Sarap Burger...

Finally...we invaded the burger ave. challenge.

Sarap burger......

ARTICLE from http://guides.clickthecity.com/metro/?p=3226

Burger Avenue
by Beatriz Acosta
posted on Tuesday June 24, 2008
What's your favorite burger? I bet we all have our own 'top burgers' list - from the food stall types to the fine dining, top of the line gourmet burgers, veggie burgers, chicken burgers, burger this and burger that! There are a whole lot of places to choose from when it comes down to chomping down a patty or two of that hamburger. For all those who are scouting Metro Manila for something new with burgers, check out the new kid in town!The Business of BurgersMartin Silverio, co-founder of Burger Avenue, is addicted to burgers. "Ever since I was a child, I was really into burgers," he shares, saying that as a kid he'd even order a burger when their family is in a fine dining establishment. His stint in Cebu for 6 years had him check out the burger business in the area, and later on he decided to come up with his own, bringing it to Metro Manila. He first tried out the burger biz at Baywalk, then eventually closed it down after six months. Now, at around two months old, Burger Avenue stands mighty proud and happy at its home in A-Venue Mall along Makati Avenue.
Burger AvenueHe mentions that the burgers available in the metro are really good, and I agree with that. These famous burger joints are actually inspirations for Martin, encouraging him to whip up his own unique flair with his burgers.

Burger Avenue
Burger Avenue, A. Venue Mall
A hamburger (which, if you didn't know yet, doesn't really have ham, and its origins are from Germany, not USA) is really a simple edible item - a patty of ground meat with some spices and flavoring here and there. The way the burger is served is what can make burger-eating loads of fun: have it in a bun, with fries, potato chips, rice, or what have you. There's so many pairing and combination options when your tummy is burger-bound. From flavors to sidings, to condiments and sauces, that's what makes each burger experience stand out.For Burger Avenue, you will see (and taste) for yourself how it still has something fresh to offer in the business of burgers. "The profile of the burger is different," says Martin. Wrapped in white paper, it seems served to customers very plain. But when unwrapped, you will notice how significantly thick and wide their burger patties are. Definitely a plus for me, and surely for the many who are tired of the fast-food portioning of burgers in, well, fast food outlets. The oatmeal buns are also very soft, giving a good contrast to the thick and meaty texture of the burger. While some ladies will likely comment on how they cannot finish a Burger Avenue burger, I for one can eat one serving easily. These burgers are definitely the best friends of big appetites!
YUMMY.The taste is different, too, as Martin experimented with the flavor to give the Burger Avenue grilled patties a different kick of their own. A good sized burger, with a noteworthy, different taste. And the best part is - it's remarkably priced!While other places give you your plain burgers and charge you with each condiment you add on, Burger Avenue won't even go higher than P200. In fact, P200 is the most expensive item on the menu already - a burger with three patties!Their basic burger, Avenue Burger, costs P80, and the Cheese Burger goes for P90. Want two patties? That would be worth P120, and with cheese, P140. Their Special Burgers are reasonably priced as well - most of them going for only P99!
Blue Cheese BurgerDuring my first visit to Burger Avenue, I got to try the Blue Cheese Burger (P99), and appreciated how the Blue Cheese sauce's sharp and pungent character add that oomph to the already tasty burger.
Barbecue Bacon BurgerOn a lunch break a few weeks after my first visit, I decided to bring along some friends so we can try out other items in Burger Avenue. I ordered their Barbecue Bacon Burger (P99), which had bacon strips, plus a generous coating of sweet and tangy sauce on top of the burger patty.
Onion Rings and Potato WedgesPair your burgers with an ice-cold soda, and eat it along with Potato Wedges (P45) or Onion Wings (P45) (or why not both?) and it makes for a pretty satisfying experience.Besides burgers, Burger Avenue offers rice and pasta dishes, and other kinds of sandwiches, if you want to take a break from all the burger binging. I especially liked their Spaghetti With Meat Sauce (P70), which I got to try out on my second visit as well.
Spaghetti With Meat SauceThe pasta was simply laid out in a plastic container, looking like your common spaghetti, but I was surprised that it packed up a lot of flavor and cheesy-ness. Wait for it to cool down a bit as it is served fresh and piping hot when placed on your table! That's Ridiculous!What will probably get you guys on your feet and running right to Burger Avenue is their Ridiculous Challenge. This is where you can put your gut to the test!
Are you up for the challenge?Make your way to the counter and order yourself a Ridiculous Burger (P200) - three big, thick, juicy patties in one burger. This burger is actually a steal at 200 pesos - most burger joints offer the same price just for one patty with a sauce of your choice. Now, back to the burger. It is ridiculous and action-packed with its three all-beef patties, a hefty stuffing of lettuce and tomatoes. And to top it all off, three slices of cheese.
The Ridiculous Burger
Ridiculously huge: My friend had to slice her burger...and ended up eating only half of it for lunch.Just inform the people at the counter that you are taking on the Ridiculous Challenge, and they will whip up their timer. Finish the burger within five minutes, ring the bell, and you get a full refund! Yep, a free burger if you can chomp on it before the time is up. And before you go on exclaiming, "That's ridiculous!", it sort of is not, as a good and growing number of people have triumphed over the huge burgers. Burger Avenue has a 'Hall of Fame' of sorts on their wall. They've got photos of the people who gobbled up the burgers in record time, proving that indeed, you can do it!
Are you on the list?: The growing list of Burger Avenue's Ridiculous Challenge winnersMy first visit to Burger Avenue was made more fun because three men were up to the challenge and I got to witness one of them in full glory, finishing his burger within three minutes.
Three men up for the challenge: in the end, there can only be one!The way they were eating their food actually made me crave for the Ridiculous Burger, but my gut reminded me I cannot stomach it for that day. Soon I shall conquer the Ridiculous Burger - I just need to prepare and psych myself up first before heading down Burger Avenue (no breakfast and lunch, perhaps?).
So the next time some of your friends or officemates chant that ever-so-famous "Pa-burger ka naman!" line, you now have one more hot item to add to your list... I've added Burger Avenue to the top of mine! And, hey, you can even treat your entire posse to a feast of Ridiculous Burgers - just let them know they have that five minute limit.Burger Avenue delivers within the Makati area! Delivery hours are same as operating hours (10am to 1am Sunday to Thursday, and 10am to 3am Friday and Saturday). Delivery charge of P35 will be added. I'm looking for Burger Avenue.

Firm launches face recognition technology in RP

Firm launches face recognition technology in RP
07/02/2008 01:59 PM

MANILA, Philippines - A software application that recognizes a person’s face—even in well-lighted environments which alter an individual’s appearance—is all set to change the way Filipinos view and use biometrics technology.XID Technologies, a company that has offices in Redwood City, California and Singapore, unveiled in the country last June 27 its flagship product dubbed “Face Logon Xpress", an application that allows PCs or establishments to be accessed only by authorized users.Top XID executives led by CEO Mike Holt and sales director Steve Seah formally launched the face recognition technology at the Ascott hotel in Makati during a press briefing arranged by local IT distributor Columbia Technologies Inc. (CTI) and Acer Philippines.According to Holt, biometrics solutions, specifically face recognition technology, has been around for sometime but it has not been widely adopted because of its high error rate.“One of the factors that severely affect this high error rate is lighting, especially outdoors, because it can change the way a person looks. This is the reason why they are only used in enclosed areas such as airports and offices," explained Holt.The executive said that XID set out early on to fix the problem so that outdoor users, particularly mobile workers who carry their laptops around, can have access regardless of the lighting conditions. The secret behind the breakthrough, Holt said, is the company’s facial synthesis technology which detects, recognizes, and synthesizes the human face.It automatically generates thousands of face images from a single 2D photo, allowing the technology to accurately perform face recognition in different lighting environments and angles, he said.Additionally, Holt said the product can compensate for extreme conditions such as complete darkness by allowing users to access the PC through the use of a default password instead of the camera.The company said that while the faces of the earth’s six billion people could each be a potential customer, their targeted customers for now are mobile workers and establishments that need light-sensitive door access technology.Acer Philippines, for its part, said it can bundle the technology in its PCs and laptops. “It can compensate the biometric solutions that we already have in our products so our customers can have a higher level of security," said Agnes Espino, marketing manager of Acer Philippines. - GMANews.TV

There Goes Our Only Chance to Win Something This Year

I am not surprised that there is no internet vote for this year’s Miss Photogenic at Miss Universe. Well, there goes our only chance to win something. I could have enjoyed the annual proof of the Filipino homosexuals’ internet prowess by making otherwise bland contestants win Ms. Photogenic.

I am in a veritable raised heart beats come second week of July. Batman is here and Ms. Universe, too! Nothing makes my heart palpitate faster than to watch a great superhero film a couple of days after the glittery and kitschy parade of nations. I hope someone falls on the stage like last year.

But take a look at this year’s beauties!!!

Here’s Ms. Philippines with her I have “Weak neck musculature pose:”

Well, at least she didn’t do the “I have a migraine but still beautiful” pose:

And check out The Philippines’ “national” costume:

Lord almighty….butterflies fluttering about an overturned gumamela gown???? A classmate of mine suggested that we should have the Barrel Man as our national costume. That’s so much cheaper and more interesting!

Well, it could be worse, if Ms. Philippines wore this, she’d go home to find an angry mob of homosexuals with shears:

I want to know if the Invisible Jet is part of her costume.

Anyway….

I was told that this year’s Ms. Philippines candidate is from the University of Sto. Tomas! Last time a candidate from that school represented the country, we almost had the crown. Let’s hope if she gets in the finals the questions will not dwell into premarital sex, pregnancy before marriage, homosexuality and other odious Catholic horrors.

They say there is a curse of “U.P. Beauties” for having subpar performances in international beauty contests. I guess UP better allocate more budget to deal with this deficiency. Who cares about strides in scientific research, massive achievements in all fields, all-encompassing changes with revolutionary minds in the student body? We need effective beauty queens befitting the symbolism of the UP Oblation, damn it!!!!

Anyway….

I was told by a friend of mine that United States of America sent a male contestant. Let us see:

I love her drag queen aura! What is she wearing!? She looks like a villain from Spider-Man comics!

What a Victoria’s Secret Rip-off for their costume:

Just for her spider web dress, I want her to win!!!! Pat yo weave, gurrrl!!!!!

This one should win “Best Male Jawline” Category:

Of course, since Vietnam is the host country, they have to figure prominently in some award. Can you believe this is shortlisted to be one of the best national costumes? Ugh…it’s like the time the Philippines won Best National costume when it hosted the pageant. That was boring and so is this one:

I just used this photo to include the fabulous face of Ms. Trinidad and Tobago behind Ms. Vietnam. That has to be the most winning pout in the competition.

Let’s see from the world’s beauty power house, Venezuela!!!!

Not a good picture. she looks like a drugged up horse model for Mane and Tail shampoo. Love her lips though.

What’s up with her costume?

Is she the new Sesame Street character? Elmo’s hot Latin American cousin? But hot damn, she is smoldering here even with the nose feather.

Oh wait, Dyesebel called, she wants her look back:

You know what would have worked for Singapore? If she had a headdress with a lion’s face spewing water! Singapore’s Mer-Lion represent!!!!!

This one reeks of the “Look at me, I’m rich, I’m special, who cares if I don’t win, I’m still richer than these hookers onstage” pose:

She has the self-righteous eyebrows move down pat! I just want to slap her and be her friend forever…..she may have her own company, but she can’t cultivate her fashion? What she’s wearing is sooo hot and cool……in 1993.

I want Ms. South Africa to win:

She looks like Angelina Jolie. She made posing with a stupid flower not stupid. It’s as if she’s thinking about making it into a sex toy! And her last name indicates that she may be related to South African writer and Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee.

Ms. Brazil is lovely…… perfect beauty queen extension and blinding smile! Good…good….show your flawless thigh…good…good…..

Well, now I know where the disappearing Amazon forest has gone to. How many flora species cried for your national costume? Love it!!!! She should have frogs jumping out of her armpits!

I love it when the costumes tell the history or cultural identity of the country like so:

And also this one…..Ms. Mexico is beautiful! Do they have the same headdress maker or something?

But what the hell is this?????

This is the “Baklita going to the market” look. Turks and Caicos is supposed to be one of the richest Carribean nations. Sadly, I’ve seen costumes from Super Sereyna more elaborate than this.

And of course, I want what Ms. Tanzania is wearing….

I love the rough hewn texture. The accessories alone can prevent one from being blown away during a signal number four typhoon. And the best part? That brown gourd dangling in front of her crotch. Why, of all places, must it dangle smack in the between her legs? Is this to make the boys insecure?

If I was a judge at Ms. Universe, I’d make this candidate win…..

….because she looks like she can track me down any where in the universe, brain me with a lead pipe and piss on my fractured skull. Bitch isn’t fierce, she’s scary. Is she the only one to answer the question in all caps? Brrrr….afraid!!!!

I wonder what’s her talent? Eating nine inch nails? Making street thugs cry? Or judging from her “national” costume….

….turning into a bat at will!!!!

I can’t wait for Miss Universe!!!