Bacolod's Best Food Secrets

Whenever you visit Bacolod, you are expected to enjoy its famous Chicken Inasal, Calea's Cheesecake, Lord Byron's Baby Back Ribs, Cansi (not really a fan) and fresh seafood from Pala-Pala. However, after living here for more than 4 years. We're happy to discover some of the best food secrets that the City of Smiles has to offer. Some of which may be your first time to hear but rest assured that they are really good. 

So, if you are planning to visit Bacolod soon, take time to experience more than the usual cuisines that you hear and read about and get a chance to enjoy Bacolod's Best Food Secrets. 

Here the top 6 on our list: 

1. Bar 21's Mashed Potato -- For only Php30, you can have the best Mashed Potato in town. You can pair with their fried chicken or tenderloin steak. The serving is also generous that's it is good enough for sharing. Just don't forget to ask for some extra mushroom gravy.

Bar 21/ 21 Restaurant is located at 21st Lacson Street, Bacolod City. You may also check other food recommendations, here. 

2. Ann Puen's Ube Cake - If you are craving for "real" ube cake and not just coloring, then Ann Puen's Ube Cake will definitely satisfy your cravings. Instead of the usual icing, the cake is coated with ube halaya jam that will definitely make all ube lovers satisfied. 

By the way, these cakes are not commercialized and must be pre-ordered. You may contact Ann through her facebook page or call 0922 850 0746 to order.

3. Kyle's Eatery Palabok - Cheap and delicious palabok? Yes, we have one here in Bacolod and it's available at a steal price of only Php 25 per order. No wonder we see a lot of customers driving all the way to Olympia Village in Alijis to enjoy the perfect Filipino snack. 

Here's a photo that I grabbed from their FB page to let you know what I mean. 

4. Bakerite's Pork Barbeque - If you studied in La Consolacion College or LCC, then I am pretty sure you are familiar with this establishment along Galo Street. We just love their barbeque because it's juicy and has an adequate amount of pork fat. Not to mention it's only Php 16 per stick. (Super budget-friendly!) 

FOODIE TIP: For late-night cravings or if you are near the East/ NGC area in Bacolod, you can get these delicious Pork Barbeque at the Parrillador Grill located at Hi Strip 1 along Circumferential Road. 

5. Bacolod House of Cashews' Fresh Lumpia - The secret to a great fresh lumpia is the preparation and we just found the one that we really loved. This all-time Filipino favorite is freshly cooked in olive oil egg wrapper embedded with the deliciously mixed ubod ng niyog, sweet basic and spices served with fresh lettuce and honey sauce with garlic and cashews. 

Yup, you read that right. Instead of the usual peanut sauce, they use high-quality cashews that surely made a difference. 

Bacolod House of Cashews is located along Lacson Street, infront of Starbucks. They'll be opening soon a full-service restaurant and a glamping site soon. So, stay tuned for more details. 

6. Mushu's Baked Scallops - I super love scallops and this one is just on top of the list. It has the perfect blend of saltiness, creaminess and a hint of Garlic. Chef JP Anglo has definitely done a good job with this one. 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/mushu.bacolod.3/

Another must-try too is their sizzling cansi. You'll love this new take on the usual local favorite as you enjoy very tender meat and mouthwatering bone marrow served with a special batwan sauce. 

Bacolod is indeed a perfect place to have a food trip. The adventure to discover the best delicacies and dishes is non-stop that you'll keep coming back to this beautiful city or better you'll decide to stay for good like us. 

Do you any other food suggestions from Bacolod? Feel free to comment below. :)

TRUE STORY: Working in a Call Center Will Help You Become Successful

Working in the BPO Industry as an agent has both its advantages and disadvantages. Though some may say it is a dead-end job, I believe that my experience as a call center agent had greatly helped me become a successful freelancer. Currently, I am a Marketing Manager for a publishing and consultancy firm and my background in sales and customer service as a call center agent has equipped me with the necessary skills that made the job easier. 

In this article, we interviewed former BPO employees who are now gainfully employed in a different industry. We asked if they find their experience/ training as a call center agent relevant or helpful to their current occupation and here are some interesting answers we got.

Name:  Renee Barian
BPO Experience: More than 5 years
Current Occupation:  Offshore Consultant / Operations Manager

The BIG YES will have to go to "experience." Though the Call Center Training does a lot to improve your conversational and interpersonal skills, the best lessons and the best tool that was added to my arsenal came from the 1st hand on the job experience itself. 

Having been able to handle multiple accounts/campaigns in different BPO companies pave the way for me.  It gave me a better understanding on every objective I am setting my eyes on to land a job.  The more you are familiar with what is in front of you, the more convenient it is to come up with a plan to hit whatever you're aiming for.  This is what your Call center experience will give you.

At work, you'll learn how to handle stress in any given situation, come up with a marketing strategy of your own, and eventually add more knowledge about new and exciting things in the background. Because of this, it was just easy for me to be confident and use whatever I have gotten from my experiences to meet the desired qualifications of a job or a position that I want to get.

Name:  Andrew
BPO Experience: 1 year
Current Occupation:  Transport Service Provider based in Qatar

Yes, my experience in the BPO industry had taught me about system navigation and multi-tasking which is helpful in my current job. 

Name: Maria Jelica
BPO Experience: 3 years
Current Occupation: Virtual Assistant and Ecommerce Specialist 

Yes. There are a lot of skills I've acquired from working at a call center that I am able to use in my current job. Like customer service, multi-tasking with the tools, email and chat support and a lot more.


Name:  Abigail 
BPO Experience: More than 5 years
Current Occupation:  SunLife Financial Advisor

I believe that my advantage is that I was able to handle different types of accounts and held different positions in the call center industry. This helped me really excel in my current job. I am trained to handle difficult customers. I learned how to adjust to different types of people where my patience and critical thinking ability are tested in resolving issues and coming up with different plans on how to grow the business. These are skills that I am able to apply to my current job as financial advisor. I am persistent and trained on how to handle rejection.


Name:  Leslie
BPO Experience:  3 years
Current Occupation:  Nurse

I am now a staff nurse here in Germany and my call center experience really helped me have the necessary skills or say practice to communicate effectively with other people especially with foreigners. 


Name:  Al 
BPO Experience: 1 year
Current Occupation:  Software Engineer

Yes. I'm currently assigned in a support role where interacting with developers is a daily task. It helped because it's easier for me communicate with them to solve whatever issue they have.
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As you can see, working in a call center is not a dead-end job. Instead, you can use this as a stepping stone towards your dream job. The experiences that you get can equip you with the necessary skills that you may need in the future. 

For fresh graduates, don't be discouraged to apply in a call center. It's a practical option given the compensation and benefits. Just make sure that you continue to grow professionally.  Robert Kiyosaki, one of my favorite authors once mentioned in his book, Rich Dad Poor Dad "Instead of simply working for money and security, which are important, take a job that will teach you a skill."

Starting the year with Gratitude

The holidays are finally over and here we are on the first working day of the year. I am both excited and overwhelmed with the things that needed to be done including the work-related concerns that piled up during the holidays. 

This is actually the longest Christmas vacation that we truly enjoyed. School was on break starting December 13. Val did not have to report anymore and I was on-call as early as December 15 and stayed offline beginning December 20. 

If you are wondering how we spent our holidays? We had two hotel staycations which I am going to blog about soon. And the rest are all chill days either spent by going to malls to do a little bit of shopping or we just stay at home to binge-watch The Big Bang Theory. 

It was very simple but we had the much need rest to recharge for the upcoming year. Binge-watching may sound lazy but I got a lot of takeaways and lessons that we can apply in our real lives. 

In Episode 9 (Season 10) - Sheldon gets extremely jealous when his rival, Bert gets a grant of over $500,000 for his geology research. He was even more jealous to learn that Bert really did a good job and his paper was remarkable. The jealousy that Sheldon was feeling has negatively affected him that he was unable to concentrate on his own work and that he even injured himself. 

However, what struck me the most is the words of Amy (Sheldon's girlfriend) - Amy told Sheldon that he should appreciate the good things in his life. He has love, his health and a roof over his head. 

This is the same thing that we need to do in our lives. We must not dwell on what we don't have. Instead, we should learn to appreciate what we have. We are loved and blessed more than we will ever realize. Let me share with you one of my favorite essays: 

So, this 2020. I decided to Start the Year with Gratitude and here are some of the things and people that I am thankful for: 

 .

I am thankful for a house full of fur. It means I have dogs who are playful, happy and love me unconditionally. 

I am thankful for the dishes that need to be washed, it means that my family and I had a good meal. 

I am thankful for a busy work schedule, it means that I have clients who trust me that I can help them with their business. 

I am thankful for the non-stop messaging notification sound, it means that there are people who values what I have to say. 

I am thankful for the delivery guy who keeps on waking me up so early in the morning, it means that I have packages from friends and family.

I am thankful for the medicines that I need to take, it means that I am alive and have the opportunity to heal and be healthier.  

I can share endless things that I am thankful for and this is the main reason why I am so positive that 2020 is going to be a great year.  How about you? What are you grateful for? Are you also willing to start the year with Gratitude? 

How to cope with loss of a loved one?

Losing a loved one is the hardest and most painful reality of life. It is something that we cannot control nor even predict. There is no cure or medication to ease the pain. For most of us, only time can heal the wounds. 

Losing your spouse, parents, children or anyone from your family may be the most challenging since aside from the emotional loss, confusion, and grief, there are a lot of practical decisions that you have to make. There is paperwork that needs to be fixed including hospital bills that need to be settled. Just imagine you have to do this in just a few hours despite the fact that you just want to lay down and cry. 

So, the big question is how can you prepare for this? How can you make it easier for you and your family? 

No one can be fully prepared about death but let me share some tips on what you can do: 

1. Talk about it - Though the topic of death may be taboo for the majority, it is just practical to discuss it with your family. The concept of "The Bucket List" is a good way to start the discussion. Talk about the things that you want to do or achieve before you pass on. Later, you can also share the things that you want in case something happens to you. 

Giving them the direction on how you want things to be done will give them comfort as they follow your lead. It is easier for the surviving family to think that they have granted your final wishes and preferences. 

2. Tax and Estate Planning - This is not just for wealthy families but also for middle-earners or investors who are very keen on planning their family's future. 

Some of the reasons why you should consider estate planning are the following: 

• Protection for your children. Making sure that it goes to the right person or the appropriate trustee is assigned. 
• Avoids family conflicts. Whether we admit it or not, family disputes arise when money is involved. Much more huge amounts from inheritance. 
• Minimize cost and taxes. Tax and Estate Planning helps you minimize cost and taxes when transferring the estate or property. 

3. Know where you can get support and guidance on what needs to be done - when you feel lost or overwhelmed what you do, find a service provider that can assist you in making funeral and burial arrangements. In Bacolod, there is a company that stands out among service providers because they provide excellent customer engagement whose main goal is to make things easier for their clients in their moment of grief.

Teresa Development Corporation has been in the business for more than 50 years. According to TDC's funeral director, Albert S. Montelibano they understand that their clients are anxious, worry a lot and don't know what to do. Thus, TDC will help you throughout the whole process such as processing death certificates, provide guidance on what do to before and during the wake, etc. TDC ensures detailed assistance, guidance in all the preparations and the promise to make things easier for their clients. 

4. Check your options and make practical decisions

As mentioned, one cannot be fully prepared to die but there are things that we can decide as early as now such as: 

• Should I get a memorial life plan?
• Do you consider cremation or would you like the traditional way? 
• Where would you like your final resting place to do be? (This is true for those who reside in a new city but most of their family is in the province.)

Personally, I have believed that the land is for the living and thus, I personally prefer cremation and then they, can just scatter my ashes in the forest or throw it in the sea but Val's question hit me hard. "Mommy, what if I miss you so much and want to visit you?"

To be honest, I had no answer until I learned about TDC's newest project, Christ the Redeemer Columbarium Complex. It is the perfect place where they can store the ashes of your departed loved ones. 

And this is not just your typical columbarium, it will have viewing chapels, a restaurant, beautiful lobby, high ceilings, etc. 

In this way, families can celebrate life in style. They can visit and celebrate the life of their dear loved one who passed away in style and comfort. Here's a sneak peek on what you can expect from the Christ the Redeemer Columbarium Complex.

The Amethyst features the vault where urns will be placed. 

The family suite features a family room, restroom, and kitchenette for those who want more privacy. 

For more information about Teresa Development Corporation and the Christ the Redeemer Columbarium, you may contact them at (034) 434-5555 or follow them on FB at Teresa Development Corporation Funeral Services