Cakes at Chocolat

Went out with my cousin and my aunt to window shop at Mall of Asia--bad idea when we were there and it was packed  with people because of the fireworks competition that was going to happen later that night. You'd barely enjoy window shopping when you'd bump into someone in an attempt to just walk. We walked around hoping to find something good but then just gave up and decided to eat something. My cousin wanted to eat cake and so we ended up eating that at Chocolat. The place was packed and we barely had anywhere to sit. When that was resolved, though, we ordered our cakes.

I had the Chocolate Caramel cake (P82) with some ice cold chocolate drink

My cousin Kiss had the Chocolate Hazelnut cake (P88)

My aunt had a cup of cappuccino.

Kiss and I taking a pic together before eating.

Chocolat seems to make their cakes in the same area, because there are staff making cakes by the counters and icing them as we ate. The cake slices are priced at around P80-P120, which is the price range you'd expect for cake slices in other cake shops and bakeries too.

The cake tasted good enough. The cake was moist and the chocolate flavor not too sweet; just right. Its a bit filling after a slice or two. I like it but it doesn't haunt me and make me want to immediately buy another one. Maybe next time I'll try another flavor? Red Ribbon still has my favorite cakes.

Revisiting Intramuros

My aunt and I walked around a place both dear to our hearts recently--Intramuros. We grew up here. She grew up here in her youth and I did, too, for almost ten years of my life. Every now and then we take it upon ourselves to go back to where we all originally were from. We love seeing the changes, the improvements, and the things that haven't changed at all.
One big change that wasn't there four years ago when I still frequented Intramuros because of studying there was The Bayleaf Hotel.

The Bayleaf is associated with Lyceum of the Philippines University, where I studied for a good two years, too. The school, by the way, is nice--you have great facilities but not so stressful studies, and LPU has a good name that you'd want on your CV. But that doesn't save you from crappy teachers. You'll still have them. Maybe more of them in a school like this than in a smaller school.


It seems that they accept job applicantions too, but I doubt you'd have a good chance if you weren't a graduate of LPU yourself.


All this stuff really reminds me of a long-buried-should-be-dead-desire to finish my studies in a decent school.

Max's Resto Day 3 Interview

Is this real? Is this a fantasy? The final interview for Max's Resto finally arrived after what seems like an eternity of interviews. After exams and the three interviews, the final one has finally arrived. We were told to be there by 3PM, but interview only started at what? 4:15PM? Whiled the time away by sketching, thinking of food, and chatting with the other applicants. There were only around twenty of us now and we were pretty familiar with each other, so it was a cool atmosphere and even got pretty noisy at some point. It was cool how we were all rooting for each other, despite that we were all practically fighting over who gets the job here.


At around 6PM I got interviewed since they started interviewing the supervisors/managers/kitchen applicants first and the dining area applicants later. The chinese franchise owner in Valenzuela, with his wife, was doing the interviews.


When it was my turn to be interviewed, it was pretty laughable because the interviewer was asking me why I was applying for waitress when my experiences were more solid in the kitchen area. I almost facepalmed laughing. He made a good guess and asked me if I wanted to be a waitress or if someone just put me there. I laughed a little and told him that the previous interviewers at Max's told me that I'll only be considered for waitress and that was all I was qualified for (despite their advertisements saying otherwise). I laughed at the irony of it all as we talked about food and cupcakes and good practice in the kitchen. The lady interviewer (the chinese guy's wife?) told me that I shouldn't show interviewers my hands because they're one thing that make interviewers doubt that I actually cook, they don't look like they're suited for work. That realization hit me just then.


Just be yourself with these Chinese entrepreneurs. They're pretty cool. I went to SM North EDSA, my fave shopping spot, after the interview to get some sandwich and then go home.

Mark's & Spencer Swiss Chocolate Reviews

My sister brought home Swiss Chocolates last January for us to taste test, and it's about time I reviewed the stuff I ate, and I figured it's timely because Single Awareness Day (aka Valentine's) just passed and we're all, hopefully, eating chocolates. My sis already did a post on this which you can read on her blog. She has more photos, too.

Here are the chocolates included in the Mark's and Spencer Swiss Chocolate box:

Picture too big for my lay-out, pardon the resize

I didn't get to taste everything, but from the stuff I tasted, my top three is Sienna, Noblesse, and Arabia. I'm a fan of strong flavors and the coffee flavor of Arabia just does it for me. Sienna is a more subtle chocolate with pistachio filling, and is not too sweet but not too bitter. Noblesse is my top favorite among all of them, simply because it has a whole hazelnut inside and the caramel and cream filling is done to perfection.


You can grab these goodies at Mark's and Spencer shops near you.

Eating at Impressca

To make the most out of my trip to my second interview for Max's Resto, I decided to stop by SM North EDSA (one of my fave shopping places) and do a little window shopping, and looking around for good foodstuffs. The Block is one of my fave places to try out foods, because they have restaurants and small food carts and kiosks that you won't find anywhere else. It was around 5PM so I wanted to get a light before-dinner snack. I wanted a sandwich. Sandwiches are my fave things to eat. I debated over going to one of my favorite sandwich places, The Sandwich Guy (2nd floor of The Block) or trying out something new. I walked around The Block some more and saw Impressca. They were supposed to be mostly a salad place, but heck, they had sandwiches. Ordering sandwiches from a salad place could be a good idea if it meant they were using better veggies.

Located at 4th floor of The Block

I ordered their Chicken Salad Panini (or something like that) which cost P85 and came with free iced tea or coffee, your choice.

This is what I got. Exactly what I was expecting because it was only P85, after all.

Upon closer inspection.

Tasted the sandwich and it tasted like I could've made it myself, at home. And it's never good to buy something that you can make yourself at home. The only redeeming factor of this is that the white onions were so good, but that's only because I'm a white onion person and love eating them.

The brewed coffee is simply brewed coffee; a little less strong than most brewed coffee out there though.

Will I recommend this place? No. Will I eat here again? No. If you're craving sandwiches and burger like I usually do and you're at The Block, you'll get a satisfactory HBLT sandwich at The Sandwich Guy for nearly the same price (P88) or you can choose from a wide variety of burgers at Slammer Burgers for P85, or you can be like me and prefer to add a few pesos and go to Country Style and just order a Triple Decker Sandwich (P130) which already comes with iced tea.

Day 2 Max's Restaurant Interview

It's the second day of my now-long leg of interviews for Max's Restaurant.You can read the first part of my interview here. 


Don't you just hate it when you have to come back three or more times for a job (which will only pay you minimum wage and around 6-8k a month)? Max's has to thank God they're a good name in the local industry when it comes to restos, or else this would discourage a lot of applicants. 


And the second day... It's pretty uneventful. Had to sit down with all the other applicants (which are still around 30+ in number) and wait to be called to be interviewed by the owner of the SM Valenzuela franchise of Max's. But while he was interviewing, another lady was interviewing, too, and she is, if I understand correctly, also part of the Max's team. She was doing group interviews, while the owner was doing one-on-one interviews.


Well, we had no idea what was going on with two people interviewing, and pretty soon I got called in for an interview with the lady. Quick questions, basic stuff, the quintessential "tell me something about yourself" jig. She also, interestingly, told me that I'd be considered for the waitress position despite the area manager giving me hopes the other day that I can work for the kitchen, and even suggested I try out for the bar. This is what happens when I put on make-up and try to look nice.


And then she told me to come back on Friday. I'm like, "okay".


...And then, "Whut the hell I just used up P200 for this."


A few of us applicants chattered outside as we were going home, and we were like, "Now I'm thinking thrice if I really want to be employed here."


But no pain, no gain. Sadly.

Should I Study in Culinary School?

I've been debating with myself if whether or not I'm going to enroll in culinary school. Should I enroll in culinary school? How much will it cost me? What school should I enroll in? ...And all those questions. But monetary questions aside, I've also the question if it's practical at all for me to enroll in it or just pursue my degree in HRM, since I'm only a graduate of its associate version, HRS.


Why I DON'T think it's practical to enroll in culinary school


Firstly, if you're looking for local employment, you hardly need a culinary diploma to be hired as a kitchen staff. You'd be amazed of how many cooks and head cooks and head chefs I know that have not studied culinary at all. You'd be amazed how many bakers I know who went abroad and have made a fortune and have not studied in culinary. My ex himself is now a chef in a cruise ship, earning dollars, and he went to the same school that I did, graduated from the same 2-year-course, and never went to culinary.


He's only 24, by the way, and he started working in a fine-dining resto since he was 23, starting out as a dishwasher and then eventually getting promoted for his enthusiasm. Everytime he finished doing the dishes, he'd go make usi with the cooks and chefs and help them with finishing and garnishing and ask around and ask to be taught. It wasn't long before he got promoted to assistant, and then to a full-time cook. He's always a strong, living proof to me that you don't need to have the damn culinary diploma.


You'd be amazed that fine-dining restaurants and some hotels in the Philippines hire kitchen staff that are never culinary graduates. I've interned in a few and worked in them. I was a kitchen hand myself and learned from these men, and while they want to study culinary themselves, there are things I learned from being there and working with them that I know I would never pick up from school.


Whether or not you graduate from a culinary school, you'd still be applying for the same entry-level position as everyone else, the same position open for HRS and HRM graduates, and if they have actual experience in it, they have the upper hand.


If you want to study culinary, first consider if you can get a kitchen-related job that doesn't require you to have that culinary diploma. If you're male and in your twenties, you'd find that there are a lot out there. And try to get into a resto with a good rep--try fine dining. If you can't get into fine dining yet because they prefer workers with experience, try casual dining restos, they're usually more lenient with who they hire, and then move on to fine dining restos. After gaining experience there, you can easily apply for abroad or for cruise ships.


It's a hard climb, but it's been proven possible by countless cooks and chefs that I know.


Why SHOULD you enroll in culinary school, then?


If you're female and still kinda young, like I am, chances are you will hardly be considered for a kitchen-related job by any resto at all and passed over for a male. Sometimes I feel like I want to enroll in culinary school so employers don't belittle me for my gender. In the Philippines, the commercial kitchen is still dominated by males. A few restos and reputable coffee shops will specifically want to hire a female for pantry/cold kitchen positions, but they would want those with more experience. Males have stronger chances of an onward and upward climb without needing a culinary diploma, lucky guys.


There are also lot of things you learn from school, that even seasoned cooks that I know still want to enroll so they could expand their knowledge.


And if you want to major in Baking and Pastry, I'm afraid you might have to study Baking and Pastry arts, because there are hardly any entry-level jobs in that sector of the food industry that don't require skills and experience. I'm a home baker and I can bake, but without that diploma, I will never be qualified to be employed as one.


Why do you want to study in culinary, anyway?


If you're reading this, chances are you're probably thinking of enrolling in culinary, too. Can you tell me why you want to? Is working in the kitchen your dream or goal? Or do you think it's a profitable career?


Let me just tell you these things:


The food industry isn't as glamorous as many people think, or as media makes it out to be. It can be dirty work. If you expect yourself to be a chef immediately after you graduate from culinary, you're in the wrong train of thought. An instructor at MIHCA (or the Magsaysay Culinary school, whatever the acronym stands for) even said something about it. I quote him when he says that their students or potential students shouldn't expect to be immediately chefs. Everyone starts at the beginning, as line cooks, so they train their students to be efficient cooks and be able to handle real problems that happen in the kitchen.


And don't expect to not do any dirty work; we clean up after our own stations and scrub our own pots and pans, and even go to the grocery or wet market to shop for ingredients. If you're appalled by the thought of being sweaty, this probably isn't for you.


I suggest everyone think carefully. Try a hand at it before doing anything that cannot be altered (such as paying P200,000 for a few months of culinary school). I always dreamt of being a baker and working in a kitchen ever since I was small, and all I ever saw of it was what I saw on TV and what media made the profession look like. But getting and internship in the kitchen and actually working for a few and knowing others in the same path made me realize that this is a difficult job and it isn't exactly how media portrays it. I suggest you try out being a kitchen hand/helper to see how the real world is, or if you can, apply as an OJT and asked to be put in the kitchen. You get experience, and you make connections, and you can get endorsements from chefs--it's a win situation, and who knows, if you work hard, they might even hire you. If you are friends with a resto manager, ask to help out for a few days in the kitchen if possible, just so you get a view of how it is before you make a big decision.


If your love stays strong even if you see the realities, then you truly know that it's your calling.


As for me, I'll weigh my options some more.

Max's Restaurant Initial Interview

Max's SM Valenzuela is hiring these days so I decided to check it out. They posted an ad on Jobstreet in search for staff for the about-to-open franchise branch in SM Valenzuela, opening this March (or so I hear). If you're interested in the position, send an e-mail to careers@maxschicken.com.ph like I did. 


Here are the links to their advertisements in Jobstreet for Waiter, Waitress, and Kitchen Personnel respectively:


http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/jobs/2012/2/default/80/3120370.htm?fr=21
http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/jobs/2012/2/default/80/3126641.htm?fr=21
http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/jobs/2012/2/default/80/3127805.htm?fr=21


They mailed me back for interview within the same day I sent the e-mail, and was invited for exams and interview at their EDSA Caloocan branch, located at 498 EDSA Caloocan City. How to get there?


If you're from the North Caloocan/Fairview area like me, you can simply:

• Ride a bus which says UE/Letre/Monumento. You can look out the left-side window and watch for signs that say EDSA Caloocan, and it won't be difficult to see Max's there. The EDSA Caloocan path is past SM North EDSA.
• With that being said, you can also take an FX to SM North, and ride a jeepney going to Monumento, and stay on watch for the Max's resto.

Got there at 9AM. The first batch of examinees were already in and taking the exam, I waited a little while more. There were a lot of applicants applying for different jobs--from CSA to Supervisor, and they also have applicants for the Housekeeping staff.

Exam was fairly easy, just the usual abstract exams, but within 12 minutes. There are people who failed the exam, though, because they ran out of time. (I did, too, but I only had a few numbers left when I did and I just randomly checked any box to make up for it.)

And then we waited to be interviewed by the two HR ladies there; they conducted group interview in groups of five. In my group, only one question was ever really asked: Tell me something about yourself.

They sort the wheat from the chaff with just one question, so better make that one answer count. Talk about things before they even ask it: where you graduated, previous work experience, things that they would obviously want to know, etc.

After qualifying for that interview, we were told that there would be one more interview conducted by the Area Manager, and we were told to come back at a later time that day for it. I took my lunch and burned time shopping and waited for it.

The Area Manager conducting the second interview was a friendly guy and generally nice. Be prepared to answer the usual questions, and if all goes well, you'll have an endorsement for final interview with the branch owner of the SM Val branch. Which I am just about to show up for this Monday, so I'll tell about it then.

If you live near SM Val at all, I encourage you to apply for it. (I know I don't, but I still decided to check it out.)

Broke Girl Stuff: Cheap 12 Color Eyeshadow from Shawill

I'm broke. I don't have much money to burn. I can't give you reviews about high-end make-up products, no matter how much I want to. But make-up is an essential thing a working girl needs, especially if you're a graduate of HRM/HRS/Tourism like I am. If you land a job there, you need to be equipped. But how when these jobs only pay you minimum wage but demand you to be fully made up? I guess by using cheap, but stable quality products.


I've been using Shawill products now for quite a while, and I have nothing but raves for their Candy Red blush-on that only costs P99. So when I want something cheap but lasts long and is worth it, I go to Shawill. For my birthday I bought their 12 color cream eyeshadow palette that costs P148.

Shawill 12 color cream eyeshadow in palette 01

As you see, palette 01 has a wide range of colors, you have brights, the basic black and white, and neutral browns. They look glittery at first but the glitter is just a thin layer over the actual product and is only there for deco purposes, but once it's off, you have nice, frosted eyeshadow.

The colors, one swipe each. One thing great about Shawill products is the pigmentation; just one swipe and you get solid colors, and it takes quite a while for them to rub off. Look at that blue, it's so blue!

If you need to use make-up everyday but are low on cash, I recommend these eyeshadows from Shawill. You get good quality for your money. Some are hesitant because of its low prices that it might irritate your skin or cause break outs, but I've been using this and their blush-on for quite a while and have had no side effects at all.

I also recommend these to people who have to do photoshoots and need bold colors that pop and sparkle, like cosplayers. Will use this for a cosplay shoot sometimes.

The only con I can think of is that that top layer of glitter is annoying, and the colors may be too sparkly for my taste for ordinary days when I'm not obligated to wear make-up because of work.

Pictures of me trying on the icy blue color because I can't help it:

Webcam photo with laptop lighting (lol) There you can see that the eyeshadow really looks frosted and has a real bold color.

Blue eyeshadow almost always strangely reminds me of SM salesladies.

Hope you found this useful.

-Xarin

Café France Job Interview

I saw this job advert at Jobstreet.com.ph a while back and, with a few hesitations, decided to send an application to it. http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/jobs/2012/1/default/80/3089657.htm?fr=21


Why the hesitation? Normally I'd prefer a direct-hiring thing and am wary of agency-like things. But anyway, I decided to send and application to the e-mail add specified.  If they called and I had to show up and they asked me to pay some sort of downpayment for getting me this job, I'd be out the door the first second anyway.


I got a text about a week later asking me to go to their office in Cubao with regards to the job I applied for. Cool. I showed up, and on the way there I saw a young lady in office attire with her boyfriend, who were probably going to the same place I was, because who in Cubao wears that attire these days? I decided to bet that they were going to the same place I was and so I silently trailed them, like a ninja, and let the girl's boyfriend ask for all the directions while I followed from a distance. And wondered if my ex would have been sweet enough to accompany me to this if he were still here. Probably not. Guy's all practical and independent and he'd want me to fight my own battles


Anyway, I was right! They were going to the same place I was.


I arrived there and there was a long, long line by the staffing office, the seats were filled and the rest were standing up or loitering around the area, waiting for their turn to be called. I decided to take it all in stride and look happy and flick my hair from my shoulder and all that while pretending to look for a place to stand by. And then the plan worked and I heard a few guys who had seats start looking at me and whispering and elbowing each other, and I glanced by them and immediately they all got up from their seats and offered me a place. Ito ang mabuting nadudulot ng pagiging malandi. There are times I hate how I look because it won't land me into the job I want (line cook, pantry cook, anywhere in the kitchen, even dishwasher, God's sake!) but there are little things like this make it work for you.


I found out from the guys that they were walk-ins and that they had to pass their CVs and SSS copies and take and exam and have an interview to find out if they were going to be considered for any job. Meanwhile, since I was texted and specifically had an appointment there, I didn't have to undergo all that and just had to wait for my name to be called. Which wasn't too long. I was called in for an interview with Miss Carol.


She was pretty friendly and nice. Won't intimidate you. While most of her questions still focus on my resume, she also asked about some of my knowledge about their client, Cafe France (which is, btw, formerly Delifrance and formerly associated with Jolibee Foods Corporation). And of course, she asked me why I decided that I wanted to work there. I told her that I preferred the atmosphere that the Cafe offered--true that. But of course for the most of us we just damn want work so why do they even ask this


And then she gave me an endorsement for an interview with Cafe France in their UN Ave. office the next day and gave me directions on how to get there. But it's still, as always, Google Maps that I have to thank for being able to get to all my interviews.


Since I live near SM Fairview, all I did was hop onto a bus that stopped by Taft/PGH/NBI and passed by UN Ave. You could also try boarding the LRT and get off at the UN Ave. station. From there, you'd see the Times Plaza. That is not where you want to go. Cross the road from Times Plaza (be careful) and just go straight ahead and turn right when you hit the stoplight. You'd see the PPL Building and that's where you wanna be. The Cafe France office is at the fifth floor.


Anyway, I was thirty minutes late of the call time damn Quiapo traffic, but when I got there, there was a line for the applicants out their office door. I stopped by the end of the line and poked the guy before me to ask him if I was at the right place. He turned around. I nearly fainted when he did.


He looked just like my frickin' ex who was supposed to be in the middle of some kitchen in cruise ship in some ocean. Only he was six inches taller than him.


And of course he told me that I was at the right place and he asked me if I was an applicant, too, and for what position. Why did he have to ask? Did he think I'm applying for supervisor?


There were more seats inside, and I found that there were around twenty people, or more, waiting to be interviewed. I was offered a seat far from the ex-lookalike, than goodness. I saw the girl that I saw in Cubao with her boyfriend there, too. Tried to wave at her but realized she probably didn't recognize me. Waited quite a while to be interviewed. There were some applicants at my table that seemed to know each other and were chatting, I spent my time eavesdropping. When they left, the ex-lookalike moved to the seat next to mine. No! Now I won't be able to resist the urge to stare at him. I stared. He had the same nice-looking arms my ex had (which my ex got from lifting too many frying pans in the kitchen, haha). And then I noticed that he had this same scar/birthmark that my ex has on his right elbow. Now that is just impossible what in the world is this?!


I had to distract myself from him, and so I decided to pull out a piece of paper and start this portrait commission that someone asked me to do for Valentines. The ex-lookalike was with another guy and girl that he knew, so they were chatting. I spent my time drawing to not notice him. But then from the corner of my eye I saw that he kept glancing at me. I dismissed it and thought that he was probably looking at something behind me. And then the girl or guy with him just said, "Ayan o, inggit nanaman yung isa nakakita lang ng magaling magdrowing, tingin tuloy ng tingin."


And I looked up and found out that he was looking at me and glancing back at me all those times, and when he realized I caught him, he laughed and complimented my art skills. And then eventually he sat closer to me and started asking about art and all that, and eventually even about cosplay and the like, from which he discovered I cosplayed on the side and took out some pictures and he told me I was cute in my pictures. He even showed his friends. And he said, "Ah, Xarin pala yung name mo," after he saw it in the ID in my wallet along with my photos. And the guy with him was like, "Bilis talaga nito, tinandaan na agad yung pangalan o." What is going on this is supposed to be a job interview not picking up some guy who eerily looks like your ex?!


All the chatter stopped when he was called in next for the interview. And I was next after a short while. I was interviewed by a woman who looks like your typical HR personnel. There were two people doing the interview and I fell into this woman's lap. I heard the other interviewer didn't ask in English, so others wanted to be interviewed by her instead. The woman who interviewed me, however, spoke in straight English and, for me, all the better. She asked almost the same questions that Ms. Carol asked me earlier, mostly about my resume and what I saw in Cafe France that made me want to work with them, and asked me what I hoped I could bring to the establishment and what branch I hoped to work in. And then she told me that I'll be called for a final interview with the area manager soon, and I'll get a call from them to know exactly when. Usually when I hear "we'll call you", I know that it's the end, but when they tell you a specific, like "I'll call you tomorrow" or "I'll call you for a final interview with the area manager", I take it that they mean it. She told me that I'd probably receive the call next week.


I walked up from the interview, and I found that ex-lookalike stayed around there with his pals even after he was interviewed, and as I was walking away he was calling me (WHY did he even remember my name, I never planned to give it to him, he saw if from my ID!) and asking me how it went. I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up as I walked away and didn't stop, so I could resist the urge to walk over to him and make small talk and end up with him with my number or something like that. And, important note: I heard he has a girlfriend, so I had to resist his awesome caramel skintone and gorgeous arms but when did that ever stop me


It's been a week since that interview, though, and I haven't received a call yet. What is the meaning of this. I got impatient and secured appointments to be interviewed for Max's Restaurant instead and will have my final interview for that soon. I still hope Cafe France calls me because they have a branch nearer to my home.


And maybe I wanna see that guy again, too. My friends say he must secretly be my ex who's adopted a new identity to find out what was going on with my life and has miraculously grew six inches in a year. What do you think? And of course, any questions not related to the guy and related to the actual purpose of this blog will be answered, too!


- Xarin