i am in a great fuel crisis and i would not bring the car if it is not that so important or I have nothing to buy that is so heavy. So we ride in a jeepney and it was around 4.15 when we reached the city proper and we headed to the atm to withdraw the money that i transferred in my Smart card, which was to my surprise they deducted 2.5o pesos after i withdrawn the money in the atm, which supposedly to be free, so i started winging about it.

Again, we took a public transportation going to the electric company and there were few people paying for their bills. After that we went out the building and walked more than 1 kilometer going to Centroplex (An arcade building that has various stores inside of it). Then, we looked for the dermatix ultra in 3 different stores, but unluckily we did not find anything available. Dermatix by the way is a new topical solution that would minimize or as they claim remove the scars in your body, especially keloids, atrophical scars which i have, and other types of scars. So we went to Sm and planned to have some snacks, but then Tigi, sent an sms that she will meet with us, so i texted her to hurry up (LOLZ). So she arrived at last while we were in Sm and decided to have snacks in Manokan country, remember snacks, it seems to be a dinner, but it turned out to be a dinner. Tigi also texted Coning that we will be in the chicken grilled cottages ( I think). While we were about to get inside the dinner place, coning was behind us.

We had dinner and it was an 80 pesos budget, but we exceeded 3 pesos, we ordered, three pecho pak, 4 mountain dew, oyster, 5 rice, isol ( i will not tell what it is), i think the other one was atay (liver). We had as usual a rumbled talk, like the two person were having good conversation, the other two person will going to have another conversation and then suddenly we will become so attentive with each other (laughing). After dinner, we went to SM City-mall where Coning bought this eye glass for the interment of her Lola and then a white expensive upper clothe.

When coning finished buying her stuffs, we went to the plaza and Coning bought this more than a dozen of different flowers for the same reason as the latter statement i had. Then Coning took a cab, while me, Ising and Tigi looked around for banana and then they bought that green banana and the yellow banana for 20 pesos per single bunch. After their fruit shopping, we went to Mercury Liebertad (a pharmacy) to buy my Dermatix Ultra that cost 731.25 pesos, which was quite dare, and Tigi bought these Gatorade and Tempra for her nephew.