Aryty Blog

This time of year gets really hot in the Philippines. One of the best ways to refresh is by grabbing a cold Halo Halo! I was able to buy one in Greenbelt for less than the price of 1 load!

A subway ride in NYC cost more!

Red beans, milk, ice, cream flan, langka and sweet yam are just a few of the ingredients you’ll find in a glass of Halo Halo. It’s a traditional food of the Philippines and if you haven’t tried you’re missing out. Filipino’s aren’t the only ones that love this tasty dessert!

Get a Halo Halo Recipe Here

Last Saturday, Karla Maquiling of Pinoy Centric assisted in arranging a lunch for us at the Shangri-La Hotel to present Aryty to a number of pro bloggers in Manila. It turned out to be nothing less than the perfect venue to exchange ideas and share more about Aryty with top Filipino bloggers “in the know” about the latest trends, technology and cultural issues taking place in the Philippines.

The influential blogging crew (a.k.a. BoB) included Jayvee Fernandez, Sasha Manuel, Gail dela Cruz Villanueva, Annalyn Jusay, Markku Seguerra, Ederic Eder, Mike Villar, Aileen Apolo and J. Angelo Racoma. I was also happy to see my friend Veronica Bartolome who just happened to be in Manila and made time to join us.

While it was nice to demonstrate how easy it is to buy Globe, Smart or Sun eload and discuss some of our future plans for Aryty the part I enjoyed the most was getting feedback and suggestions from the group. What a great opportunity to avail insight from some of the brightest in blogsphere! Conversation included subjects parang G-Cash, Smart Money, online loading, sari sari’s, OFW’s, remittances, new Aryty features and plenty about Globe, Smart and Sun loading habits.

The Roundtable

No Name Cafe Next Time?

Gail and Jayvee

Peace!

Salamat po!

You can check out these All Star’s blogs below. And if we missed you on this trip to Manila drop us a line so we can make sure to invite you to our next gathering! Hope to see you~

The Parody
Kutitots
Ajay’s Writings on the Wall
Rebelpixel Productions
ederic@cyberspace
Mike Villar
Stitching
The J Spot
Pinoy Centric
s’assombrir ange immortelle
A Bugged Life

More Event Pics Here

Here’s a quick slide show from our trip. Check out the pictures of Smart, the Jeepneys, Jollibee, and shopping for sim cards. More blogs and pictures to follow soon.

Tomorrow we are hosting a lunch for fellow bloggers in the Philippines. Look forward to sharing the details.

Ingatz

I’m finally in Manila and haven’t had a moment to stop! In between meetings, eating and sitting in traffic there has been little time for much else but it’s great to be back. Daniel, Aryty’s Creative Director has been busy meeting with local talents that work with us to build Aryty and snapping a photo diary of our trip along the way.

Hope to have a few moments to post some pics and blogs over the next few days! Never a dull moment in the load business.

Dashboard view of traffic in Ortigas Center

Time for bed now. (-o-)

More on Dynamic Ortigas

Hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. Tomorrow afternoon I leave Tokyo for Manila. I’m excited to get there but it’s always tough to say goodbye to Japan. Maybe Aryty should be helping Filipino’s here send load too!

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Japanese Kawaii (^-^)

I am on the way to the Philippines and have stopped over in Tokyo for a few days of rest and Nike Love. One of the first things I was reminded of upon arrival in Japan is the global reach of OFW’s.

It is estimated that over 200,000 Filipina OFW’s work in Japan as entertainers sending home more that a half billion dollars to their families in the Philippines. As the economy in Japan continues to improve there will probably be an increasing demand for even more labor from the Philippines. Not just entertainers but caregivers as well due to the aging population in Japan.

With so many Filipina’s sending money back from Japan I am sure they would love an easy way to buy load or send load to family in the Philippines. Maybe it’s time for Aryty accept Yen!

Services Targeting Filipina’s in Roppongi

Learn How Aryty Works

Today I was in Washington D.C. and stopped by the World Resources Institute (WRI) offices to catch up with Rob Katz. Rob is a researcher at WRI and actively covers BOP markets and emerging technologies that promote change within those markets.

The majority of the world or approximately 4 billion people are low income with limited means or resources. This market segment is known as the base of the economic pyramid. Recently WRI published a book called The Next 4 Billion which includes BOP household expenditures, standardized purchasing power, market insights and strategies that work for commercial companies serving the BOP. Considering aggregate purchasing power of the BOP exceeds $5 trillion dollars it’s no wonder people are starting to pay attention. That’s a lot of cheddar!

The Philippines has been an innovator in delivering BOP commercial services. The book has a case study on Smart Telecom as just such an example. Not only did Smart pioneer airtime distribution allowing SMS airtime transfers of units as small as $0.03 but they also launched mobile money remittance. These services have increased telecom access for low income Filipinos nationwide with carriers in other emerging markets following Smart’s lead and providing similar services to their customers.

Buy The Next 4 Billion

Many Filipino’s living in New York City and Jersey City take advantage of the Filipino cultural events in the region. The opportunities to attend Filipino activities in the area range include art shows at the Philippine Consulate General, beauty pageants, Filipino theater and annual fiestas!

The Romance of Magno Rubio will be playing at the Ma-Yi Theater Company in New York City after having recently toured throughout the U.S. and the Philippines. The show is opening on May 19th and runs through the 17th of June at the Ma-Yi Theatre.

Based on a Short Story by Carlos Bulosan

The play tells the tale of Magno, a short Filipino migrant worker who longs for love. Set in the central valleys of California in the 1930′s, the play follows Magno’s long-distance relationship via love letters exchanged with his pen pal Clarabelle, a woman from Arkansas whom Magno discovers through a lonely-hearts ad. Believing he has found the woman of his dreams, the young man fantasizes about their life together, only to soon realize that reality and dreams do not always align.

The show is directed by Loy Arcenas and is starring Arthur Acuna, Bernardo Bernado, Ramon De Ocampo JoJo Gonazalez and Paolo Montalban. If you start to miss your loved one or Filipina after you watch it feel free to send them a load and let them know.

Buy Tickets for The Romance of Magno Rubio Here

Ma-Yi Theater Company
520 Eighth Avenue
S. 309
New York, NY 10018

Apo Hiking Society will be in Las Vegas May 13th for a special Mother’s Day performance. If you live in Vegas make sure to check them out!

Apo Hiking Society at the House of Blues this Mother’s Day.

The Apo Hiking Society Tour has delighted Filipinos nationwide and is a perfect way to treat your mom this Sunday.

Buy Apo Hiking Society Tickets Here

Just a few blocks from where I live in Soho is an amazing Filipino restaurant called Cendrillon. Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, the owners are also the authors of Memories of Philippine Kitchens.

This Mother’s Day Cendrillon will be offering a special brunch and dinner menu with everything from beef shortrib sinigang to duck adobo cuapo. If you live in New York or New Jersey and you should definately try eating there. Sarap!

Cendrillon, 45 Mercer Street NYC

Cendrillon is located at 45 Mercer Street between Broome and Grand Street in Soho. They can be reached at (212) 343-9012. Hope to see you there!

Buy Memories of Philippine Kitchens
More on Cendrillon

Cendrillon