Binondo Food Massacre 2

My Binondo Food Trip posts are too long.  So I'm putting a quick summary right up here on top (especially since you may be surfing from your mobile phone)  of a list of resturants to go to if you want to go food tripping in Binondo:

1.  Tasty  Dumplings Restaurant - yummy dumplings and pata tim.  Ongpin St. very near Binondo Church.  A sneeze away.
2.  Dong Bei in Yuchengco - for fresh dumplings and oolong.  (Buy some for take home if it's a last stop)  Also near the Binondo Rotonda, enter through Tatyana Street facing the Binondo Rotunda.  End of Tatyana is Yuchengco and you'll see Dong Bei
3.  Manosa's - also in Ongpin. Try the Maki Mi soup
4.  Quick Snack in Carvajal - Try the Beef Sate.
5.  Masuki - I didn't write about because we have eaten there a gazillion times, since my bestie is close friends with one of the family. But its there in Benavidez.  Try the humongous siopao and yummy handmade noodles.

There are other usual joints you go to like President's, so I won't talk about that anymore.

-------

Con't. of my blabbering descriptions:

Another joint to drop by into when you to do a Food Trip in Binondo is Manosa's.  The n has a squiggle on it, such that you say it like Manyosa's  but I'm too lazy to figure out how to type that squiggly n thing.

Anyway, Manosa's Maki Mi soup is well known and we tried it out.  It's a soy and pepper and pork-based  sticky soup.  You can opt to have noodles added or not.  It was the first time I ate something like it and I like it.  (I had a craving for it afterwards and in my desperation, scrounged around for a recipe.  Tip:  It's easy to do something similar.  Too easy. :-)  Anyway, heard from a Chinoy friend Ma Mon Luk in Banawe had better Maki Mi soup.  Maybe next time.

In my return trip to Binondo for this food trip, my bestie forgot to bring her list of where to go. Strange because 1) our main intent is to continue the food walk, so it should be the first thing she should've packed. and 2) My bestie has an eagle-sharp OC  way of doing things so it was quite strange for her to forget anything at all.  Anyway, we just laughed it off and decided to do things by ear.

We remembered the Quick Snack resto in Carvajal, so we trooped there first.  We tried the Beef Sate Noodles there.  It was nice. But I've already tried something like it in my kitchen (whilst I was experiementing for my maki mi, I did a twist  on it which somehow ended up like the the sate noodle) so it was okay for me, but not as exciting if I hadn't had something like it earlier.

Thanks to my bestie's  temporary lapse of OC-ness that she forgot her list, we thought of taking a peek at Merriam Webster, also in Carvajal, to look for a Binondo map.  We were astounded at this bookstore.  They had lots of reprints and there was a treasure trove of cheap (re-printed)  literary classics.  Shakespeare at P69 anyone?  I couldn't believe our good fortune. That classics shelf alone is a gold mine!  We soon giggled at all the textbooks there because those were textbooks I used in high school (almost 20 years ago).  I whispered "This bookstore is stuck in time..." and we giggled some more like little school girls.  I of course checked out the net section/ computer course textbooks cuz there might be goodies for me.  But no.  I can put my typing textbook in first year high school (also available there) beside their computer textbooks and nobody would notice. 

Anyway, next time we drop by Binondo, I'll put in a quick list of where to shop for what in the little stores there.  


A little request from OFW Din: If you liked this post, please click the cute buttons below the title. It will let Google and the others know you sent me some love.

Your Website Never Gets Done, No.

I was introduced to do a business professor who immediately asked me the perennial, "So, what do you?"  ice breaker.

I said I help online businesses increase sales by puttering about the website, tinkering with copy, codes and stuff.

And upon learning I am a resident at some websites, he was quite surprised, "What else is left to do after a website is up?"

Hoo boy.  This business professor obviously knew his way only about brick and mortar stores.

Websites must be continually checked, tweaked, tested.  Yes, websites are living, growing beings.  And like people who become personable, a website has a lot of character-development to do.  If you are a person and you stop adapting or changing and remain "just the way you are,"  man, I can bet you'll be one helluva boring person.

It's the same thing with websites.  A product page may contain all the info you want to put in, but you have to continually check if the page is pleasing customers.  Are they buying?  What are they saying about why they didn't buy?  You note all the positive and less than positive things and continuously work on your web pages, until you get what customers like, earn their trust and buy from you.

Same thing with blogs.  If you put it up, put all the info you want to share,  then suddenly stopped updating, that wouldn't look very interesting now, would it?

So yes, resident online workers like us, we never run out of things to do in a website.  Especially if you keep testing which pages a customer likes, you have to continuously present different versions of a web page until you find one that customers really like.  (Me, I use the free but ever dependable Google Website Optimizer for this one.)  And besides pleaseing the customers, search engines, especially Google, like it when a website has a constant stream of activity.  It can see that the website is up and running and you get nicer search results when people look for your stuff online. 

Give your Website some TLC today.  Some simple ways:

• Look at your old copy, edit for changes.  I'm sure you have learned more about your business since you last put up your website.
• If you can, write some new stuff.  Doesn't have to be long.  Or if you can afford to shell out some, get a writer to add more to your content.
• If you are SEO-savvy, maybe you can look at your codes and see if there's anything you need to update.
• Add some pictures, even to your articles, not just the product pages.  Don't forget to tag for SEO :-)
• Try testing some of your pages with Google Website Optimizer.  Will definitely be worth your time.

Oh, and if you don't have it yet, it's never too late to add in Google Analytics. This will help you see the actual numbers of people coming in to your website.

Don't forget, keep your website activities regular to help your website be found in the searches, PLUS when people get to your website, they will like staying and availing of your products and/or services.

The Chair - for an Online Filipino Worker

The chair is a favorite trivial subject matter in some philosophy classes.  Some study the simple chair for an entire  semester, forcing insights with this reliable piece of furniture.

But for me, a Filipino online worker alone in the house for most of the day, the chair is almost * embarrassed blush* an extended body part.  Where office workers have myriads of reasons to stand up from their desks, typical online workers from home like me can really sit out that toosh for hours on end.  Unhealthy, yes.  But it's kind of like an addiction, not standing up away from the computer.  You know it's bad for you, but you can't help it.

I'm noticing that my thighs feel as though they're are morphing to have the same contour as my chair.

I am getting an executive chair to replace my current one.  I'm getting one that has a high back and cradles the entire head.  I've heard that the best kind of office chairs for one's health are the ones that don't have wheels. I guess the body is more stable and doesn't have to keep adjusting to keep the chair place.

Most likely I'll be getting a plain one like this:

I also saw a chair similar to this (but not exactly the same) in Office 1, I still haven't asked how much though.

But then again, if I get one with the high back that cradles the head, I may find another reason to not leave the computer.  I may even do my night sleeping on this spot by just relaxing my head back into zzzzz-land.

Power Outages for the 1st Automated Elections

Today my online contacts from the different areas of the Philippines reported power outages (or brown outs, as we call it here) throughout the day.  

Yeah, I know the climate is a-changing and all, but I am not amused that power outages have so conveniently become more regular in time for the first automated elections.  Hurg.

I hope this does not become one of the means to cheat electronic voting.

PS.  Meralco, please update everybody often of schedules.  We have work to be done.  I am fortunate that I work at home and therefore can adjust my hours. I just won't be able to if the internet shuts down too.  Now for the other 9-6 companies that keep our Philippine economy afloat, please keep us updated of your outages.  Thanks. 

Some Basic Online Work Words that I Will be Discussing

Here are my most favorite topics about online work that I will be discussing time and time again.  If anything, I have started on some posts already.  This is posted for those who intend to learn more about working online.  This post will be expanded time and time again, depending on trends that will commonly crop up when you are an Online Filipino Worker.

SEO - is Search Engine Optimization. What you do on or for your website to be found when searched on Google and the other search engines.  This includes fixing the website to be easily scanned by search spiders, posting great content in the site, posting informative SEO articles in other websites, getting other sites to link to your website, etc. etc.

Web Usability - making your website easy to use for the internet user.  This involves:  putting simple and understandable information,  making choosing options easy, clear info what will happen when a user clicks this or encodes that, having the most important element, such as a button or table, in the right place easily seen by the user, etc.

Web Analytics - collection and analysis of all the data happening in your website.  Use the data to improve your users' experience and your sales or sign-ups.

Web Conversion - When your users convert/ do something in favor of your company's objective, such as buying, signing up as member, subscribing to your newsletter, etc.

Conversion Rate Optimization - All the efforts you do to increase the percentage of sales/ conversions vis-a-vis the number of visitors in your website.  To optimize conversions, you usually tweak your website's usability, copywriting, testing, analytics, etc.

Web Copywriting - Writing persuasive text in your web page that will make readers convert/ do something in favor of your website's objectives.

A/B Testing/  Multivariate Testing - Presenting to users different versions of 1 webpage to see which version leads to more conversions/ sale/ sign-ups/ etc. Testing which web page version is the most effective.

There are other virtual online work such as programming, admin tasks, customer service and the like, but I will focus more on the ones above as these are the main tasks I do.


Other words I will usually use:

If I say traffic, most likely I am not referring to the heavy volume of cars on the road, but the number of people that pass through the website.  These are the same people I refer to when I say, audience, users, readers, etc.

Copy is not nicking your classmates answers in the test, but the written text of a web page, advertisement, etc.


A little request from OFW Din: If you liked this post, please click the cute buttons below the title. It will let Google and the others know you sent me some love.

How Did I Start with Online Work?

I found out about online working about 2003 or 2004.  I knew it was happening in the US, but I doubted if there would be something similar in the Philippines.  I read all about the different online gigs,  but none looked stable enough to do on a regular basis.  I also had no idea about the secret-identity-ed Filipinos doing this for a living.

Funny enough, I would have the tip from an offline source.  I was reading an article from News Break, a reputable investigative journalism magazine.  I read about the story of a telecommuting writer.   The subject  mentioned he had 2 regular writing projects and that it was pretty challenging.  He also mentioned his monthly income: twice mine.

Being a writer and a graphic designer, I knew I had what it takes to work from home.  Somehow, things happened that finally prodded me to jump into an uncertain world. I resigned from my work, and I actively looked for a regular online job.

It was to be a pretty tough year ahead.  I scoured all websites I can get my cursor on.  It was a big learning experience. I learned that real time ways of doing some things do not apply online.  I felt the pressure of bagging jobs immediately because funds were running low.

I finally got my first regular gig 10 months after I resigned.  It was all worth the wait because the client was very kind yet smart, and the industry involved was something quite close to my heart.

Now I'm hooked.  I have no plans whatsoever of going back to the regular onsite 9-6 grind.  If anything, I'm happier now than ever.


A little request from OFW Din: If you liked this post, please click the cute buttons below the title. It will let Google and the others know you sent me some love.

Online Filipino Workers: Do you still Use the Computer to Relax?

Online Filipino Workers are in front of the computer 25 hours a day.  So the question is, do you still use the computer to relax?

Me, I make it a point to not stay by the computer during week-ends.  That is my only time away from it.  However, when I want to relax and spend some me-time during weekdays, I while away my amusement also in front of the computer.

Which sites does a typical online worker go to?
Well, my favorite site of all is Plurk. It has been formatted in a way that you grow friendships in Plurk.
There is Facebook, but I only play 1 cute Playfish game in it.  I do not really participate.
Then there is StumbleUpon.  You get the cutest pieces to pop out on your monitor fromStumbleUpon, that randomly shuffles pages you might like and presents it to you whenever you feel like it.
The others are random things I usually want to find out about, such as recipes, Hollywood news, etc.

On weekends, I so want to stay away from the computer but still want to interact in Plurk, so I use my mobile.  Yes, it is cheating.

I imagine that I can stay away from the computer during weekends, because I have regular gigs.  But for the Filipino online worker who constantly markets the self, Saturdays and Sundays are not exempt to check those mail boxes for inquiries or questions.


A little request from OFW Din: If you liked this post, please click the cute buttons below the title. It will let Google and the others know you sent me some love.

Why Do Subscribers Need to Enter their Email Address Again?

I'm a little weirded out.

I'm a subscriber of several conversion optimization newsletters.   I read in one of the newsletters I received that there was a nice webinar and I wanted to sign up.  So I clicked the link, and a long form flashes in front of me.  I had to fill up this long form,  when I already gave away this info when I subscribed to them.  Truth to tell, I've filled up this form for them gazillions of times already.

I am mostly patient with things like this.  It's disappointing though, because if you're a very much established conversion optimization company, why are your forms not optimized to convert?

The Binondo Food Massacre : Northern Style Dumplings

One advantage to being an Online Filipino Worker is you can up and go anytime as long as skeds are manageable.

Yesterday, I went out with my 2 besties and we headed out to Binondo, Manila (Manila's Chinatown) for a DIY Binondo food trip.  My friend had prepared a looong list of yum stopovers.  I was quite doubtful whether we'd even have the digestive space to eat from all of those establishments.  I've been detoxing for 2 weeks now and I wasn't too hot at the idea of swallowing an assortment of food.  However, this was our christmas party, new year's party, valentines date and bday party for 1 bestie all rolled into 1: I was antsy to spend the day with the best friends.  The food is a side bonus.

Anyway, with all the relaxed conversation and walking between the eating, all we got to go to were only 4 establishments.  So this'll be the 1st article about it.  I expect more.  I didn't expect to blog about it so I didn't document at all (Boo.) .  Missing names and streets (Boo again.)   to follow.

First we had Northern style dumplings at 2 joints.

We were the 1st customers at Tasty Restaurant near the Binondo Church.  The place was quite nice and neat for a Chinatown restaurant.  We ordered dumplings and a pork dish similar to pata tim.  I also ordered seaweed.  Too sweet for my taste, but yum under regular circumstances.

We passed by Carvajal Street to get to Yuchengco Street.  Carvajal is narrow street, just a tiny opening in the grand scheme of Chinatown things, but it will attract your attention because it is indeed a very busy street.  It should be a must-visit place for all foodies who cook.  The fresh Chinese ingredients were all there in Carvajal.  Fruits, veggies, seafood and assorted Chinese ingredients were there.  I got an eye-full of sea cucumbers and sea weeds.  I wonder what ingredients I'll see next time.  Cooking foodies, before you go to Carvajal, research your recipes with sea cucumber and sea weeds so you're prepared to pick the ingredients you want to take home next time.

I also bought kiwi and strawberries at affordable prices from Carvajal.  And when I got home, it was only then that I observed how big and pretty and firm the strawberries were.  The next morning, I ate only 2 strawberries for breakfast.  It was yum. (Yup, it was that big.)

We'll be returning to Carvajal for Quick Snack's noodles, also at that same street so I'll definitely be back.  We didn't eat at Quick Snack even if it was on our list because we were full.

I really wanted to sample the Northern style food first, and I wanted to savor the food before I got too full.

My friend noted that 1 restaurant mostly had Northern style food so off we trooped to Yuchengco Street.  At the window of the Dong Bei Restaurant, you will be welcomed to the sight of a cook preparing the shallot dumplings and lovingly pressing the dumpling dough.  Looked yummy.  There we tried the dumplings again.  Plus we ordered the shallot and pork pancakes.  Yum.  The dip was delicious.  It's similar to lumpia vinegar-soy dip but not too sour or salty or spicy, or oily.  I can't describe it, only that it tasted just right.  They had other rice dishes but we were not interested since we were full.

By then we were interested with what tea they were serving.  The staff said it was oolong.  I liked the tea because it was aromatic but not strong.  It was the type you can chug the whole day instead of water.  The kind staff then offered they were also selling bags of it.  My bestfriend bought a bag from them for only P100.  The staff were also kind enough to give us instructions.  The P100 bag is well worth it.  They placed it in a big ziplock bag, and gave us an extra container if we wanted to share among ourselves.

Overall, this restaurant isn't as snazzy-looking as Tasty, but the price, taste of food and staff service are excellent.

- more next time-

Fastfood Websites: Drop the Fancy Flash!

It's year 2010 and websites are expected to load quickly.  If your websites are not loading quickly, you may be losing customers.


The family has been clamoring for lunch and we are all hungry.

I went over to visit the KFC delivery (Philippines) website and looked forward to eating their yummy chicken for lunch.


At the front page:  Waiting for Flash... waiting for flash... waiting for flash.  I have 4 files downloading so it may be affecting the speed of the flash.   Hmm....

I clicked menu hoping to find the food offers and prices.

Again,  waiting for Flash... waiting for flash... waiting for flash. Getting impatient here...

Waiting for Flash... waiting for flash... waiting for flash.

Hurgh!  All I wanted is the name of the food item and the price!  Not worth it.  Click X.

Website developers,  Usability workers:  Fastfood websites invite the interest of HUNGRY PEOPLE.  They want quicker results more than the usual.  Remove all elements that bog down speed, such as flash items. 

It's a simple matter of putting yourselves in the shoes of the user.

Free Usability Tip:  If you really want to include the pretty flash pages for a fastfood site:

• On your home page, list the most popular food items and the prices and put your phone number in big letters
• At the side, put a navigational menu to links that contain all your pretty pages. 
  

HURGHHH.
Sorry but I'm really hungry.

I've been checking the other fastfood delivery sites just now, may require another post.  HURGG!