My World Bazaar Festival 2014 Experience

It's been a while since I last posted here on my blog, because I thought I don't have enough reasons to blog anything. But because I had a new experience to share with you, I think this blog entry is worth to blog about.

I was invited to become the officer-in-charge (OIC) to an exhibitor's booth in the World Bazaar Festival 2014 at the World Trade Center, Manila. The event was organized by the Philippines' media giant, ABS-CBN Broadcasting, Inc. for the benefit of their Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation. 

The bazaar

The bazaar is one of the longest bazaar events I have ever seen. From December 5th to 21st, booths from different exhibitors experienced long queues of people who were doing their last minute Christmas shopping. I have seen people who went there not just only once, but many times, almost twice or thrice a week just to complete their shopping list. 

The World Bazaar Festival is full of surprises. It's like an air-conditioned Divisoria with their discounted and lowered prices of goods and mechandise and it felt like a "sosyal" palengke (marketplace) with all their variety of products. From dried goodies to clothes to bags to Christmas decors to a variety of food -- the World Bazaar Festival 2014 was really a place everyone should go to like every year!

You can find stuff that you won't find in any malls. Most exhibitors, if not all, had their prices discounted. You can find promo packs of 3's, or 5's with different items at affordable prices for gift ideas and giveaways. Ugh! If only I have the money, I would shopping there, every single day I was there.

Lessons Learned

As I as was doing my 9-day part-time job at the World Bazaar Festival 2014, I cannot let myself not to observe what were happening inside the bazaar event. People are coming in from all walks of life and from different places as well. So, without further ado, here are some of the things that I learned during my 9-day stay as the OIC to the booth I was working with.

People are crazy of ecobags. When the visitors heard that their P100-ticket can be exchanged to the official ecobag of the World Bazaar Festival, they did not hesitate to exchange their ticket/s right away. In return, a raffle for a mini ipads were at stake from the organizers. I did not win the mini ipad, but I got myself two ecobags! Hahaha!

Thank god for free taste. Most of the workers from the exhibits I have known depended on a day-to-day salary basis, but some of them would give the salary of their workers at the end of the event. So, the money to buy the food for the exhibitors' workers was really the problem. Fortunately, some booths from the Food Tent gave away free samples of their food products. In my experience, I have tasted a small sip of wine, some pieces of hotdogs and hams, corned beef on a bread, milk fish products, pork luncheon meats, some types of sardines, and different noodle dishes among other things. If you are a first time visitor, you may want to check out booths that give out free taste of their products to satisfy your hunger and not leave the bazaar with an empty stomach.

No matter how good you are at sales pitches, when there is a douche customer, there will always be a douche customer. Sadly, yes. I have met customers who still tried to bargain discounted promo packs and exchange them with different items to satisfy their greediness at bargaining. Sorry for the word, but I pity those salesladies and dispatchers for these douchebag customers. But of course, no matter how douche your customers are, always put a smile in front of their faces (the cursing can be done maybe inside the comfort room, hahaha!).

When you go to bazaars, explore on different foods and do not eat the usuals. You don't go to bazaars and simply eat at McDonald's stall there. There are a variety of food stalls intended for consumption by the customers. Some of these food stalls are those hard-to-finds and offer one-of-a-kind food such as boneless lechon, or kalderetang baka or ginataang tilapia or even Korean fish cakes that you won't find elsewhere. Explore your palate and look for your cravings. You will be shocked at what you will find at bazaars.

Freebie stuff are the best! There were some booths that gaveaway freebies such as t-shirts, umbrellas, caps, etc. for every 2 or 3 promo bags that you bought or depending on the items included in the promo packs. Some people are into freebies, really, and they are crazy about it that they choose the booth with a freebie instead of the booth, where they can have really big discount. Not a smart shopper, right? Hahaha! Oh well...

You will learn to respect salesladies, dispatchers, and sales attendants. This learning is very much true for me because I have experienced it first hand. In my previous work, I experienced working for ten hours in front of a computer and sitting all day. In this part-time job as OIC in a booth, I had experienced working for 15 hours standing all day. The first few days were really a pain in my calves and knees, but I got used to it as the days passed by. So, my highest respects to all salesladies, dispatchers, and sales attendants. Congratulations for a job well done!

You'll learn to make friends with co-exhibitors. If there were people who understood the exhibitors and their workers, the closest people are always their co-exhibitors. During my 9-day stay at the event, I have met crazy but dedicated people who were reciting their sales pitches just to convince the customers to buy their products. These people are also the happiest when they talk to their co-exhibitors. Somehow, we connect with each other and this bazaar brought us together.

You'll find good stuff that you don't find at malls and at discounted prices. Just imagine finding a bottle of flavored wine selling at only P160 per bottle when it costs at around P260 per bottle in malls. You saved P100 for that, isn't that great? This and some other things that you can find inside bazaars such as the World Bazaar Festival 2014.

If someone wants to buy something in your booth, and he/she has the money, there will be no questions to be asked. He/She will buy it right away. I have met some people like this one. Budgeted or not, for giveaway or not, if these people want to buy your product, they will buy it without a blink of an eye. There will be no more bargaining involved. Every transaction is just a breeze away. Isn't that great when it comes to marketing your product/s? I do hope all transactions are like these. Hahaha!

So, there. My World Bazaar Festival 2014 has finally come to an end. I kind of missing it, but I have to rest my body for a while. Standing all day was really a no joke. Until the next bazaar! See you there when I see you! Ciao for now!

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Your Awesome Guide To Living Independently

“FREEEEEEEDOM!!!!” | Photo courtesy of e84freedom.wordpress.com

This is a guest post from my friend, Angge.

That's the battle cry I want to shout when I first step into my newly-painted space in the boarding house I'm currently living in. I am a loner by nature so I was so thrilled when I finally had the chance to move out of our home and be on my own (Weeee! *cartwheels*). Finally! After nine years (that includes college days for I studied in Manila) of commuting for one and a half or two hours going to school or work, staying in a boarding house near the place I work is really a comfort.

Why didn't I decide earlier to move out? Two words: budget constraints. When I was still a student, my parents couldn't afford to pay for a dormitory or a boarding house rent so I traveled for hours everyday. Now that I can support myself, I've decided to be on my own. I still go to our home every weekend though to spend time with my family and fulfill my church duties and responsibilities.

But what does it mean by living independently?

All By Yourself

Being independent for me means doing different chores for yourself and by yourself. When I was living with my family, I don't do the laundry not because I'm lazy doing it but because my mom does it for me. And I usually spend more time traveling and working so most of the time, I'm too tired to wash my own clothes. Now, I have to schedule a laundry day once a week or else I would resort to “Side A-Side B” system. (And that's freakin' gross!)

It also means eating alone most of the time. For some, eating is a social activity whether they are doing it at home or in a restaurant or fastfood. Meal time is a time to interact with your parents, siblings, or friends as you share the food with them. When you are living alone, most of the time you have no choice but to cook or buy your own food and eat it alone. It can be sad (*enter background music, Alone by Heart*) especially if you are not used to it but as time goes by, you'll realize that eating alone is not the most depressing thing that will happen to you. Shake off that emo feeling and think that eating is filling your body with nutrients not another drama moment. (So turn off the dramatic background music now.)

My eating companions!

Rediscovering One's Self

Being independent means experiencing personal growth. You have all the time in your hands and the coolest part, no one is there to reprimand you (unless you have a nosy neighbor or roommate). BUT (as in capital B-U-T) it doesn't mean that you are absolutely free to do whatever things that you want to do ALL your life — it means controlling yourself not to do silly things that will make you suffer at the end. It's like being a parent to yourself. You have to take care of yourself because nobody will do it for you. Living alone and independently are two of the ultimate maturity tests for me. It's about forgetting my 'Peter Pan' syndrome and starting to act and think like a real adult and become responsible for my actions.

I love being independent. This sense of freedom is helping me to become resilient. Being alone most of the time gives me time and space to learn more things and new things that help improve myself. Spending time with myself helps me know myself more, understands myself much better, and loves myself even more.

Benefits Without a Doubt!

If you think that living independently means days without sunshine, well you have to start thinking that rainy days are not that bad either. Living alone gives you more time to rest, to contemplate, to enhance yourself, and to become more productive if you just know how to manage your time and channel your energy. Stop planning your shower cry, pillow cry, or whatever kind of cry that you are planning, instead, focus on certain things that can make you a better person. Think of the book that you'll be reading next, or the art activity you are wanting to start, or the recipe you wanting to cook, or the next TV series you'll be wanting to watch!

New Girl... my new favorite series! Yay!

So if you have the courage and resources (and if your parents let you), move out of your home! Live independently... but always remember to don't and NEVER screw things up! Freedom is always a choice... but it is not absolute! God gave us free will; we choose the path that we are going to take but responsibilities always go with it. Life's what we make it — mess with it, you'll end up miserable or live it, you'll end up fulfilled.

Remember the credo: “I'm alone but not lonely.” *wink wink*

PS: Emo moments are not bad, you have to keep a playlist of sad songs (mostly Adele songs) to keep you company if you feel like being sad once in a while. Just don't do it very often or you'll end up having suicidal tendencies or worse, locked up in an asylum. ;)

"Maybe... just maybe... I'll set fire to the rain! Bwahahahaha"

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Pinoy Christmas Shopping Guide to Awesomeness: The Christmas Shopping Hotspots!

Image courtesy of shopping-center-myspace.blogspot.com

The last time you've heard of me was when I discussed the major, major problems in Christmas shopping. Today, I will be discussing some Christmas shopping hotspots! The Philippines is blessed with different shopping hotspots scattered all over the country. When it comes to shopping, the Philippines is never behind our neighboring Asian countries. We have one of the best shopping districts in Asia. Even Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia are scared to death when our shopping districts operate.

Foreigners from different countries around the world are also going crazy shopping to our native land. Perhaps the best part of shopping here in the Philippines is the price of every items and commodities found in every malls and tiangges. Compared to our Asian neighboring countries, our product prices are much cheaper and are in their highest quality.

So, here's a list of some popular Christmas shopping hotspots in the Philippines. Below is a list of places you can raid for your Christmas shopping extravaganza. You'll never find any articles in the Internet like this one, because this one is waaaayyy toooo A-W-E-S-O-M-E! (Take that! Haha.)

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Riding a Jeepney in the Philippines!

It has always been my fascination to observe the looks, attitudes, and behaviors of people inside a jeepney whenever I had a chance to ride in it. The public utility jeepneys (PUJs) or simply jeep, brings us a lot more closer to reality when it comes to observing people.

Inside a jeep, you will find a different mix of people. There are sometimes stubborn passengers, and at times there are nice. Often times you will find stressed passengers, especially during rush hours. These traits and behaviors of people inside the jeepneys may or may not annoy you, but believe it or not, these traits and behaviors can affect you in one way or another even if you don't care much.

So here's a riding a jeepney list of people's behavior inside a jeepney, one of the Philippines' main transport systems. Below are just my observations and opinions, so don't take it seriously! Now here's the awesome list:

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How to ride a jeepney in the Philippines?

If you are planning to travel in the Philippines, it is necessary for your itinerary to ride our country's main mode of transportation — the Philippines' very own Jeepney or the Public Utility Jeepney. The Jeepneys are the king of the roads in the Philippines. Without them, traveling around the city is not complete. Jeepneys make life so much easier because of its abundance, the conveniences they bring, and of course, much cheaper than the other modes of transportation.

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