3/26/16

MCTI holds sizzling Megabrands Summer Sale

The summer sale heat is on as Metro Creative Themes Inc., will hold its 14th staging of the Megabrands Sale on April 1-3 at the Megatrade Hall 2 & 3, 5th Level, SM Megamall.



The three-day event will showcase over 100 known brands, both local and international. Shoppers from around the metropolis will surely enjoy huge discounts on great selections from shoes, bags, men’s and ladies fashion, sporting goods and accessories, personal care, eye wear and time pieces, gadgets and other specialty items.

Shoppers will enjoy up to 70% discounts from participating brands like Adidas, Reebok, Hush Puppies & Sebago, Levis & Dockers, Sperry, Skechers, and many more!


RCBC Bankard, still the bank partner of MCT Events for this event shall treat its credit cardholders with 0% interest for up to 12 months. Special giveaways and freebies will also be given for those who will sign up for the credit card during the event.



Over the years, this sale event has established a loyal and growing market, and has always been one of the most anticipated events. For the past five years, this event has provided participating brands with great opportunities to showcase their products and services to the dynamic market.

The event is free admission to the public and all major credit cards are accepted.

This event is organized by MCT Events Management in partnership with RCBC Bankard: Making Your Life Better!, World Vision, Sun Cellular and our media partners- WheninManila.com, Out of Town Blog , Ask by Flow Galindez, Lavishly Parsimonious blog and Congeniality Tess blog.

You may also follow us through Facebook Fanpage: www.facebook.com/MCT-Events-Management or in twitter: @mcteventsmngmnt for more updates on this event.

3/23/16

Meeting Mark Zuckerberg and My Facebook Friends Day Experience



Last January 31, 2016, Fellow Filipino Abby Asistio flew to San Francisco and had the wonderful opportunity of being chosen as one of the eighteen invited by Facebook on their 12th Anniversary Friends Day celebration with California-based Alopecia awareness advocate, Rachel Regal.  



Alopecia is an autoimmune condition which results in partial or total head and body hair loss.  Abby Asistio have had it since she was four while Rachel just developed it sometime in 2012, the same year she discovered that her 10-year-old daughter, Eliana, had it, too.  Six inspiring stories were picked by Facebook among its 1.64 billion users and Abby’s friends were all amazed when they’ve found out that Abby’s Alopecia story was one of them.  Imagine that!

Abby and Rachel met each other through the double A hand sign campaign that Aby started in 2012, and They've been "connected" since then.  Last year, Facebook Stories featured how these two were able to build a friendship, as well as campaign for disease awareness through Facebook!  And last February 1st, Abby and Rachel had the chance to tour FB headquarters in Menlo Park, San Francisco, meet and chat with the people behind Facebook (Founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, CPO Chris Cox, and a whole lot of awesome people), get crazy cool gadgets and have one of the best experiences of their lives.




Abby recounted that it was such a surreal feeling to be in the same room as the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Z was wearing his trademark look (jeans, sneakers, shirt and a big smile on his face), and had such a friendly, approachable aura and demeanor about him.  Not at all intimidating!  He shared stories about how the company started, its mission-vision, the ups and downs that come along, and their future plans.  

Those invited also had the chance to ask him questions. When Mark Z was asked about achieving success and life’s “impossibilities”.  He said, “There’s a difference between impossible and things taking a really long time. Even if you’re not going to be able to do something in a short time period, if you care about something, you want to see the world to move into that direction…  So the best thing to do is just get started and not be discouraged.  It’s tough because this stuff is hard, or else people would’ve already done it.”

Abby Asistio got the chance to ask a question to one of the world’s 50 most powerful, successful women in business, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.  Aside from Alopecia awareness, Abby is also an active Real Beauty advocate with girls and women struggling with various insecurities, being so consumed by the world’s unrealistic and sometimes superficial standards of beauty.  So Abby asked Sheryl about her perception of it.  Sheryl said that beauty is just like success and that no one could really define it for you.  We are all unique.  We have different stories, dreams and desires. We should explore our own inner and outer beauty, believe and embrace that we are beautiful, and never allow anyone to tell us otherwise.



Mark capped off his talk by sharing their company philosophy with everyone present. Though already having over 1 billion subscribers, there are still 7 billion people all over the world without access to all the meaningful connections and information that Facebook brings.  One thing that the company stands by is that “things are always 1% completed”.  It keeps them grounded, reminding them that there is always so much work, growth and progress to be done, and so many people to reach out to and help. 

Everything about the Facebook trip was overwhelming and inspiring according to Abby.  More than anything, it reminded her about “responsibility”.  We are all given our own platforms, in this case “accounts and connections”, to make a dent in this world.  It is up to us to become complacent and take these vehicles for granted, or maximize the opportunities and use them to make a positive impact in this generation.  Abby is grateful that Facebook has become a medium for her to communicate disease awareness and touch people beyond the confines of her tiny room and her country.  Abby is also glad that she and Rachel are two out of millions of people choosing to recognize the importance of social media in contributing to making this world a better place, and actually doing something about it.

Truly, God plans the best adventures and creates the most beautiful surprises.  Abby knows that she wouldn't have been handpicked for this if it weren't for Him, as well as the countless individuals who have cared and showed support for my advocacy.  Abby would like to leave a positive thought to everyone that we should really take the time to search for and identify our “purpose” – that one unique, very specific calling that is the result of our talents, dreams, desires, passions and experiences.  Once you find it, be faithful to it no matter how long or difficult the journey towards its fulfillment may be.  You’ll never know where it could lead to, how far it could go and how large it could grow.  



Abby is also thankful that her campaign continues to spread and reach new heights and she is particularly grateful to Facebook for giving her this opportunity and to Novuhair, Nature's Answer to Hair Loss (www.novuhair.com), for always being so supportive of her advocacy and endeavors.  Abby is proud and honored to have represented the Philippines and the Alopecia community in this once-in-a-lifetime, international event. 



WATCH this: Abby’s friends day song here- https://youtu.be/8iV1nXdf4Do

3/21/16

How to Get Your Life Back, According to the Demolition Movie



While the term demolition is about tearing things apart, investment banker Davis Mitchell is knocking down things to put his life back together. 

Mitchell, played by Academy-award winner Jake Gyllenhaal, lost his wife in a tragic car accident and struggles with his own life after the loss. He starts to unravel and pours out his emotions in a complaint letter to a vending machine company. 

What starts out as a frustrated complaint about a stuck package of candy turns into a silent cry for help received by the company’s customer service representative Karen (Naomi Watts).  While Karen has burdens of her own, among which is the challenge of single-handedly raising a child, she takes the floundering widower under her wing. Mitchell begins to bond with Karen’s son Chris (Judah Lewis) and together they set about demolishing the remains of Mitchell’s shattered life so he can piece it all back together.

The movie is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, who received critical acclaim for his work in Dallas Buyers Club. It also stars seasoned Hollywood actor Chris Cooper, whose film credits include Adaptation and Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Mitchell’s father-in-law who is concerned about his spiraling condition.

The movie that seeks to enlighten viewers about making connections and rebuilding a life thought to be lost will be shown in Philippine theaters starting April 8, 2016 through OctoArts Films International.     

3/18/16

The Sour-Savory Goodness of the new AJI-SINIGANG® Cube



Sinigang Soup is a ‘must’ in most Pinoy households’ weekly menu. The whole family enjoys a bowl of warm and refreshing Sinigang dish in hot or cold weather conditions. 


It has been observed though that most people using sinigang mixes available in the market would need to add other savory and meaty seasonings i.e. pork cube and all-in-one seasonings to achieve the ideal sinigang taste, which is not just about sourness but savory taste as well.


The new Ajinomoto® Sinigang Cube is all that you will ever need to cook Sinigang with the preferred blend of sour-savory (asim-linamnam) taste. It is perfect in providing the balanced rich, savory deliciousness and appetizing sourness to any sinigang dish. Each cube is “ZoopSiksik™” because it is packed with the right level of tamarind sourness and savory taste from meaty extracts.


AJI-SINIGANG® Cube is available in single 13g pillow pack cube for P5.00 and 8 pieces of 13g packed in re-sealable stand-up pouch for P38.00. 





ASIM-LINAMLINAM PORK SINIGANG
with Aji-Sinigang Cube
 

Ingredients:
2       pieces AJI-SINIGANG®    Cube
½      kilo Pork liempo, Sinigang cut
90     grams fresh tomato, quartered
30     grams onion, quartered
1 ½   liter water
90     grams gabi (taro- root crop)
80     grams labanos (radish), sliced diagonally
45     grams sitaw (string beans), cut into 1 ½”
90     grams kangkong (swamp cabbage)
1       piece siling pansigang (green chili)


Procedure:






1.  BOIL pork in water for 40-50 minutes until tender.










2.  SIMMER. Add gabi and simmer for 6 minutes. 










3.  SEASON AND SIMMER. Add AJI-SINIGANG® Cubes and other vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes until cooked.





Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) is an affiliate of Tokyo-based Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Established in 1958, APC lives by its promise to provide consumers products that will always give the delicious taste to healthy and nutritious meals as embodied in APC’s slogan Ajinomoto® “Eat Well, Live Well.®” APC’s complete line of quality food and seasoning products are produced by international affiliates and local toll manufacturers using Ajinomoto’s license, quality standards and technological expertise. APC’s products include AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning, Ajinomoto® Brand Ginisa Flavor Seasoning Mix, Ajinomoto® Brand Chicken Powder, PORKSAVOR® All-in-One Seasoning Mix, CRISPY FRY® Breading Mix, CRISPY FRY® Seasoned Crumbs®, TASTY BOY® All Purpose Breading Mix, AJI-SHIO® Seasoning Mix, Ajinomoto® Brand Sinigang Cube and “amino Fres-C” Instant Drink Mix.