Posted in February 2011

Gong Cha Philippines

Gong Cha Stand in Singapore

Our heart leapt out today when we saw a picture of a Gong Cha stand on Facebook and discovered that the owner is Gong Cha Philippines. We immediately asked our friends from Facebook and Twitter where that picture is. We were guessing that it’s somewhere in Makati, probably in the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

Gong Cha was our staple when we were in Hong Kong last year. Never would a day pass that we did not have at least one glass of their popular milk teas.

Doing more research on the web, we discovered that the name of the franchiser is Andrew Ong. He replied to a blog post back in November last year that they’re building one somewhere in the Metro.

Not content, I searched for the guy on Facebook and messaged him to confirm if there truly is an existing Gong Cha stand somewhere in Manila. To my surprise, he replied to me after a few minutes. Apparently the picture we saw is just a sample stand somewhere in Singapore, but they’re starting construction of the first Gong Cha store in the Philippines. He said he’ll let me know once it opens.

Awesome! It looks like the milk tea wars is about to get tougher. I can’t wait!

Are you a big Gong Cha fan just like us? Join their Facebook page now!

The Obsessive-Compulsive Me

I guess I am a bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to making the house neat and tidy. It’s already 1:33 in the morning and I can’t stop myself from doing a quick sweep of the floor, changing the sheets, washing the dishes and putting things where they belong. I think tomorrow I’ll wash the rest of the glasses, hang the freshly-ironed clothes (No, I don’t know how to iron. They just arrived from the laundromat), and maybe put out the trash. The bad side to this is, if your things are just lying around, don’t expect to find these in the same area. I think I got this trait from my mother.

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but one of the virtues that you need to practice when you’re living in a condo with limited space is honesty. With me being in a constant editing and pruning state, I always have to ask myself if I truly need an item, or if I’ll still eat the leftovers in the refrigerator, for example. Most of the time, it’ll end up in the trash can. Sometimes it’s tough. Sometimes I feel guilty. But that’s just it — I need to throw it now, learn from that mistake and pray that it won’t happen again.

It’s 1:45 a.m. I need to go to sleep.

Taking things to the next level

He maybe an assshole, but I have to admit that he forced us to take our game to the next level. His concern and our concern, at the end of the day, is one — be able to give the customer the best experience possible. We may have different ideas on how to achieve this, but that’s alright. In what we do, having loyal opposition is a good thing.

NBI Shit

I’m currently having lunch here at Burger King SM City Marikina. I went to two NBI kiosks already to have my NBI clearance renewed but the lines were just too fucking long.

The first one was in SM Megamall. The kiosk was stationed at the basement level but the line goes all the way up to the fourth level. I figured, I will never line up for that.

The second one was at the Riverbanks in Marikina. The line was shorter but they only service up to 700 people a day, and the numbers are all given away.

Just got a call from Dennis saying that the NBI satellite office at Park Square might be a better option for me. I don’t know. For one, I’m not aware that there’s one in that area. Well, since my day is a big fail so far, why not go down with a bang?

Makati, here I come!

UPDATE:

The NBI kiosk at Park Square is a godsend. Unlike my experience with SM Megamall and Riverbanks, the process here is blazingly fast. It took me fifteen minutes or less to get my NBI clearance renewed. Now isn’t that awesome?

There were two lines: the first one is where you submit your old NBI clearance form, and the second one is where they take your pictures. That’s it. The last part is just affixing your right thumbmark to the form, and you’re out the door.

For those who are thinking of renewing your NBI clearance, better bring a your personal copy. If you lost it or you don’t have one, better head your way to the main office in Manila instead.

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