Sweet Start

It's the first day of Toni's bazaar in SM Megamall today.

And as the supportive Tito, being there was a non-negotiable.

Even before 10am, Toni and her team were busy setting up. And even as they were setting up, the people started to gather.

At 10:01am, this was the line!

Looks like another sweet and successful bazaar run for Toni! 

And we couldn't be prouder of her.

How sweet it is

Nope, this isn't a James Taylor post.

It's about Toni's latest creation.

I'm amazed at the creativity and work ethic of my niece. Since she introduced her Sweet Tones brand, she's been working non-stop, taking orders, making cakes and chocolates, all while continuing her content creation.

Her latest product - her chewy cookies - are a hit. Heard that it sells out quite fast, so I'm lucky to have gotten a few pieces for the house and to give to a student.

After trying it, I'm not surprised why it's popular. It's really, really good!

Here's to more sweet, successful products like this!

Suddenly Six

Here's a case of Christmas history repeating itself.

These photos were taken on the same day - Christmas eve - but 6 years apart!

So much has happened since 2019, and the world is a lot different.

But Ate Bullet and Toni still look the same.

Fun with fusion

With no bias whatsoever, Toni's latest creation - the Bibingka Cheesecake - has to be one of the best cheesecakes I've tried.

Ever!

Amazing how a little bit of fusion - adding a Pinoy twist to a Basque Cheesecake - can make a world of difference.

I'm going to make a bee line at Toni's next bazaar just for this.

Toni's Trinoma Takeover

The folks and I went to Trinoma last Sunday to check out Toni's bazaar. As expected, the line was long and the demand was high.

Since the crowd was building up, we decided to help out. Dad became the line marshall, calling people up and directing them to the booth. My job was to decorate the cake slices and make sure that the chiller was always refilled.

Given my experience at McDonald's, it felt fun being behind the counter and serving again.

It would be both great and fun to do this again.

Setting the Tones

Despite the heavy rains, we made it to SM Megamall to check out and support Toni's Sweet Tones booth at the United Bloggers bazaar.

It was such a joy to see her small business gain so much support. People were patiently lining up to get a taste of her cakes and chocolates. And having had tasted her products, it's worth the wait.

I'm sure this is just the start of many more successful bazaars for Toni.

SG turns sweet

Wanted to bring a pasalubong that's both unique and yummy for my friends in SG.

Didn't have to look any further. 

Of course, I had to let them try the chocolates and crack cakes made by my niece, Toni.

Sweet!

Taking the cake

Finally!

They're quite hard to find, but I've finally gotten my hands on Toni's crack cakes!

It's easy to understand why these boxed cakes are so in-demand. They're so, so, SO good!

And that's an unbiased opinion. You can take my word (and Toni's cake) on that.

Fam-iliar

While my student was reporting, this particular slide immediately caught my eye:

It's Toni.

Yup, she's using my niece as part of her Communication Plan. And it's fun and surreal when you see your family as part of your students' project.

They're definitely her target audience.

Pack it in

One of the advertising processes that I'm really into is packaging design.

Even if I'm a writer at the core, I've always dabbled in the art side of things. Throughout my career, I've done many designs - from logos to packaging - that were actually implemented. When we were in Cebu a few months back, we passed by the Globe building and saw the "Globe Innove" logo that I designed more than a decade ago.

When my niece, Toni, told me about her chocolate business, I volunteered to design her label. Thankfully, she agreed.

Et voila!

My vision for the label was young, fun and chic. Thus, it's more minimal in approach, but has youthful colours, graphics and fonts.

I'm happy to be part of Toni's passion project. And I'm sure she'll pack in the sales!.

Tones in Tokyo

With Toni's talents, it's easy to see that she'll go far in whatever endeavour she puts her mind and energy into.

Even in her newest venture - Sweet Tones!

Yup, she's finally venturing into a food business! It's a natural progression considering that she graduated from a culinary course and even went to the US for her internship.

And her first product - her version of the viral Dubai chocolate - is so good!

It's so good that it's now in Tokyo!

See! It's already gone that far.

I Lovit(o)

Thanks to my niece - Toni - I'm discovering the joys of Lovito.

This is pretty much like SheIn - fast fashion at its fastest and cheapest. 

For the initial loot, it's composed of a dress and a denim skirt for less than P500, and a bohemian blouse for less than P300.

Looking at the quality, it's pretty good for its price point.

That said, there's a new label to love when it comes to fast fashion.

Hello Doll-y

And the Toni supremacy continues.

My niece is in another beauty campaign! 

Having her endorse a product like Cathy Doll is so apt for her. She’s really into all things girly and fab, so this is such a strategic fit.

Proud Tito here.

Something to TikTok about

Whenever people ask me about my social media accounts, my perpetual answer would be a sheepish smile and a shaking of the head. 

Because truth be told, there is none.

Except for this blog, and an FB account that my student once called "parang wala din", I've never opened any. So, I'm one of the very few people who don't have IG, TikTok, Twitter or any other account of that sort.

My niece - Toni - is popular on TikTok. She's the type who has more than a million followers and gets stopped on the street so people can take selfies with her.

Recently, we also worked with a popular TikToker for one of our commercials. She has a huge Mom following, which explains why I'm not familiar with who she is. On the last day of our shoot, she said that she'll be making TikTok content based on our shoot, and asked us to participate.

Of course, I'd normally say "no." But since the director, client and my colleagues were all game - what the heck.

So, whilst I'm not on TikTok, I can now say that I'm on TikTok.

Hey, having appeared in one video should count.

Toni Award

It would be an understatement to say that my heart was swelling with pride after seeing this poster online.

My niece, Toni, is an advertisement! And as an advertising practitioner, this is such a thrill to see a family member in an allied field in advertising.

Toni has actually been making waves for years now on Tiktok. We knew she was popular, but it was further cemented by these 2 instances:

One, a number of my officemates are followers and are pretty much updated about the goings-on in Toni's life. Sometimes, they know more than I do! (Mainly because I'm not on Tiktok.)

Two, some of the sales people at Forever 21 in SM Megamall know her. Last October, when I was buying a gift for her at the store, I showed them Toni's photo to confirm her size. One of the sales people said: "Si Toni Rose po yan, di ba? Bakit niyo siya ibibili ng gift?" It was odd to have to explain to a stranger why I'm buying a gift for a family member.

Then again, even as a kid, she had a personality that you know would really thrive and make it big. And her many projects, including this recent one, is just proof of that.

Eat’s Inspirational!

On last Thursday’s episode of “Eat Bulaga,” they featured young cancer survivors in one of their segments.

According to the hosts, through the collective stories of these different survivors - all under 25 years old - they’ll create awareness and inspiration for young people.

And among those who shared their inspiring stories is my niece, Toni!

She’s actually been actively campaigning about wellness and awareness for years now. I’ve sat in one of the webinars she was invited to, and proudly watched as she shared her story with so many people. That’s exactly what she did in Eat Bulaga, albeit for millions of people now.

Awesome job on this guesting, Toni! You truly are an inspiration!

Good Influence

One of my nieces - Toni - has been on TikTok for a few years. Although I know she has a lot of followers, and that she's been getting deals as an influencer, I wasn't aware of how wide her influence was until I saw this:

 

She's officially a Social Media Influencer, and it's so gratifying to see that she's using her influence for good. In particular, she was one of the speakers on the topic that's close to her heart - Cancer Awareness.

Watching her talk, it's easy to see why she has a lot of followers. She's very engaging and approachable, and she really resonates with young people, and they're majority of the audience members yesterday afternoon.

Good job, Toni! Keep on doing what you do!