Fun Things to Squeeze In During Lunch Breaks

I LOVE MY LUNCH BREAKS. I just love the idea that food / eating is one of the highest form of glories. I mean, warriors, teachers, priests, students, politicians all stop to eat. That makes eating a really powerful activity (um, literally too) because it makes us realize that we are all, after all, just human. Attached with this glory, lo and behold, the corporate world RESPECTS lunch breaks.

Whenever I have my lunch break, I don’t really eat lunch. I spend it doing other things which are not work-related. And then I get through the day with a smile on my face. I’ve come up with a list of my favorite things to squeeze in during lunch breaks.

1. Chatting with a good friend. This can also be your officemate/ colleague too. Chatting about simply anything—fashion, relationship, hobbies—makes you touchbase into another person’s soul and lets you bond properly. Surely there are other more exciting things than spreadsheets and deadlines and the clients breathing down your necks. Chill. And as for your good friend, if you can’t see each other in person, drop a quick call or indulge in a text-fest.

2. A mani-pedi. Whenever I’m inside a salon, I really feel relaxed. No, wait. What I meant was, I feel like a queen. I make sure that I go to the posh salons because their services are really above par and the attendants won’t size me up like vultures (or at least they do it more subtlely). A mani-pedi only lasts for 30 minutes. If the place is not too busy, request for two attendants to attend to you at once. When you get back to your office, you’ve got some color jumping on your keyboard. Really chic! Bonus: Mani-pedis are really cheap here in Davao.

3. A fabulous drink. No, I’m not suggesting anything alcoholic here. Just a drink which makes you feel better and luxurious. Overpriced fancy coffee? No problem. A fruit shake? Better. For me, it’s Twinings tea in Four Red Fruits. Really relaxing and makes me feel good. Smells good too! Indulge in liquid goodness to help you get through the day feeling good.

4. A fun/ inspiring video. If your office has internet access, then spend the rest of your lunch break by viewing funny/ inspiring videos. If you want, you can even squeeze in one or two episodes of your favorite TV series. I shamelessly admit that my key to blah-away days are one or two episodes of The Hills. Yes, that’s right, the one with the superficial super rich blondes who are always crying over the same men and backstabbing each other. I guess it’s inspiring to know that I’m much more productive than them. And so are 2047298472394 other girls I know. (The numerical figure is a joke.)

5. Cat nap. Why, this is one thing that you should really try but not overdo. Power naps are great when taken at the middle of the day; just be sure that you’re one of those people who are comfortable just leaning over your table and keeping your feet flat on the ground. For shame-free naps, keep your face faced down on your desk and set a cellphone alarm so you can go back to work on time. And don’t forget to gargle with mouthwash after. Tee hee!

6. A Quickie. NO EXPLANATION NEEDED.

See? My even my lunch breaks help me become more productive at work. When you feel good, there is a high likelihood that your output is really good too. Good thing my office does not behave like a corporate leash. Haha! Try some of these out and see the difference. You’ll be surprised how half an hour of me-time can do so much for your well-being.

♥

Want to be an AWESOME GRAPHICS DESIGNER?

Everywhere we go, we are flooded with man made images, more commonly and collectively referred to as Graphics Design. We see them in the gigantic streetside billboards, in public service announcements, in job postings, even with graffiti. It's obvious this industry is getting bigger and bigger; as evidenced by numerous graphics design companies here in Davao city. (And why, yes, the rest of the world too.) And as the popularity and competition of this genre is getting thicker, will you let yourself become engulfed in the sea of pros?

So if you are interested in joining this industry but you don't know how to start from scratch, the best thing that you can do is to enroll yourself in a short course about graphics design and digital art in general.

Now if you want to the pro way, you've got to learn the it from the pros! Cube Pixels Design Studio is home to many awesome graphics designs--logos, web design, layout, name it. They offer a comprehensive Photoshop and Corel workshop for only P3,500 individually. If you get the package workshop (that's Photoshop + Corel) you can avail it for only P6,000.

And what's more, you can have your schedule's say! You can choose from an everyday schedule, a biweekly or a triweekly arrangement. Still in school? No problem! Have a full time job? No problem! The sessions only last an hour or so, every 6pm. You will be starting your course with theoretical discussions on Basic Graphics Design (with the usage of Photoshop and/or Corel) and then after a few sessions, you'll be clicking the mouse and creating your very own designs...of course with the guidance of your trainer/s.

Give their portfolio a look-see: www.cubepixelstudio.com. And you will see how much you'll be getting out of your money's worth. Enroll now! :)

EMAIL ME FOR INQUIRIES/ DETAILS: live_out_loud@ymail.com or give them a ring-- 225.0362 :)

The New Zabadani Coffee Shop

I’ve been a long time visitor of Zabadani Coffee Shop when it was still a quaint little coffee shop in Rizal. I used to meet up with a lot of people there--people from the art circle (digital artists, film makers, photographers, writers, etc.), old friends, new friends, work mates-- and we end up spending a lot of time there not only because the place has such a unique interior design, but because the layered coffee is undoubtedly the best in town and the prices are great for “budgetarians”.

Back in Rizal, it was just a little place, with geographical descriptions of “just a door” when people new to it try to locate it. True enough, it sat beside Whaw Lechon House on Rizal st. and yes, it was just a door. This is because back then, Zabadani was located at the second floor of the block’s big structure and you can only access it through one front door. Then you ascend a small flight of staircase, and with the first tread, you will smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Instantly, you will know that you have come to the right place.

Aside from their wonderful reputation for really yummy treats, Zabadani also doubles as an internet café. They have computer units where you can surf the net for only P10 an hour. Personally, I liked going there to surf because the monitors were nice and the keyboards were soft. (How shallow.)

But of course, I loved the net surfing way later. Here’s the real kicker:

Zabadani coffee shop boasts of their extensive menu of layered coffee blends, tea varities and even flavored soda. If you’re in for a caffeine fix, some relaxing warmth or some sparkling sweetness, Zabadani is truly the place to go. Kuya Wadi (as he is fondly called), Zabadani’s owner, is a friend to many Zabadani patrons and he won’t let you down the beverages without something to munch on. Zabadani also offers chocolate and oatmeal cookies, a choco-mousse cake, blueberry cheesecake and their famous Bruschetta.

One very remarkable thing about Zabadani coffee shop that doesn’t involve your gastronomical affairs is that the place itself is very homey. There are lush carpets on the floor where you can sit and/ or lie down, soft lighting by the Moroccan lanterns and a mini library of (mostly) Islamic literature.

Today, the new Zabadani coffee shop stands at the heart of the city, at Ponciano Reyes st. Davao city. It is almost thrice the size of the old Zabadani, and its menu seemed to expand as large as the space! As I write, the newer PC units are coming in, more people enjoyed the large large carpeted platforms and there are more lanterns lighting up the place and giving my face a fake glow. Haha!

Now I will surely spend more time at the new Zabadani coffee shop. Just one year down and Zabadani’s thrice in size. I wonder what’s coming in for the next year. Hmm, I’d have more time to ponder on that. For now, let me finish this heavenly Mocacchino first.

What do I Love? MERCO'S MELON BASKET!

So my date and I went to Merco to get our lunch last Saturday and then we were craving for a great dessert treat so we picked out Melon Basket. It was such a heavenly delight!

Merco's Melon Basket was made of a watermelon cut in half, with zigzagged edges, filled with cubed watermelons, sliced bananas, three ice cream scoops (you may choose from vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mango and ube) and topped with whipped cream. It was truly a wondrous treat because the watermelon was so sweet!

This is not the first time that I ordered Melon Basket and it's charming to find ground peanuts at the top of the scooped ice cream sometimes. It was a choir of colors and an orchestra of sweet sensations. I salivate just thinking about it! :)

So anyway, if you decide to swing by any Merco branch soon, you may order their Melon Basket at the affordable price of P130 only. Enjoy! And don't forget to drink lots of water...or you'll end up swallowing painfully. Tsktsk.

Woman, How is THE OFFICE Treating You?

I recently overheard a conversation about this girl who was not happy about her job anymore. She holds an above rank-and-file position at company downtown. Well, it wasn’t THAT, actually. But she wanted a raise since she was given extra work and she seriously thinks she deserves it. Because she can’t blatantly tell her boss to give her a raise, she started taking absences from work and she expects the rest of the people in the workplace to get what she’s trying to convey. Surprisingly, her female coworkers got the message but the men from the top floors of the organizational chart accuse her of truancy.

My question: why can’t she just write a sincere and courteous letter about her concern? Are women nowadays too afraid to ask?

This glaring situation made me realize of a lot of things that women, I general, miss out on in the office because they were too afraid to ask.

First, the raise. When we’re working at a company for quite sometime and we believe that we have contributed a lot of the things that the company accomplished, then we sincerely believe we deserve a raise. THAT, or we suddenly are given extra responsibilities and the management seem to treat us like the same. (Evidence: the payroll.) Statistics show that women generally earn less than men because we were too afraid to stand up and ask for it. Less women “compete” for promotion against men, and also, less women DEMAND the salary that they think they deserve. When women don’t get what they deserve, usually, they just suck it in and pray that the next time will be better. When men don’t get what they deserve, they usually talk to their bosses about it and they’re even more cunning when competing for a promotion.

A reputable statistics company in the US also held a study which focused on new employees. They interviewed 1000 men and women for the same position. Every one was asked the same set of questions and each interview ended with “How much salary do you expect to receive in this job?” The ending? The average salary that the men quoted was around 20% higher than the average salary that the women quoted.
The thing is, women may dominate a lot of offices lately, but we’re still too afraid to speak out in the office.

Another interesting fact: more men ask for cash advances than women. Well, I told a friend about this and she just said that maybe it was because men are more pressured to provide, so they ALWAYS have to have money. My take on this is that women always had a shady relationship with money, and that is why women are not encouraged to really talk about money outside the bounds of family.

Men have always been trained to become go-getters and that is why in the office, they rise faster. Women, on the other hand, are being socially rewarded for being cooperating and having an easy-do-deal-with attitude, that is why women are not likely to stir legitimate corporate intrigue.

What do you think about this phenomenon? I’ve only been in the corporate world for months and I can these sad things actually happen. Should the bosses reach out to women more? Are workplaces and organizational charts simply not women-friendly enough? What about other forms of abuse? Like sexual and verbal assault? How long should the women keep mum?

Woman, how is the office treating you? Woman, email me at live_out_loud@ymail.com.

Why We Love Coffee Shops

Davao City is famous for it's livability. One reason for such fame is Davao's "relaxed" atmosphere. Meaning, Davaoeños prefer a more "relaxed" lifestyle. Notice that there are less night clubs and bars in Davao than in Cebu or Manila. Also, there is the budding of spa stations, salons and massage parlors; nameless or franchised.

What I will be discussing in this blog post is the trend which plagues Davao city: the rise of coffee shops. If you stand somewhere in Claveria, San Pedro or Bajada, for every coffee shop, there is another coffee shop within a 5 meter radius. What's with the coffee shop craze?

It's Luxurious

People just love the G-L-Amourous life...yes, even if it's something that they don't really have. Coffee, tea, pasta and meals served in coffee shops are expensive. And at times, they're not even gastronomically worth it! However, people hang out at coffee shops (and even dine there!) because they're expensive. It makes them feel rich and luxurious. Hanging out at a coffee shop is a "lease" for Class A life.

It's Relaxing

Coffee shop interior design and architecture are designed to relax a person. From the shapes (Zen, Asian Tropical, whatever you call it) to the colors to the materials being used to put together a coffee shop atmosphere provides ease to our senses, which evokes relaxation from within.

Lately, technology forces us to do things which we were not capable of doing before. Technology pushes us to achieve things which we may have not thought of before. In effect, because of technology, people are actually doing MORE than they used to. So, a little form of relaxation is something that we are willing to pay for even if it costs us a lot. Coffee shops provide relaxation. And I'm often guilty of being under this spell.

It's the Coffee

Okay, okay. Sometimes, it's just the coffee. Brewing coffee at home everyday is tedious. If you're the kind of person who is (a little) impatient, then of course, you'd just prefer dropping by a coffee shop near your office/school. Moreover, maybe the beans which coffee shops use are better, or that their machine is better. So, yeah, sometimes, it's the coffee.

It's the In-Thang

Everybody does it..Sure. The rise of coffee shops have literally raised the bar on drinking-coffee activities. Before, first dates were dinner-and-movie. Now, first dates are "coffee"! Today, more and more business transactions are even closed in coffee shops! (Talk about real estate, buy-and-sell products and even business interviews!) The coffee shop as a rendezvous have been normalized because of it's massive exposure and frequency of this exposure towards us. Through this normalization people "expect" to do certain things at coffee shops because everybody does it anyway.

It's the Experience

To sum it all up, the reason why we love coffee shops is because of the experience that comes with it. We recognize that having coffee, "hanging out" and dining at coffee shops is expensive but we still choose to do so because of the feelings that the experience gives us. Whenever we decide whether to go or not to go to a coffee shop, these feelings push us into a position that we are WILLING TO PAY for the experience and the coffee, food and other drinks will just become tangential.

It's kinda like going to Timezone, spending P100 and getting a pencil case from the tickets you've earned. What's different is that Timezone doesn't hide under the cloak of being a school supply store or a toy store. It IS a recreational center. So you pay for the experience. Coffee shops pretend to sell coffee, pasta and homemade drinks.

We're doomed!

Bastards on Commute

I like taking the public utility jeepneys because I enjoy the experience. The feeling of the wind on your face, of "meeting" ten different people in one sitting and of course, the feeling of helping cut down the carbon emissions. *Duh*

However, there are certain people which turns the experience sour.

1. Slimy Lovebirds - Nah-ah. I'm not jealous. I've been going out with the same guy for about ten months and we're fine. There are just some lovers who take the jeepney and then crawl over each other as if they're at their own living rooms. They're pains in the eyeballs. Instead of them being ashamed of themselves, you become ashamed of "intruding" something. Bah. I hope they don't forget to pay their fares.

2. Ms./Mr. Loudspeaker - It's okay to talk; it's not okay if you're heard for about five seats away. I hate having to share the jeepney with someone who talks and talks and talks all throughout the ride and competing with the noise of the midday streets. These are the times when I'd wish I had an MP3 player with me.

3. Open-SesaMEN - These are men who refuse to shut their legs together even when the jeepney is too crowded and the people who just arrived sit uncomfortably. Let's be sensitive guys. The jeepney is designed for a certain number of people WHO ARE EXPECTED TO KEEP THEIR LEGS SHUT. To all the males reading this post, keep your legs shut for Goddess' sake. But if you don't want to, I hope your balls will get hit during the ride.

4. Ms./Mr. Head-to-Foot - Although I am confident that whenever I go out of the house I always smell good and look fine, there are just some people who fail to maximize their free time wallowing in their ugliness that they just have to want to make you feel it too. I'm talking about those people (mostly girls) who spend the whole ride staring at you, from your hair to your toenails to your bag to your cell phone model. I don't really know what's wrong with them. Or is it their first time to see a real, live human being?

5. The Classic Manyakis - Oh you know them. They're the ones who will stare at you and automatically commit simulated rape. They will salivate with just a peek of your toes and they love staring at your lips. Tip: Dress comfortably when taking the jeepney. Spare your skin from the prying eyes of these psycho-sexual predators.