Condo Transfer Update

we did have the punch listing of our condo unit done last month (oct), but until now the bank hasn't released the funds from the approved loan that we've applied for......still waiting for a few more signatures from robinsons land corp people.

at the rate things are going we foresee full transfer to our condo unit by early next year na lang!!!

Top Blade

having opened our meatshop last year, jon and i had the opportunity to attend the 3rd Monterey Franchisees Convention which was held at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila last December 4, 2007. the highlight of the convention was the awarding of the BLADE AWARDS to deserving Monterey Neighborhood Meatshops (NMS) throughout the country. the awards included five (5) awards in the following categories: "Rookie of the Year", "Best in Customer Service", "Best in Sales", "Best in MVP Promotion", "Best in Food Safety Management" and the top award called "The TOP BLADE Award" which encompasses every aspect of the above.

being only 6 months in operation during last year's awards night, we were not qualified for any of the awards.....so we just enjoyed watching the affair.

last night, we attended the 4th Monterey Franchisees Convention at the Crowne Plaza Galleria. to our surprise, our very own Monterey Meatshop Kapitolyo was nominated for three (3) awards: "Rookie of the Year 2007" (out of 36 new meatshops that opened last year); "Best in Food Safety Management 2007" (out of more or less 140 meatshops); and the granddaddy of it all..... "The TOP BLADE"!!!

we didn't win the "Rookie of the Year 2007" since apparently the new meatshop in Tacloban, Leyte posted the greatest monthly sales for last year; but we won 1st runner-up for the "Best in Food Safety Management 2007"..... (the winner being the meatshop in Tuguegarao).

for me though, the greater honor was being nominated for "The TOP BLADE" award because as what the presenter said last night, our being nominated was "phenomenal" because for the first time a meatshop that has only been in operation less than a year was nominated..... whereas the other 4 nominees have been opened for at least 5 years..... one being in operation for 12 years now...... and 2 nominees being company-owned!!!

"The TOP BLADE 2007" award went to the meatshop in Tuguegarao who's received this award, plus 3 of 5 of the other awards, for 3 consecutive years now..... thus, it was announced that it has been elevated to the Monterey Hall of Fame.

this leaves the awards open to all the other meatshops for 2008 (except of course the "Rookie of the Year")!...........

Our New Home

we will soon be moving to our condo unit along EDSA....we're just waiting any day now for word from the developer as to when we can visit the unit. we're very, very excited about the prospect of finally ending our days of renting an apartment and start a new life of owning a HOME!!!

(of course, the prospect of having a swimming pool a few meters from our doostep also isn't diminishing our excitement at all!!! hehehehehehe)

permanent sun tan

it looks like a piece from a puzzle... it's like the last piece to complete the puzzle.. it will soon become a reality! can't wait...

nini's garden

here are a few photos of nini's garden. she will be moving to a new place soon and i thought it would be nice to take some photos to preserve the great memories that we had while we stayed here during weekends.

of course nini will have another garden when she does move in to her new place...

One Serendra.......

a few weeks ago, bebeloi (fresh from her travels abroad) transferred to her brand new unit at the newly opened One Serendra, the country's newest and most exciting housing development locale (owned and developed by Ayala Land) located at The Fort right smack at The Bonifacio High Street.

this meant that the our group now has another place to swim in aside from Tarawoods in Batangas.... and true enough, on her first weekend at One Serendra we were there with bebs to sample their very lovely and serene pool..... (this makes our withdrawal symptoms from being away from Tarawoods easier and more bearable.... aside from the fact that compared to Tarawoods, One Serendra is very near as it is located right here in the city!!!)

of course, it also helps that by just walking past an entry door a few meters from the pool area, we find ourselves right at The High Street.... where fantastic places for shopping and dining abound.

on our first swim in, we sampled the food at ZAO, the vietnamese bistro right outside the door from One Serendra. except for some mishaps, the food was great.... and greater still.... we didn't even have to take our swimsuits off to enjoy the feast.... which made going back to the pool after lunch faster and more convenient!!! hehehehehehehe

Tarawoods 03

here are some more pics of our visits to Tarawoods, so far. the main reason i'm showing these is that..... in case our family doesn't find a beach or a better place to go to, we could probably go here and spend 2 or 3 days bonding as a family (maybe even including john's family) after gwen and john's wedding in august. tarawoods would be perfect for it's privacy, it's amenities, and it's closeness to the city.

(and maybe, we could even negotiate for discounted rates.... hehehehehe)

what say you kuya, ate liz, gwen, and gail (& alej)..... diko, ate nette, and gino..... mabelle, billy, and julius (who knows, you might fight a way to come home too!!)????

i hope i get your answers soon so we can reserve the Tarawoods this early.