Confession Closet

"Every once in a while a dog enters your life and changes everything."

I started the week right with a visit to one of the most stress-relieving places in Katipunan. Barkin’ Blends, the newest dog cafe in the Philippines is causing quite a buzz and is trending among students. Just an LRT away from UST, who wouldn’t be tempted to visit this dog haven everyone is talking about and sharing on various social media platforms. 

Obviously, me and my friends would not let this chance slip given that this kind of week only comes once in a blue moon (chill week) before the dreaded preliminary examinations next week. We visited Barkin’ Blends with lots of expectations. After ordering our drinks, we were directed to the dog zone. We first put our things in a locker and had a change of slippers. Upon entering the dog zone, I noticed that all of the dogs were sound asleep. Being an owner of four lovely Shih Tzus, I somehow developed a familiarity with their attitudes and habits. And I know that even small footsteps are enough to wake them up so the idea of them being drugged/sedated crossed my mind. At first, we felt unfair since we paid more or less 300 pesos to play with the dogs and yet we were coldly welcomed by unresponsive dogs. We were informed that it was in fact their sleeping time so I thought that we really came at a wrong timing.

I am a certified dog lover so I was definitely happy with just seeing the dogs and caressing them but of course I still wish they were awake and hyperactive. After a few minutes, the drinks arrived and after a sip, I already knew that there was nothing extraordinary about what they offer there. The taste is very ordinary and honestly if not for the dogs I would not think of coming back. But obviously, everyone who visits Barkin’ Blends have the dogs in mind and not thedrinks they offer because if I only want to have a glass of frappe then I’ll just go to Starbucks. And that is their biggest edge from the other cafes out there. 

Customers are given 3 hours to stay in the dog zone and I think that is plenty. Thankfully, after roughly 30 minutes, some of the dogs are already waking up and we started playing with them. I am definitely a sucker for small and lap dogs and I am not a big fan of the big dogs. I am also not very good with breeds and names. The only dog names that retained in my memory were Piolo, Martha, Robin, Ella, Smile, Marley and Skye. Dogs are definitely the cuddliest stress-relievers.

The staffs inside the dog zone are very friendly. They were very open to answer all our queries even if some of them are basically non-sense. They were also very accommodating and they also gladly took our pictures. They never complained even if we ask them to take our shots almost every minute. They also moved fast to clean up the mess made by dogs and that is a thumbs up for me. Three hours felt like minutes when you spend it with good company. Unfortunately, our time at the dog zone already ran out but we were still bargaining for more. We already developed an attachment with the dogs even with that short span of time. It was very nice of them not to rush us in leaving and we were still able to take lots of pictures and play more for a few minutes.

I am beyond satisfied with the service of Barkin’ Blends but I hope they would improve the taste of their beverages since we are also paying for them. It is definitely a place where I can be a frequent and loyal visitor. I actually don’t mind having a weekly visit at this dog cafe and I know my friends wouldn’t too. 

NOTE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR DOG LOVERS OUT THERE!

THE FLOWER OF SERVICE

"A day spent with friends is always a day well spent." -Anonymous.

Within my circle of friends,”spontaneity” is the name of the game. We often have moments when we’re just “screw it, let’s just do it or let’s just go!”

Note: The picture was not taken the same day.

Last Ash Wednesday, I started my day with an already panned out plans for the day like sleeping all afternoon in my dorm after school and catching up with the Pretty Little Liars episodes I have missed. But boredom and homesickness strike that I just decided to go home to Rizal. It was fortunate that my dear friend needs someone to accompany her to an appointment near Megamall and I am very happy to help. I asked our other friends to tag along but I was only able to persuade one. 

We traveled from UST to Megamall and strolled the streets of Ortigas which was a breath of fresh air from the pollution of España. After accompanying our friend to her meeting place, we both decided to fill our hungry stomachs with breads and cold beverages. We decided to grab something to munch on at BreadTalk which offers variety of delicious pastries. Almost all the breads were served hot and they were constantly refilling the trays. I was in the mood for something sweet and salty so I grabbed a chocolate croissant and Parmesan sausage. The personnel are friendly and the place is properly maintained. The cashier is also very accommodating and greets customers. We decided on a take-out but I think if we have stayed I would have experienced a friendlier customer service. But overall they offered a good service. 

After buying from BreadTalk, we decided to have something to drink from Chatime and now we’re staying. The interior of Chatime is really nice and relaxing. It has accent walls and the colors are very attractive. It was my first time to try their drinks so I am not really sure what to order. I just went with what my friend recommended. And based on the taste, it was not a bad choice. I really appreciated that they already give tissues when serving the drinks unlike other tea shops where you still need to ask which completely does not make sense. The environment is really good and I think it is a place which will be good for studying or if you just want to chill and relax. My friend and I just stayed and talked there for hours. It seems that we still have tons of things to talk about even if we are together almost everyday. This Chatime visit will definitely not going to be my last. They gave a service that is worthy of coming back for. Hopefully other branches offer the same service. In this kind of industry, consistency is the key to longevity. 

We decided to part ways at around 5PM and it was time for me to go home which I am always looking forward to every week. Luckily, the queue at the FX terminal was not that long. I have experience lots of services that day from traveling to eating and drinking and all of them I must say were satisfying. All these services are high-contact because they offered a greater level of contact between the service providers and customers. I think it’s really good when you don’t have any expectations because you can easily be satisfied.

“I've never wanted more, until I met you.” -Christian Grey

If you’re the ultimate book lover then you’ll probably never resist the hype of a good read that is Fifty Shades of Grey. It was an entertaining page-turner of a modern-day love affair. The trilogy about the unconventional relationship of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele sold over a hundred million copies worldwide. I am actually one of those millions of people who took a time out to read the books and I loved them. Being a big fan, I was so excited to see my beloved characters to come to life on the big screen. After months of waiting, Fifty Shades of Grey was finally shown in selected cinemas nationwide. It also whipped the box office on its opening day worldwide.

The movie was released on February 11, a few days before Valentines’ Day but I was only able to see it two days after. The original plan was to watch the movie in Trinoma since we were already frequent moviegoers there but while we were on the FX, we decided to just see it in Fisher Mall because it is nearer. I am definitely not the type of person who explores and tries out new places so I was kind of hesitant to watch a movie in Fisher Mall. I am more comfortable if I am familiar with the place since I am assured of the quality of service and that I get my money’s worth.

When we arrived in the mall, we immediately bought tickets to guarantee movie seats. The movie contains explicit scenes so it was given an R-18 rating. When we were about to buy, the person in charge asked us if we were already of legal age and to assure her of that we showed her our IDs but she told us that we have to show it to the guard blocking the theater door which was a few steps away from the ticketing booth. We did what she instructed us to do but in the back of my mind I was wondering why it was the guard who needs to verify our legality. I think the people in the ticketing booth should be the one to make that call to save time and for people not to go back and forth. Ticket buying was a success and we still have spare time to buy food and other stuff. We went to the supermarket and bought lots of chips, popcorns and sweets which are very necessary when watching a movie.

We went back to the movie house a little earlier and when we were about to enter we were shocked when the guy in front of the door told us that food outside the movie house snack bars are prohibited. We tried to argue with him to just let us in but he told us that it was in the rules which was not mentioned to us by anyone. In the end, they just told us to leave our food outside the theater and get them after the movie. I really would love to eat the food I spent my money on while watching the movie but I guess all I can say to them was “Laters, baby!” My friends thought that it will be a popcorn-less movie day with nothing to grub on but lucky me because I was able to let the inner ninja in me to take over and sneaked in a pack of Kettle Corn.

The theater really has good interiors and the seats are very comfortable that I was able to enjoy the movie even more. We were very fortunate to have picked a good sitting spot. We occupied an entire row so I was very happy that I would not be sitting with strangers. I don’t know if I am just being biased or what but I think the movie was really amazing overall. Having read the book, most scenes are very similar and they are how I imagined them to be. But of course, I’ll still insist that the book is better just like how I always say in every movie adaptations.

So to wrap up this very long blog post, I would summarize what I think about the services of Fisher Box Office:

1. I am not sure if I am just deaf or I was not paying attention but I did not hear any greetings from the staff like “Good afternoon, Thank you” or something between those lines.

2. They did not emphasize properly the rules on food inside the theater.

3. No apologies were made about the “food fiasco”

4. The protocol on asking the guard to verify our legality is odd.

5. The seats are very comfy and the ambiance inside is nice.

6. There were staff inside guiding the moviegoers to their seats which is a plus point for them.

Will I recommend Fisher Box Office?

Well, if you insist on watching the movie there because of its proximity, I would just advice you to buy your popcorns and other goodies from their snack bar and never outside because they’ll just be useless.

But if you have a lot of time in your hands, I suggest you just go to Trinoma, SM Cinemas or Robinsons because your choice of snacks are limitless and they have superb service. I’m also pretty sure, there’s just a little difference in the price that you’re going to spend.

Tiffany Romero