A mom's lifestyle blog about food, products, and travel adventures with the family around the Metro and beyond!
May 26, 2021– “The Board of the American Association of the Philippines (AAP) announces a reorganization and related appointments to reflect key initiatives in the last year. Former Vice-President Grace Nicolas Bondad has been named new President In recognition of her accomplishments in our key fund raising efforts. She is the first ever woman President of the AAP, a notable first!.”- Chairman Emeritus Rick Sobreviñas
The pandemic is making it hard to a lot of companies to survive especially with the different mandates of the government. But there are some companies that are really thriving even with the global health crisis.
Merle started Mer-Nel’s Cake House and Variety Shop in 1996. Mer-Nel is a combination of her name and that of supportive husband, Nelson. With the lofty objective to make Mer-Nel’s known nationwide and to become part of every Filipino occasion and celebration, Merle focused on her mission to provide fine customer service with consistency and affordability and put emphasis on offering high quality and delicious products while providing more job opportunities as their business continues to grow.
The Official Launch of Asia Leaders Awards will be on Thursday, May 20 at 11:00am. The theme for this year is Hope and Optimism. It’s not all about business, it’s about reaching out to others who are helpless and with unity, we can achieve more.
The pandemic has been with us for more than a year and it's challenging each and every one, rich or poor. People say, if you can make it through this pandemic, you definitely make it no matter what the situation is. Business-minded people nowadays does not think of just business, but they also consider helping others and how to help the community as a driving force as to why they build their business. That's what real leaders are all about.
The ongoing pandemic has greatly affected the economic development of the country. Last year, from what once among the most resilient economic performers that was able to withstand several market crises in Asia and the United States – has experienced a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contraction of - 9.5% according to the figures released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This is the worst contraction rate since the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947.
With the threat of COVID-19 still lingering worldwide, people are struggling to open or even continue their business. I see closed stores left and right, department stores all closed, and the ones opened in the malls are supermarkets and pharmacies.
I was very fortunate to try Sarangani Bay's Sea Bass or Apahap fish because to be honest, I don't even know what Apahap is. All I know is Bangus, Tilapia, Maya-Maya, Galunggong, and all other common fishes. I didn't know that Apahap could be so tasty and resilient, too, where you can do a lot of dishes out of it.
 |
| Sarangani Bay's Sea Bass (Apahap) Each fish is freshly sealed and underwent quality checking so it's guaranteed fresh. |
For this year, Asia Leaders Forums and Awards will present the exemplary leaders in the Philippines with a twist, to discuss anything under the sun, their advocacy and their passion. No more of those mind-setting heavy presentations about the usual business scenario or discussions about their companies, we have a global health crisis, and we’re in survival mode. Inspiration is what we need.
This global health crisis made us more human. That our body has its capacity while our mind is limitless. This is the time that we saw new leaders, not only that they are determined, fierce and aggressive but also with a heart for giving as proven by the initiator of community pantry in Magingawa street in Quezon City and now emulated by hundreds of young leaders around the nation.
 |
| Young Leaders |
Frontier technologies are defined as the next generation of technology infrastructures that will succeed their predecessors – these are: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Blockchain, 3D Printing, Robotics, Drones, Gene Editing, 5G, Nanotechnology and Solar PV. The collective are the rapidly developing technologies that will define growth and innovation in the 2020s.
These past few months, I have been an avid customer of online delivery. I think it has also been a new normal to most families since the pandemic began. I've tried fast food, pizzas, milk teas, you name it. But there are times I crave for seafood. I was able to order tempura, squid rings, and sashimi, but sometimes I crave for seafood that I could eat with rice.
Now, I am happy to discover Bang Bang Bangus! They offer special crispy bangus that's already flavored to perfection! Their bangus is made with Bang Bang's signature breading and glaze topped with toasted garlic and cilantro.
 |
| They delivered the bangus in a box. The Lalamove guy thought it was pizza. |
I was very fortunate to try their original flavor. The fish came with classic Pinoy side dishes namely laing and pinakbet. The moment I opened the box, I can really smell the delicious garlic!
For years of being an IT in the center of the business world, Wall Street, New York City, USA, Andrew Troy Nicolas shifted to help the rising Tag Media and Public Relations eventually became Tag Media Group that manages concerts, advertising, marketing, public relations and campaigns of different companies from different industries in Asia Pacific.
Lots of online shows right now due to inability to have a physical activities as mandated by the government that usually tackle heavy discussions about business and leadership.
