FMM: Floor Plan

During my short stint in San Miguel Corporation, my team attended a lot of events - both internal and external.

One of the internal events that made an impression on me was the launch of Bionade. This was a new product launch from San Miguel Brewery, and it was a carbonated mineral drink which was supposed to be healthier than soda.

When they showed the commercial, the soundtrack caught my attention. It was an upbeat, house music like ditty. My mind kept on trying to recall why it sounded familiar, then it hit me that it was a popular house tune from 1994.

"Divas to the Dance Floor Please" was a house anthem. It was a popular song during parties, and it also enjoyed a lot of air time on the radio. 

It suddenly popped in my head this week. And that's how it became today's Friday Magic Madness song.

Cheers, Dad!

Dad spent most of his professional career in San Miguel Corporation.

Growing up, we always had San Miguel products in our fridge. It was always teeming with Coke, Royal Tru Orange, Magnolia Ice Cream, Magnolia Chicken, among others.

Some weekends, Dad would bring us along with him to Polo Brewery where Biboy and I would camp out at the kitchen in the 1521 Center to drink all the Choco Vim we wanted.

Summertimes, I'd be tagging along with him when he travelled around the Philippines for "Balikbanda." This is where I got to meet Pinoy music icons like Sampaguita, Florante, and that's how Bert "Tawa" Marcelo became my honorary ninong.

When there's a birthday in the family, we'd drive to the Magnolia plant in Aurora and he'd order the iconic Magnolia Ice Cream cake with flowers and fruits as topping. One time, I rode the conveyor belt that delivers the products from the freezer to the customer. Of course, I got scolded for that.

Then, as an adult, he convinced me to try working in SMC. He told me to send my CV to his friend, Ric, and in a matter of weeks, I was part of the Corporate Affairs Office - the same office where he worked for decades.

Funnily, some of the staff under me where Dad's staff, too. And they'd joke how they feel like they've gone full circle because they have 2 generations of Morales men supervising them.

And because of those many San Miguel stories, let me raise this virtual San Miguel Beer to greet Dad a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, Dad! And to Kuya Marv, Biboy, Jul, Carl, Ray, and Bob, too!

Twin Treats!

Look who’s back in the market?

It’s my favorite childhood ice cream treat - Twin Popsies!

We used to have this a lot as kids, mainly because Dad worked for San Miguel. We’d get these by the box, and enjoy it by pairs. We’d split the treat into two, and a sibling and I would get one each. Sometimes, if you split it the wrong way, one person would get a “P” shaped, one and a half part, while the other person would just get half of half.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen often.

Now that Twin Popsies is back, we can relive those moments again! And yes, it also comes in orange flavor - my personal favorite.

This is going to give “twinning” a totally new meaning.

Lookie who's playing hooky?

It's a slow day today, so i'm planning to re-live my Makati and Ortigas days. 

Back in my previous agencies, whenever work would be scarce and there's nothing to do, i'd play hooky and head for the nearest mall. I would either do some shopping, watch a movie, or just meander aimlessly around. 

During my Adformatix days, our lunchtimes would be spent in Greenbelt at Triple V, coupled with some serious shopping along Greenbelt Plaza. Erwin, Xtine and I had lunch at Triple V, then hung out at National Book Store checking out magazines and books. 

Another option would be Makati Cinema Square where we'd check out Angela's for super surplus stuff. Or go to Plaza Fair to buy groceries for our pantry. 

By 1996, I transferred to San Miguel Corporation, and our office was behind SM Megamall. Everday, i'd be at Megamall, either having lunch, buying props, or simply being there. There was even a joke about how our office was connected to the mall. Megmall was divided into two major areas - SM-A and SM-B, and we were SM-C. This was to the chagrin of the management since productivity was really suffering because of our Mega-excursions. 

 My favorite working years were between 2001 to 2003 when DYR was still in Wynsum building along Emerald Avenue. Robinsons Galleria - once and forever my favorite mall - was just 5 minutes away by foot. That alone was reason enough for me to consider the office as paradise on earth. Aside from the fact that it was just 15 minutes away from home, it was also within arms distance from 4 major malls - Galleria, Podium, Megamall and Shangri-La! Needless to say, i'd spend most of my time out of the office rather than in. 

When our office moved to RCBC in Makati, getting to a mall was a bit of a challenge. After all, we were at the far end of Ayala, so Greenbelt would be a good 15 minutes by foot. A daunting task, but I was never one to chicken out. So every lunchtime, or whenever I felt bored, or if my groupmates irritated the *h*t out of me, i'd play hooky and go all the way to Glorietta to de-stress and have fun. 

Playing hooky was one thing I knew I'd be giving up when I moved to Hong Kong. For one, our office area isn't conducive to "playing hooky." There's nothing around us but residential buidlings, offices and a few supermarkets. The nearest meander area here would be Provident World, and all you can see there is the Adidas Outlet store and a couple of clothes surplus places. Slim pickings, I know, but beggars can't be choosers. 

Today, though, i've decided to go all out and all the way. I'm going to HMV to look for new magazines and DVD, then head off to the Cinema-Art where they show nice art films. It's not as exciting as going to Greenbelt or Glorietta, but it's a start. 

Again, we have to make the most of what's given to us. This is all I have at this point. Strange as it may seem, I think this little act is something that gives a sense a normalcy to my life. And normal is good.