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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Work Hard, party harder

by Ana Valenzuela

Published in Manila Standard Today September 13, 2011

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer.” Studies and surveys show that productivity level of employees increase when they return to their jobs after enjoying time off—be it a simple dinner with the family or meeting friends after office hours.

However, most people do not get the chance to recharge and bond with their loved ones. They sometimes have to render overtime, often blaming the bosses who would first put into consideration petty stuff or staff members who always seem to have excuses. But, are you sure you should be blaming your bosses and employees and not the machines you use at work?

Canon recently launched a new range of business solutions designed to make work simpler, thus achieving a better work-life balance.

“What we’re trying to give our consumers and users is a balance in the work life,” says Jose Abelardo Bolima, director of Canon‘s business imaging solutions group during Canon’s latest press launch held at White Space.

“When people are stressed, they can't give quality time for family and friends. With this kind of automation in your office, it cuts your work time.’’

“Usually, there is a lot of overtime in the workplace because the work has not yet been done, but with the new automatic system, it saves a lot of money and increases the productivity of the people. You become more efficient and productive without really suffering,” he shares.

The automation that Bolima speaks about is Canon’s Business Imaging Solutions which are technologically-advanced machines designed to enhance an organization’s manpower efficiency and productivity, which, in turn would improve both the company’s revenue without sacrificing employee satisfaction.

Canon’s Business Imaging Solutions has four product groups to fit the company’s requirements; these include multifunction copiers, laser multifunction and single-function printers, imaging managing systems, and production and graphic arts.

As every company has different needs, Canon sets out to visit the offices to do an in-depth analysis of the workload and recommend what systems would help save cost and increase productivity.

One of these products is the image ClassMF8350. This is a cost effective print, copy, scan and fax machine that is already network ready. It can surely save time at the office as it prints page at eight seconds per page, and fax documents at three seconds per page. Another would be the image PRESS C7010Vp which produces exceptional image quality.

“As we install every machine to client’s premises, we conduct end-user training for several employees to properly orient them on proper usage, basic troubleshooting and other canon solution features that would help them in their daily grind. All these are for free,” says Tin Dolovino, assistant manager for marketing of Canon‘s business imaging solutions

Bolima stresses that Canon’s new devices would surely assist companies, even those who are into cloud computing. “Integrators who are offering services through the web like Google apps among others, this kind of solution is the in thing now, as it helps save a lot of money especially for the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and even for the big companies. With cloud computing, you have to put up your system in the net and access it through our machines, meaning you can access your files from the copier, you don’t need another computer connected to the internet and print it from our machine,” he says. “You can never equate it with value, because what we are selling is work efficiency.”

Canon Marketing (Philippines) president and chief executive officer Alan Chng adds, “More than just high quality equipment, Canon’s advanced simplicity transforms the way people work in order to create more leisure time for a healthier, more productive workforce, which translates to productivity.”

Now, there is no need for overtime, as you are using top of the line machines that seem to multitask like you. The only thing you need to do is clock off and unwind.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Live and Let Live

by Ana Valenzuela
Published Manila Standard Today September 8, 2011

When looking to buy property there is an age old rule: Location, location, location. This means one must consider a property’s accessibility to main thorough fares, proximity to school, churches and hospitals and shopping outlets, and whether or not it is in a flood-free area.

However, for many of us it isn’t just a dwelling place that we are looking for but also for breathing space. As the metro gets jammed, developers show their resourcefulness with condos that offer lush greeneries for tenants. Nowadays, it isn’t just a condo unit with a pool and gym but with green, open spaces with lush, shrouding trees, jogging paths that allow your kid to run around, and often even clubhouses to enjoy life. One such developer is SOC Land’s Anuva at Muntinlupa, which offers 80 per cent of open space for greeneries, and other amenities such as a lazy river, lagoon, lake, themed parks and gardens, and a yoga meditation garden.

“We have 80 percent open space. What does this mean? We are actually three times the industry standard of 30 per cent standard,” says John Paul Reyes, SOC Land president. SOC, maybe a newbie in the Real Estate biz, but it has all the backup it needs, as it is a subsidiary of South China resources, an affiliate of construction companies such as Puyat Steel Corporation, International Pipe Industries Corporation, and Puyat Flooring products.

Anuva is strategically located in Muntinlupa, along the east service road of SLEX, one kilometer from Sucat Interchange and about 10 to 15 minutes away from Makati and Alabang. Recently, the condo project had its ground breaking, vice president and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) chairman Jejomar Binay was present at the event.

He says, “It is nice to know that here is a developer who invests in high rise. Our (HLURB) idea is that from Pampanga to Manila, Manila to Calamba is that the development would be medium rise so that the land would not be put to waste. If you build single detach, the land would not be maximize. But if you go with medium rise or high rise with open spaces and basic facilities are added then land would not be put to waste.”

Also present was renowned landscape architect Paulo Alacazren who is working on Anuva.

“For Anuva we started with understanding what cosmopolitan Filipinos needed and wanted, and what would make the project distinctive and delightful at the same time. The formula we developed includes the ingredients of extensive green spaces, expansive water in ponds, pool and fountains, and extremely fun and fascinating amenities,” he shares.

“The extensive green includes over 300 shade trees and palms, close to 100,000 shrubs and close to 3,000 square meters of lawns and ground covers. The expansive water includes several fountain, ponds and pools totaling 1,800 square meters. The extremely fun and fascinating amenities including play courts, playgrounds, jogging paths and lanais and al fresco nooks in between buildings cover another 2,000 square meters or so of wonderfully open space accessible and distributed among all the units of the development,”adds Alcazaren.

Aside from the open spaces, Anuva would have its distinctive look as it would be in tandem style, 14 and 20 floor residential towers. The units would range from 22 square meters studio units to 54 square meters two bedroom units. “The second biggest feature that we have, if you noticed some developers give you a rectangular shaped unit, what we have are square units. It makes for an easier problem, if you want to call it that. The problem of furnishing, it’s difficult to find good furnishings at an affordable price, and then you also have a problem with furnishing your unit,” says Reyes.

The square units provide better ventilation and would be a lot easier to furnish as condo units would be delivered to buyers bare. This, according to Reyes is another advantage of the projects. Clients can choose the interiors that are more suited to their needs, plus it would not be part of their mortgage, unlike in furnished condos.

Space is now something to consider when signing for a check for a real estate buy. Picture your children frolicking around the condo’s amenities without you having to worry while relaxing in a comfy residence. Spacious indeed.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Loving Indonesian fare

by Ana Valenzuela

Published Manila Standard Today August 24, 2011

An archipelago located south of our country, Indonesia offers the same variety in taste and flavor as the Philippines. “Indonesian cuisine is similar to that of the Filipinos—mostly in the taste and in the use of rice,” says Sous Chef Ovan Prahoro during the recent media launch of Diamond Hotel’s Indonesian food festival Selamat Menikmati: A Culinary Journey of Indonesia’s Best.

Chef Ovan, together with two patisserie chefs, Chef de Partie Asep Marthy and Chef de Partie Agus Setiadi are in the country until 28th to serve the best Indonesian cuisines. The three masters of the kitchen flew in from Indonesia specifically for the food festival hosted by Diamond Hotel. This is part of the hotel’s plan to hold an international cuisine festival every quarter. The Indonesian food fest, Selamat Menikmati: A Culinary Journey of Indonesia’s Best coincided with Indonesia’s celebration of Independence Day last Aug. 18.

“Indonesian cuisine is unique because of the rich use of herbs and spices,” says Chef Ovan. “This is also what makes it different from Filipino dishes, because it is a lot spicier. Filipinos do not like spicy foods that much.”

“Since I come from West Java I think the the mie goreng jawa, gado gado, and the rendang daging are the best,” Chef Ovan says when asked which food should we try. He assures us that these dishes would fulfill our stomachs to endless delights. Mie Goreng Jawa is fried noodles, gado gado is vegetable with peanut sauce, while the Rendang Daging is beef simmered in Coconut Milk.

As for the desserts, Chef Agus quickly suggested surubaya, “It came from Surubaya, Indonesia’s second largest city. It is a layer of Sponge cake,” the chef says and guarantees that it would bring no less than smiles as it his specialty.

Chef Ovan also said that it would be a sin for our taste buds not to try the oxtail soup. Apparently this dish is popular in Indonesia, “Go to any place in Indonesia and you will find it,” the sous chef chuckled.

“What we want the world to see is Indonesia and its cuisine,” says Chef Ovan who honed his cooking skills in countries like Riyadh, Dubai and Bahrain. “We want to make Indonesian dishes more popular. There are plenty of Indonesian cuisines. I simply cannot choose just one.”

Selamat Menikmati would be featured at Diamond Hotel’s Corniche restaurant until the 28th of August and could be availed for a buffet. Some Indonesian dishes are available at the Diamond Hotel’s a la carte menu.