SURA: Your next fashion statement!

With so many clothing brands that are being introduced in the market, you feel like you want something unique but at the same time, the style has cultural roots.

Let me introduce to you Sur Unida Raza Apparel or SURA.

It is a Mexican-American brand established in 2018 by Flaca, founder and the brain of this Cholo style of clothing.

*What is Cholo clothing?

The first time that I heard Cholo was in highschool. I thought that it was a modern word but later on I found that it already existed in 1609! And to think that the ‘oversized’ and baggy aesthetic that everyone is getting crazy about is actually Cholo clothing!

This amazing discovery makes me more curious about this fashion style!

*The birth of SURA

 Flaca, who was in Mexico in 2018, went shopping around a local vendor. When she decided to come back to Dallas, she immediately drew the attention of others with the clothes that she wears. The people surprisingly even offered to buy her clothes off her back!

That’s when she got the idea to start Sur Unida Raza Apparel, SURA for short.

*Dream Come True

Flaca excitedly then opens her first shop at a local flee shop in Dallas, where immediately, her apparel was flying off her racks and with questions like, “When will you be back?” “Do you have an online store?” “When will you have more?” “Can you do custom designs?”

This positive feedback encourages her to expand her business!

Flaca has just opened up her online store and she is excited to see what the future brings.

*Why SURA?

Most of their apparel is custom made by an Air Brush artist. Wow!

SURA has anything from clothes, shoes, hats, wallets, and other accessories that you would surely love to own.

Curious about how the style looks? 

Here are some photos of the distinct and artistic designs that truly caters Cholo clothing:

What makes SURA unique is that to their knowledge, they are only the Cholo vendor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. How cool is that right?

I like that SURA wants to bring people together and inspire the Cholo culture to different countries. They do not promote or support any violence, guns, drugs, gangs, or anything illegal.

SURA is proud to see the Cholo culture being embraced and proudly worn in other countries, outside of Mexico and the USA. They have customers ordering from Mexico, Columbia, Spain, and Japan.

Hopefully, SURA will be available in the Philippines someday. I will definitely buy one from their collection!

Please check out SURA and follow them on their social media platforms:

Website:

https://razaapparel.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/SurUnidaRazaApparel/

Instagram:

https://Instagram.com/surunidarazaapparel

Welcome back! You are Safe at Manila Hotel!

Today is the day. I'm excited to the re-opening (albeit partially) of one of the best hotels in Asia!

TMH Lobby

The historic hotel partially reopens in time for its 108th anniversary with upgraded
hygiene protocols for guest safety; and launches special anniversary promo

Just a day before the historic hotel’s founding anniversary, The Manila Hotel plans to partially open its doors to its valued guests, with the famed Café Ilang Ilang, the Lobby Lounge, and the Delicatessen resuming operations today (July 3, 2020). A rebirth of sorts after months of following the government’s quarantine protocols, the hotel has adjusted along with the rest of the world in navigating the “new normal,” and puts a high premium on the well-being of guests.

With the lobby shining bright anew signifying eternal hope, The Manila Hotel commemorates its 108th founding anniversary on July 4 by welcoming guests with an upgraded brand of service that is now focused on enhanced health, hygiene, and sanitation protocols in line with DOH guidelines.

As the hotel prepares for the reopening, Atty Joey Lina, the president of The Manila Hotel, assures the public, “You are safe here. We have taken every precaution to heart so you and your loved ones can have peace of mind when you visit or stay with us.”

To its valued guests who are waiting for Café Ilang Ilang to open, The Manila Hotel offers its 108th Anniversary Promo that gives the first 108 customers for the first 108 days of its reopening (including Saturdays and Sundays) a special dining rate of only Php1,250 for lunch, and only Php1,550 for dinner. Café Ilang Ilang likewise returns with a new system for dining where guests can “order and eat all you can,” meaning they can order as much food as they want from the selection of dishes at a fixed price.

Both Café Ilang Ilang and the Lobby Lounge will be open with limited seating capacity. Thorough sanitation procedures will be implemented, and guests can order using disposable menu, eat using cutlery in sealed containers, and even use tables with acrylic dividers. Front-facing personnel communicating with guests like Guest Services Officers (GSOs) and waiters will don marks, gloves, and face shields. To limit contact with guests, Café Ilang Ilang is also fine-tuning its contactless ordering and payment system.

Adopting best practices, the hotel launches a comprehensive initiative to assure its patrons they are safe at The Manila Hotel. High-traffic public areas will have hygiene reminder signages and distance indicators, and guests will be asked to undergo mandatory temperature checks, and health declaration procedure. Limited capacity will also be implemented in elevators, while several hotel facilities will remain closed including the spa, swimming pool, gym, and other areas.

High-touch points like door handles, elevator buttons, public area furniture, and others will be sanitized multiple times per day using UV technology. Tests reveal that UV sanitation greatly reduces the bacteria count on surfaces, as demonstrated by lower RLU readings—whose value is used as a measure of surface cleanliness—after the procedure.

Barring announcements from the government to the contrary, the hotel also plans to start accepting room bookings by July 3, 2020. The public will be assured of rooms thoroughly cleaned first with UV-C light technology to eliminate germs, bacteria, and viruses; followed by medical-grade sterilizing and disinfecting solution. A change of fresh and sanitized linens; sanitation of touch points in the room including remote controls, lamps, etc.; and thorough bathroom disinfection are also art of the procedure. Guests will also receive personal wellness kits, issued a UV-sanitized keycard, and arrive to guestrooms with a seal of assurance that they are the first to enter the sanitized environment.

Because taking care of its own people means they can take better care of guests, The Manila Hotel has invested on testing its staff upon return to work to ensure they are healthy. The culinary team strictly adheres to stringent protocols on proper hygiene, hand washing, and food handling. Staff will be required to wear PPEs as needed, and a strict implementation of distancing measures will be done in the offices, front desk, and other areas frequent by guests.

The Manila Hotel looks forward to welcoming both loyal and new guests with the kind of service it is known for, with the assurance that “YOU ARE SAFE HERE” is not just a tagline but a commitment it truly means to uphold.

They hope to see you!

Dive into ESports with Team Serious Dallas!

Have you heard of ESports? 

If you are not familiar with it, ESports is short for Electronics Sports which is a competitive video gaming that becomes an organized professional sport. The gaming started as a casual hobby in the 1990's. Nowadays, players are aiming to win championships and make ESports their career.

Meet Team Serious Dallas who is ready to take ESports to the next level!

Team Serious was divided into three versions since they were founded in late 1999.

Team Serious version 1.0 – In late 1999-2005, they started as a Counter-Strike clan representing the DFW by going to events such as The CPL and TangoLan. They competed in tournaments across DFW before E-Sports was even a word much less a following.

Team Serious version 2.0 – Fast forward to 2006 till today, Version 1.0 separated because of military duty, college, and work life. Generation 2.0 took over in 2006 which was less competitive and more casual and strived to create a culture just to hang out.

Team Serious version 3.0 – They are combining the vision of 1.0 and 2.0 and recreating a following that not only consists of casual gaming but for a competitive side as well as a community outreach program.

Team Serious Dallas believes in good exposure that the gaming industry lacks. Their goal is to create a legacy for this generation and many more. To uplift them to an E-Sport level.

The ultimate goal would be to have a Team Serious Dallas team to represent Texas, establish a team in every state and their local communities, and take it global. Amazing vision!

What can you expect from them?

*Team Serious does e-sports tournaments with prizes, podcasts every Wednesday (Serious Ladies) at 6:30PM CST and Sunday (Serious Gents) at 11:00 AM CST.

*You can watch their LIVE STREAM on Twitch, Youtube, Mixer, Facebook and join them in their tournaments too!

*They also host Team Serious events within the community. They have an event every 1st Saturday of the month called, Team Serious Day. During Team Serious Day, the entire community gets together and plays video games. They are open to any and all games and anyone who likes a “chill, laid back” community. Go, try and join them!

*Team Serious Ladies - Yes to girl power! They have a community of female gamers called Serious Ladies. Team Serious recognized a gap in the gaming industry where women weren’t being acknowledge for their talents. Serious Ladies was created to empower and showcase female gamers!

*Team Serious Gents - These are the male gamers in their community. Don’t be a fool with the name because they are definitely merciless during the game.

Here are their exciting Upcoming Events and Tournaments:

~Podcast

Every Wednesday at 6:30PM CST

Every Sunday at 11:00AM CST

~Team Serious Day - A Team Serious Community Event

Saturday 06/05

~Tournaments - Prize for 1st and 2nd places

People can register here for tournaments:

https://battlefy.com/team-serious

~League of Legends 5v5 - Three Day Event!

Friday 06/05 at 6PM CST - First Round

Saturday 06/06 at 4PM CST - Semi-Finals

Sunday 06/06 at 7:30PM CST - Finals

~Overwatch 6v6 - Two Day Event!

Friday 06/12 at 6:30PM CST - First Round

Saturday 06/13 at 4:00PM CST - Semi-Finals

Saturday 06/13 at 7:30PM CST - Finals

~Rocket League 3v3 - Two Day Event!

Friday 06/19 at 6:30PM CST - First Round

Saturday 06/20 at 4:00PM CST - Semi-Finals

Saturday 06/20 at 6:30PM CST - Finals

~Starcraft 2 1v1 - Two Day Event

Friday 06/26 at 6:00PM CST - First Round

Saturday 06/27 at 4:00PM CST - Semi-Finals

Saturday 06/27 at 6:30PM CST - Finals

To encourage you more with ESports more, watch these Youtube videos link of Team Serious Dallas:

Team Serious Ladies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alP39c82hqs&feature=youtu.be

Team Serious Gameplay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbQ0eBlSr14&feature=youtu.be

As a way of thanking their wonderful and generous sponsors enlisted below, Team Serious Dallas requests to use their links below as they give them credit when someone shops with them.

Galaxy Hound

Team Serious Merch

https://galaxyhound.com/collections/team-serious-merch?aff=serious

PulseLabz

Gaming/Office Chairs

https://pulselabz.com/r/TSDFW/

Rouge Energy

Energy and Focus Drinks

https://rogueenergy.com/?rfsn=4236967.e55129&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=4236967.e5512

Pix

Backpacks

https://www.pix.style/?ref=rsxerqchkko

Gamer Grind

Coffee

https://www.gamergrind.co/?partner=teamserious

For more details check out their website: https://teamseriousdfw.com

Follow their social media accounts too: 

https://www.facebook.com/TeamSeriousDallas

https://twitter.com/TSDFW1

https://www.instagram.com/tsdfw

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpmyK7_DOem_HbEWNLYVaw

https://www.twitch.tv/teamseriousdfw

https://mixer.com/TeamSeriousDFW

Good luck to Team Serious Dallas and may you continue to strike and dominate in the ESports stage!

Meet my Quarantine Buddies!

Tomorrow, most of the Filipino employees will be back to work. A lot of cities and provinces will be under General Community Quarantine.

How did you cope up during the two months?

I seriously had trouble sleeping like I was experiencing sleep deprivation.

Yet, I stayed optimistic that everything will be alright. To make myself sane, I downloaded Netflix, finally after seeing it for years! I was a Netflix virgin last March.

I listed below the movies and series that I watched! If you are still unable to go out of your house and cannot go to your workplace, hopefully, you can check them out.

*WolfBlood*

Photo from Dailymotion

The first series that I saw on Netflix. I was hooked with the mysterious Rhydian and a bit rebellious Maddy. These two are teenagers who can transform into a werewolf. I only have seen Season 1 because Season 2 still is unavailable on Netflix. 

*Whisper of the Heart*

Photo from soranews24.com

Another teenager leading character but this time it is a Japanese anime film. Sheiji and Shizuku both love books and are still looking for the thing that they wanted to achieve for their future. You'll be happy to hear a very classic song for the OST of this movie.

*Angry Birds 2*

Photo from uhdpaper.com

Red and his cute gang are back but this time they need to join forces with their greatest enemy, the Pig to save their islands. My friends and I actually watched the first one in the cinema house and this latest installment, surely made me laugh too. Your kids and you, young at heart will definitely enjoy this!

*Go Go Squid*

girlstyle.com

I honestly felt that I graduated from watching Korean series. Sorry fan of K-drama! So, I switched to the Chinese Drama series and I swear I was beyond in love with the characters! Meet the very strict Boss aka Gun God, Han Shangyan, and the bubbly and very smart Tong Nian. They have a big age gap, different upbringings, and personalities but how their love story developed was something. I was giddy on each episode! Yet this series is more than making you believe in love, it tackles about achieving one dream, moving on from the past and forgiving yourself. I definitely recommend you to see this and the OST was so awesome. I still had difficulty moving on from Li Xian!

*Love Lasts Forever*

japan.topnews.cloud

This series ended during the announcement of the first community quarantine but I saw it a few weeks ago. The Warrior Chick Sakura Nanase didn't give up being a nurse so that she would meet again the guy who inspired her to help people and that is the Devil, Kairi Tendo. This is the first Japanese series that I watched and the first hospital-related show too because I was not a fan. Another huge age gap series that also make your heart burst in happiness! It has 10 episodes but I delayed finishing it because I could not move on also with Tendo Sensei!  I swear you should find and see it! It is not yet available on Netflix. Tip: Please watch the bonus videos in every episode because there is an important minor character that you should not miss!

Perk's New Discovery: Yay or Nay?

Have you bought something out of curiosity? 

Last year, I became active in purchasing products at BeautyMNL.

Because hello sale?!

Who could not resist the 80% off or buy one take one?

Here are a few items that I find. This might be a yay or nay to you, too.

~Miju Glow Conditioner

It was during the 11.11 sale when I saw this brand. I immediately check out their products and I bought three of their items: shampoo bar, face cream, and conditioner. 

What I like

-Smell. If you've been following my previous discoveries, I'm really particular with odor. I have a sensitive nose so as much as possible, I stay away with things that have a strong smell. 

This one has no smell which is alright for me. 

-Ingredients. Hands down to all naturals, no harmful effects. 

What I don't like

-Packaging. Yes, it is eco-friendly but somehow when it was wet, the cover used crumpled. 

-Effectivity. I felt like I didn't put anything on my hair. 

~Good Virtues Refreshing Feminine Wash

I was hesitant to purchase this because I'm very particular with smell especially for my down under. Yet, the last piece that I had was only a few drops away from being empty. 

What I like 

-Price. I bought this for 175 php which was unusual for me because I'm meticulous. Very reasonable consider the large packaging. 

-Smell. I'm not into a very floral scent yet this one makes me think of a blooming garden and it refreshes me after a humid and hot day. 

What I don't like

-Availability. I wish this can be seen in supermarkets or grocery stores so that more people will try it. 

~Bubbly Skin Aloe Serum

When I found about this at BeautyMNL, it was heaven sent! I immediately ordered one because I badly need it.

What I like

-Price. Probably the cheapest serum that I encountered. Who could not resist 130 php? 

-Absorption. It doesn't take long for my face to absorb it and I enjoyed the freshness. 

What I don't like

-Watery. I was worried that the content might not be a real aloe vera and my skin would react on it. It was a good alternative however, I hope the texture is thicker. 

Judge, Ako? (My thoughts plus Giveaway)

When my good author friend Jahric Lago asked me if I can be a preliminary judge for the next Jahric Lago Present's anthology called Misty Moon, I was excited and nervous.

It was my first time to be invited as a judge.

I accepted the position because my writing career started at JLP. My first self-published book was printed under TBC Publications. I felt like it was time to give back and at the same time, as an alumna of the anthology, I hoped to help fellow and upcoming writers too.

There were 52 short stories that I need to finish reading and give feedback before May 10. I was pressured because I know how slow sometimes I read and I was worried that I might not be able to submit on the said deadline.

What did I do?

-I read four stories a day. I usually started by late afternoon and tried my best to end before 12 midnight.

-Research. There were unfamiliar words that I encountered like higera, sipres, brumosa, baiser dela mort and tako kichi to name a few. There were things that I also need to check out.

-Be like a sponge. While reading and critiquing the stories, I absorbed whatever I can learn from each one of the entries.

-Put myself in their shoes. When I sent my first JLP story: I Love You Goodbye, I was scared. I knew how it feels to joined with self-doubt. As much as possible, I took the time to be fair to my comments and feedback to the submitters.

-Enjoy. There were nights that I read almost the same characters like mermaids and it drained me yet, I would always look forward to the next manuscript.

I savored the experience that's why I'm sharing it will all of you. Because you might be a judge or be invited to be part of a decision making that can change the lives of people.

I'm grateful to Jahric Lago and TBC Publications for considering me as one of the judges of the upcoming anthology. It was a privilege to read the stories first and helping out to improve fellow writers with their crafts. Thank you for your trust in picking the top 20 semifinalists.

I'm extending my gratitude to my preliminary judge partner, Master Istoker aka Garb for correcting me of some stories that I did not understand and for exchanging thoughts. Thanks for clearing my clouded mind and pointing out important details that I missed.

And to boost the confidence of the contestants vying to be part of the top 10, let's support them by reading the excerpts, vote, and even giving out comments!

To make this more exciting, I'm having a giveaway that runs today until May 31, 2020.

Check out my FB post with this blog post to know how but I'm listing down the links where you need to visit:

Vote and leave your comments here for Misty Moon entries: https://www.wattpad.com/story/224656566

Vote and leave your comments here for Rainbow entries:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/224658595

Extra special Mother’s Day at home with The Manila Hotel

Mother’s Day is a yearly reminder to cherish our relationship with our moms. Given this year’s unique circumstances, many of us will be celebrating this special day at home or even away from the special women in our lives—mom, grandmas, and aunts. Still, even when fancy dinners are impossible, Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be canceled. With some creativity and preparation, you can still give the most special woman in your life the Mother’s Day she deserves.

I remembered the first time that I've seen Manila Hotel from afar with my Mama. I told myself, someday I'm going to treat her there during Mother's Day.

Though we cannot go this Sunday, I'm very happy that Manila Hotel is having this surprise treat for the dearest woman in our lives!

The Manila Hotel pulls all the stops for you to still be able to give her a memorable Mother’s Day. This home celebration will have a five-star hotel feel and The Manila Hotel will make sure it gets close to a real feast. 

The Manila Hotel’s Mother’s Day Surprise gives you discounts when you choose to order the food-and-cake bundle and pay online on or before May 8, 2020 (Friday). You may choose items from the A La Carte Menu or Home Buffet sets (Filipino, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese favotires, as well as Certified Halal items) and get a 20% discount on your food bill, and a 10% discount on the cake of your choice.

Clockwise from bottom: Mango Cheesecake, Ohaina Chocolate Gateau, Opera Cake, Trio of Chocolate Mousse

Because mothers deserve the only the best, you can choose from our awesome selection: our decadent Opera Cake; Ohaina Chocolate Gateau, a Lifestyle Inquirer Best Dessert Winner; the mouthwatering Trio of Chocolate Mousse, and our amazing Mango Cheesecake. 

To order or for more information, please call 8527 0011 or message 0998-9501912.