"Miss Pin Antonio, Up Close And Personal"

Ms Pin Antonio-Mangundayao , Pin Antonio to the entertainment industry where she is known as the “the hairdresser of the stars”. Ms Pin is known for her very modern and chic hairdos. She is also the owner and creative director of Salon de Manila (SDM) chain of salons. She is successful and is well known in her industry . What is her formula for success? What keeps her on top of her game? These and other questions were answered  in the brief interview I had with her last Monday, October 11,2010 at their beautiful home in Corinthian Hills.

1. What was your course in your college? "Fine Arts Major in Interior Design in UST pero siyempre medyo hindi good yung ang status sa family so hindi  namin na continue so 3rd year college lang ako."

2. Who influenced you to get into hairdressing?

"Kasi yung sister ko si Ruby Tubig, started one very small salon and parang everytime na pupunta ako, uuwi. I can see them doing hair, I can see them working. Parang nakikita ko na I can do it myself. Parang I feel that I can do it too. So I believe yung sister ko, si Ruby influenced me the most. It was easy for me to learn the craft. I also went through much training and joined many contests."

3. Did you see yourself being the artistic director of your own chain of salons? How many salons do you now have in Metro Manila?

"The time that we started,1983, hindi ko inisip that we would be this big kasi siyempre that time two chairs lang yung salon, or three chairs. Parang that time, hobby lang since I was still studying in UST. Parang enjoy enjoy lang. But maybe because as we do it excellently success will come in after doing it with love, integrity, discipline.

When my sister, Ruby died in 1995, I almost gave up my career in hairdressing and was  planning on migrating to the US, but I was offered to handle the creative aspect of the salon. I accepted the offer because of my love and gratitude to my sister.

Yun na yun. Andun na. Hindi ko inisip na magiging 6 salons kami, hindi ko inisip na ganito kami ngayon, hindi ko inisip na I would lead Salon de Manila and someday na magkaroon pa ng other chain of salon  which is the Antonio Hairdressing. Hindi mo naman mapipigil yun eh. As you do your work excellently, success will follow."

4. Do you see any of your children succeeding you?

"Ngayon si Adlai yung panganay ko, I know he's following my footsteps and I believe that he will be greater than I am kasi young blood, enjoying his craft. May dugo talaga  in his heart na he loves his craft. Kaya siya, siya yung naniniwala ako na susunod. And si Andrai naman siguro someday, kasi sabi niya nakikita rin niya yung sarili niya creating shapes eh. Kasi artist din eh. So hilig mag create ng bagay bagay hindi lang naman kasi sa paggugupit ng buhok ang trabahong ito eh. Yung you know how to create shapes, you know which one suites the person. Ganun. Kasi yung iba, basta gupit, natuto lang humawak ng gunting, gupit ng buhok, umiksi, hindi eh. I believe it's creating shapes eh.

Adlai is already a master of precision cutting and creative coloring and is now owner of Antonio’s Hairdressing in Timog. He represented Salon de Manila in 2009 and was named one of the best hairstylists in Asia."

5. Do you attend training, workshops and seminar to improve your craft?

"Oo. That's really really important. I keep on attending various trainings in London and the US with Vidal Sassoon and Toni and Guy to get the latest hairstyles Every year, I go out of the country to update, to see myself motivated and pagbalik, pag uwi, I have new shapes, new colors, new shades, new technology and yun inaapply ko dito sa atin. Important yun kasi number 1, fashion moves fast eh. Sobrang bilis. So pag hindi ko ginawa yun, magiging outdated tayo. So important na nauupdate,  na eenjoy ko. Kasi parang nastagnant, parang nakakapagod pag ganun. Kasi parang kinakalawang na yung knowledge mo. Important yun continous education, learning and then  I know yan ang isa sa susi kung bakit hanggang ngayon, buhay na buhay ako mag gupit."

6. Being known as the hairdresser to the stars and so used to handling famous personalities, how did you feel when the Presidentiable Noynoy Aquino asked you to do his hair?

"At first I know for the fact that he doesn't need me because we all know naman na he has very thin hair and walang masyadong istastyle but it was still an assignment and so I also wanted to fulfill that duty. It was also honoring for me because he is a very respectable man who's on his way to leading this country. Habang ginugupitan ko siya I was laying my hands on him, pinagpra-pray ko siya. I do not cut his hair now, I know it was a divine assignment for me, sa dami ng pwedeng mag cut sa kanya ako ang napili."

7. Can you please share your formula to success?

"It's important to have self discipline and loving what you do and doing what you love.It is hard work and  taking care of the gifting God gave me. I always pray to Him to guide me in my every decision. I do not believe in healthy competition, I just focus on my work. No matter how healthy the competition is, you sometimes find yourself focused on the other person’s work instead of your own. Kaya ako nag concentrate lang sa work ko, how to make it better to perfect my craft. I am friends with everybody in the industry. I respect their work."

8. Can you please give any advice or tips on how to be successful and maintain it?

"You just have to be focused on your goals, and put God at the center of any endeavor that you choose. If remain focused and in tune with God all will fall into place."

9. What award or recognition do you value the most?

"When I won in the Singapore hair show competition going against 16 other Asian countries. During that time people are belittling the Philippines so masarap yung feeling that I gave honor to the country. During that time I felt discriminated just because they looked at me differently due to the fact that at the same year the Abu Sayaff  beheading two Americans was still a fresh issue. I did not have a chair in the main hall, kaya naging resourceful ako, I used the lounge in the bathroom of the hotel, Doon ko inayusan yung model ko.Before the competition, I prayed and I was lead to read

Psalm 27 :13-14

        ¹³ I am still confident of this:
      I will see the goodness of the LORD
       in the land of the living.

        ¹⁴   Wait for the LORD;
       be strong and take heart
       and wait for the LORD.

and it helped me through. Not only that I have won the competition but I won it with God's supervision. When they called my name, it was a victory but not only by what I did but also with God's goodness to have granted my victory. I am forever grateful for all the blessings favor and success  I have received from God. He truly is my Strength!"

Miss Pin Antonio is truly a person I love, respect and look up to. As she makes other people beautiful physically, she also makes them beautiful spiritually by sharing her faith. No ordinary person can do that, only a person who is truly beautiful inside and out can do this. She truly is one person who is not only beautiful on the outside but also on the inside as well. It is not surprising that she is where she is – at the top!!

♪"Move, move, shake, shake, now drink !" ♫

Fruit Shake is a beverage made without milk or ice cream but blended or shaken like a milkshake in an osterizer.

Fresh Fruit Shakes are one of the best drinks that will help you wake up and feel refreshed. Unlike the well loved coffee, shakes
can be taken by kids too. There are varieties of fruit shakes available in the market today, from the freshly squeezed or picked to the artificially flavored fruit shakes. If you are to drink a fruit shake might as well be a fresh fruit shake. One of my favorite restaurant, Cibo, serve the best fruit shakes.

They are not only thirst quenchers but they are also deliciously healthy.
When my professor told us that we had to make a review on drinks, I thought of the CIBO right away. Cibo has around 11 yummy fruit drinks on their menu. I chose to review two of their shakes. UVA NERA the Red Grape Shake and UVA BIANCA
the White Grape Shake.

Both shakes were really good and refreshing.

UVA NERA was excellent, even appealing to the eyes as you’ll see the skin of the red grapes beautifully splashed in the drink, it was bursting with flavor with just the right sweetness. It is as good as it looks.
. The smell is not strong but sweet. The taste is as sweet as it smells.

UVA BIANCA, white grapes were used.The shake was green in color, you could not really see the skin as such, the color was dull compared to the red grape juice. The flavor was less intense, but still was delicious. It was not as sweet as the Uva Nera , it had a hint of sourness, good thing it did not overpower the mild sweetness of the Uva Bianca.
The smell was not sweet but rather a little sour.

For the size of those drinks about 6-7 oz, they are very reasonable for
119 pesos. With their delicious taste and competitive price one will definitely come back for more. These are great drinks to have for a brunch or in between meals. With some fruit, water and just a little sugar they are delicious, filling, refreshing and relatively healthy!

"When the best burger is just a Good Burger.""=

Are you sick of the same old dry, bland, common burgers? I am! Do you want to experience a mouth-watering burger that when you take a bite of it, it will make you want for more? I do!  

"Welcome to Good Burger home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?" 

Good Burger is not your ordinary burger. It's patties can be either vegetable or chicken. How cool is that?!

Just perfect for people who are health conscious! The best thing about it is, it's GRILLED! What about the 

people who are not so health conscious? Good Burger has a wide range of flavors. From Bacon Mozza Melt

which has bacon bits with mozarella  to Silly Burger that has a strong spicy taste. Good Burger makes sure 

that they get to make different types of burgers that fits best to the tastebuds of all kinds of buyers. From kids 

to adults.

The prices of their burgers are very reasonable. It ranges from 60-120 pesos. Cheap right? The best partner 

for their burgers are potato wedges. Perfect combination! Good Burger is mostly-take out and delivery. So if 

you want to experience the perfect heaven on earth burgers,Good Burger is located at C5 Pasig, Kapitolyo, 

Greenhills and Sikatuna. So what are you waiting for? Leave your house and go grab a bite!

Good Burgers Menu

		Good (single patty)	Best (double patty)
Just Burger	mayo, catsup	60	85
Cheesy Mushroom	mushrooms, cheese	75	100
Salsa Mex	salsa, cheese	75	100
Garlic Barbecue	coleslaw, barbecue sauce	75	100
Silly Burger	sour cream, garlic chilli, cheese	75	100
Persian Burger	sauteed onions & peppers, garlic, aioli sauce	75	100
Herb Delite	basil, cottage cheese	80	105
Breakfast Burger	eggs, bacon, cheese	90	115
BLT	bacon bits, lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, mayo	90	115
Margherita Burger	roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, cheese sauce	95	120
Bacon Mozza Melt	bacon bits, mozzarella mayonnaise	95	120
3 Cheese	cream cheese, mozzarella, mayonnaise	95	120
Add Ons	Salsa	12
	Garlic Chilli	12
	Barbecue Sauce	12
	Mushrooms	12
	Coleslaw	15
	Cheese Sauce	15
	Aioli Sauce	15
	Caesar Dressing	15
	Lettuce Tomato Onion	15
	Herb Cheese	18
	Sour Cream	18
	Bacon Bits	18
	Garlic Cream Cheese	20
	Cottage Cheese	20
	Mozzarella	20
Side Orders	Regular Wedge	35
	Cayenne Hot	40
	Chick N’ Chips	75
	Veggie Meat Strips	80
Drinks	Soda
	Regular	25
	Diet	28
	Iced Tea	28
	Mineral Water	18
	Juice	28

Contact Details:
Good Burgers
Locations:
C5 Pasig: 105 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, C5 Pasig
Tel. No.: 6714242
Kapitolyo
Tel. No.: 6364663
Greenhills
Tel. No.: 3454442
Sikatuna
Tel. No.: 4354663

“Christmas Traditions”

Kids, teenagers, adults and even grandparents look forward to Christmas

for different reasons. For some, they are just in it for the gifts, others for the money,  for some  

they’re excited to be reunited with their families and for the others, they can’t get enough of the parties and the  food that is going to be served. People usually go out of town or country for Christmas but, in our family we make sure that we celebrate it at home. Nothing beats the traditional way of celebrating Christmas.

There is nothing more enjoyable than sharing Christmastime with the people you love the most. Christmas is something we look forward to in our home. Christmas is more than a season of  giving of gifts ,attending of parties and eating our hearts out. It is a season where we celebrate the  birth of Jesus, the greatest gift we have received. It is the time to celebrate the reason for the season—Jesus!

Christmas Season is time when traditions are observed by our family. We usually put up the tree a week or so before December. By these time all the plates, decors and almost everything, even the candles in the house have been changed to those with Christmas motif or design. Christmas carols are played and we even have a compilation of Carols which we gift our friends with as  they enjoy listening to it. We also look forward to our  Advent wreath tradition, where we read excerpts from the Bible leading to the birth of Jesus, we light one candle per week and on the eve of Christmas we put the baby Jesus in his manger. Another tradition we observe is  attending  Christmas service where we celebrate with friends from church.

The most loved tradition of all is the Noche Buena or Christmas Eve dinner.  We have dishes that are staples in our family Christmas Eve dinner. It is something we look forward to. My grandmothers White beans with chorizo,salted pork and whole garlic and onions is the best!! The recipe has been with her family for centuries, She has been cooking it together with Beef Estofado  for more than 60 years. Her grandparents were originally from Spain and they grew up with authentic Spanish recipes, like paella, callos and a lot more but it is her white beans that we look forward to as we cannot and have not seen any restaurant  serving it.  The aroma of the beans cooking together with the other ingredients make you want to eat it now! Christmas dinner is composed of different kinds of pasta, but of course the star is our favorite, my mom’s  super ultra rich and creamy  baked macaroni. Although my dad’s spaghetti puttanesca is not far behind. We also have surf and turf,garlic butter mashed potatoes, mixed veggies on the side. My grandma’s chicken macaroni salad goes really well with the Christmas ham, Apart from the usual cakes, pastries, cheese and fruits, Christmas Eve Dinner is not complete without Fruit Salas which I have been preparing since I was 8!! No one makes the fruit salad other than me. I do variations and they always like it. Another dish which we prepare that goes well with Ham is another kind of beans, Baked Beans with Bacon and Brown sugar. This has been my dad’s favorite since he was old enough to eat.

Christmas to me is a celebration, which includes spending time with my family, decorating the entire house, inside and out, buying gifts. Doing the traditions this with the people I love is what means the most to me. Christmas dinner is special,  the  recipe of our Christmas staples are not
only formulas, but they are memories and traditions being passed down from
generation to generation. The tradition of preparing for the Christmas season and the celebration itself is something to look forward to every year and it is something I hope to carry on with my own family one day.

"How Tv Affects My Worldview"

In this generation, Television is a an essential appliance seen in every home whether you are rich or poor. It is part of everyone’s life. Even if you don’t watch it people around you, do. This form of media has a large audience base. Advertisers of products take advantage of this fact so they advertise on the hottest and newest shows on television. People who watch on the other hand do not realize that while enjoying their favorite television hey subconsciously  absorb the political, social and economic messages that are assumed in the program and its advertisements.

Television these days are so much different than it was decades ago. Today, we have hundreds of channels to choose from far from my parent’s time, they only had about five. Viewers are exposed to more information, whether it is good or bad is another story. Television, like the internet,  is a tool that can be used either for bad or good. On one hand it can be used to educate and allow people to see a world they might never have a chance to see in reality. On the other hand, television sometimes shows a distorted view of reality, which can damage people’s views of the real world, and this can influence how people think and behave. This is seen  in shows and movies where it is acceptable for  teenagers to be disrespectful, rebellious and uncontrollable. A lot of television shows have labeled or stereotyped different kinds of teens and this in a way pressures teen agers who watch the show to choose which teen they are. The surprising part is that most of the stories portray the respectful, obedient ones as the “doormat” who gets stepped on or bullied and the bullies are the ones made to be cool. Although some shows redeem the story in the end, sadly, it has already made the “bad side” more attractive and fun to the teen viewers who often look for role models in these kind of shows.

There was a time when I got pressured into being a different person/daughter to my parents. I would see people on TV sneak out of their houses, although I knew it was wrong, it felt like it was so cool and was a taste of independence, good thing I  did not act impulsively nor was I daring enough to have tried it. There is this inner voice in me that puts me in check. I am super close to my parents but there was a time when I distanced myself from them thinking it was “freedom” to do what I wanted to do without anyone telling me otherwise.  I thought being close to my parents would make me less cool or less accepted until I realized that all of us have a different beliefs, standards and view of the world.

As a saying goes, “Do not judge yourself

through someone else’s eyes.” I came to understand these more when I realized that I am who I am, I am my beliefs, choices and values.  I know what defines me and will not allow the standards set by the television shows as to what beauty is, or what a teenager is, nor what morality is define me.  

Television is not bad, you just have to have to know your boundaries and limitations. It shouldn’t dictate how you live your life. For as long as  television is used  to teach lessons in morals and produce good role models for children to look up to then television can be  an excellent educational instrument. If, however television has shows  drugs and violence in prime time shows they should see to it that they are responsible enough to make sure that the consequences of drugs and violence are properly explained. They say that you are what you eat, in the same way I believe  we are what we watch so we should be careful of what television shows we watch. The effects of a program go far and beyond the show’s airtime.

It is a reality that what seen  on TV influences people in society, in different degrees. Television has the potential for both good and bad effects, as responsible members of society we must not watch programs that depict more negativity and those with no redeeming value. If we stop watching these kind of shows, producers will stop producing these shows as it will not make them money. In the end, it still is our choices that make up our worldview.

“You gotta be fit n’ right”

From what I’ve been hearing, they say that FIT N RIGHT is 

the first and only juice drink that is clinically

proven to help you give the body that you’ve always wanted. It contains L-Carnatine that helps you burn 

fat and B Vitamin that helps you speed up our metabolism. One of the reasons why people are so 

attracted to it is because of its tagline, “Looking good never tasted this good.” It makes their target 

market, which are the people who want to be healthy and people who want to lose weight and look 

good want to buy because they know it is not like the other bitter drinks or blant drinks that help you 

lose weight. FIT N RIGHT does not have a foul smell. Its taste is actually pretty pleasing. The other reason 

why it is so appealing is they get people who already have perfect bodies as their model. They made 

losing weight look easy even if its not. Since people really want to lose weight, they buy the product. I 

am not saying that it does not work but, it takes hard work to be able to reach your goal.

“AFFECTIVE OR EFFECTIVE?”

There is a commercial which promotes buying more Colt 45 drinks to get a chance to win a date with 

Christine Reyes. In the last part of the commercial, there were guys crowding outside her door, and 

when she opened it, she was wearing something enough to just cover her private parts. There is another 

version of the commercial where she was lying down and a man was rubbing or massaging her when she 

was wearing a bikini. It caught my attention not because the commercial was interesting or inviting, but 

because I found it distracting and inappropriate.

I believe that you should respect yourself.

Being almost 

naked worldwide is one way of inviting people, specially men to disrespect you. I have nothing against 

women or girls wearing bikinis but, I think the idea of the commercial is not right. It defeats the purpose 

of having self-respect.