Why ZheZtah???

"How can I be a businesswoman?" I look back thinking about that when I was in college. But during that time, I was busy studying the human anatomy and physiology. I did not take up a business course since I had no interest in it way back. All I ever wanted that time was to be a doctor. But during my sleepless nights things like owning my own coffee shop or restaurant  came into mind. I wanted to own one, but probably during those times, no.
 Oh well, as the world turns so as a person's interests. Getting myself prepped to do business did not came instantly. While working as a Respiratory Therapist at St. Elizabeth hospital, I sold RTW's to fellow colleagues at a "pautang" basis. I really don't remember what  came into me that I did that. I was shy when it comes to "singilan". I guess I can't be a sales lady. I have no PR skills actually. But all the RTW's were sold out with the help of my fellow RT's who told their friends to buy.
   Next one. I sold siomai and mais con hielo at our neighborhood when I resigned from work after 3 years since I had to wait for my visa. The sales was good. I had no picture of my little stall since FB was not yet the trend those days.
 Then a lightbulb moment came. To free me from boredom, why don't I  put up a burger shop? So I brainstormed and asked some suggestions from my parents since my  family our born food lovers. But that was not enough. We also had to learn how to cook. All of us knows how to cook. My mother trained me  when I was in highschool but  food did not interest me that time.  Being a self-confessed burger lover,  I re-invented my Tita Liza's burger recipe. It was a trial and error cook-out. I had to add and reduce the ingredients then cook it, and taste it in order to come up with the taste that suit my standard. Then my family and friends would have a taste test.
  Selling burgers would not be enough, so I thought of variety. Since I loved pasta and sandwiches, I put in my spaghetti and sandwich recipes. The chicken was Papa's suggestion, since he knows how to cook garlic chicken.
We had more space at our house, so I used my Grandma Mading's small area at the front for my little canteen so I need not rent. So, when everything fell into place, tada, Ziesta was born in October 8, 2008.  Why Ziesta? Who is Ziesta? A lot of people would ask. I coined it after "siesta" where in people would just relax and chill.

Running Ziesta was a learning experience for me. I made the menu, the food photos, the logo myself being the kuripot woman that I am. I was also  the one buying chicken at the palengke riding a tricycle, I had only someone to carry the goods I bought. I only had one staff. There was a time my cook resigned so I had to do the cooking and serving myself.. A business should still run even if an employee is not around. It was tough, but I loved it. I loved what I was doing. Through Ziesta, I discovered my inner passion for food.
 When my visa came, I had to leave my business to Mama. Fortunately,  more and more customers loved our chicken and burgers but since it was not airconditioned, it was not a suitable and comfortable place to dine. It became more of a take-out place. If it rains, there were no customers too because there was no place stay.  So it was a go signal for me that I have to continue on with the business I started.
In Japan, all I ever thought about was Ziesta and how to improve it. I jotted down all the ideas that came into mind. . I bought some stuff to be used in the restaurant and placed it in the balikbayan box. I saved my salary for the renovation budget. Hubby supported my decision to expand Ziesta and we both saved for it. Somehow, browsing on my Yummy magazines inspired me to pursue building a bigger diner. I loved how cute the plates, table mats, and food presentation were used in each of their photos.

  In December 2009, we went home with a firm decision to expand the business. Again, me and my family brainstormed and planned. Good thing my uncle, Tito Alex, who has been in the 5 star hotel and restaurant business for so long, taught me about food costing. I also consulted some of the dishes in my menu. We added steaks since my family loved t-bone steaks so much. The renovation took 4 months. We had to ensure everything was complete before opening. We also had to apply for a business license, that was the time I thought,  wow this is getting serious. Still being the kuripot me, I made everything from the menu lay-out, inventory forms, etc.Food photography was done by my hubby.

I used Canon point and shoot cam for food photography.

Lay-out by me

Canon 20D used. Still my lay-out.

We re-opened in March 28, 2010 under ZheZtah, since that was the name approved by the DTI. This time, I had 4 staff already. I was glad with what the restaurant had turned out. The interior designer, Nadia did a great job, and also the Engineer, my uncle, Tito Glo who supervised the construction. They did a great job in achieving my goal to make it a cozy, not so "sosy"place where anyone, even if the ones who are just wearing slippers and "pambahay" can come in and enjoy good food.























So there it is!! My pride and joy. A restaurant I can call my own.  The blood and sweat from working our ass off in Japan. Finally, a dream come true. No dream can't be achieved if you worked hard to get it. This is what I am destined for. This is my true passion, Food.

The tables were custom made. We used old diving oxygen tanks as the stand.

The second floor is part of the old house.

 Today, based from the customers who come in to eat, I can say that ZheZtah is slowly making a name for itself even if we do not spend on advertising that much. I still have big dreams for ZheZtah, like to be featured in food magazines someday. Someday.

Pregnancy 101

34 weeks 3 days and counting... Gosh! I could not believe I made it this far without the symptoms at all.. no nausea, vomiting, weird food cravings, etc. In fact, I was also able to travel to and from Japan three times all alone. Just imagine tagging along my big luggage and handcarried bag. I was also able to work part-time. Lucky me!
Before I knew I was pregnant, I felt fatigued most of the time. I sleep after arriving from work. But the first thing I noticed is that my breasts were sore, somewhat like the symptoms before having my period. So I just let it pass, thinking that my period will just come in the next days. But that symptom does not last long, after 3 days I usually have my period already. It lasted for weeks. But I did not expect anything because I might just end up feeling disappointed. So I traveled home to the Philippines, without knowing I was pregnant. But there was that instinct in me and I just prayed that if ever there is something growing in my womb. Mama Mary, please take care of him/her. Since I just rode the train to the Kansai, Osaka airport.
It was my bestfriend, Amor who insisted that I take the pregnancy test just to be sure I was pregnant or not. So I bought a kit, then took the test early morning when I woke up in order to get the best result. It was 6am then, no excitement whatsoever because I took the test a couple of times already just ending up with disappointment. Then the red lines were showing, 2 lines appeared!! I could not believe it, so I rushed to my mom with the instructions of the kit and all and asked her if it was positive. She was not sure since pregnancy kits were not used during her time. I ran to my sister in law and she confirmed it, yes it was positive. I was speechless! Then I called my hubby who was still sleeping. I told him to turn on Skype, he asked why but I just said i have something to show him. And I broke the news and showed him the kit. Antok pa sya during that time, but when he saw the 2 lines, his eyes got bigger. His first reaction was he was not impotent. Since his cousins were teasing him already. Excited as we were, we already thought of our plans.. After 2 days, when I went to the doctor for confirmation, I was already 7 weeks pregnant. Then the old wives tales kept going on and on. I have heard all the advices and stories from the moms who already experienced it before me.
So remembering the first trimester, I kept sleeping right after eating. Talk about gluttony. I just wanted to sleep and sleep. And since I was in the Philippines for 1 month, I got to eat all the foods i craved for. The frequent trips to the bathroom at the middle of the night was somewhat depriving me of getting uninterrupted sleep. Since my tummy was still small, it felt like I was not pregnant at all.
When I reached my second trimester, the craving for sleep was gone, but I noticed my tummy got bigger each week it was the time I had to sleep at night in one position only, on the left side. The dilemma of clothes that does not already fit came in. Taking a bath was sort of easy, picking up things on the floor was a little bit hard, driving was still easy. Hmm, I remember always craving for ice cream. We also kept reading articles on baby center each time I reach a certain week. And the book my bestfriend gave me, What To Expect When You're Expecting really helped a lot. Then the fight over what to name our baby came along. We even slept 3am already just discussing what names to use. Oh, the fifth month! During my pre-natal visit, the doctor asked us if we wanted to know if we're having a boy or a girl. My hubby asked how many percent was he sure, he answered 80%, it was a big chance already so we agreed to know the gender. We're having a girl! It was also during this time when me and hubby first saw my tummy move. It brought irreplaceable joy and the thought of being a mother and a father soon brought excitement. What kind of parents would we be? And for sure I have to ask my own mother on how to take care of a newborn. It is during this time that I need her most.
Third trimester, as my tummy got bigger and bigger.. picking up things on the floor was a burden, taking a bath and cutting my toe nails was hard since I could not reach my toes I had to ask Mama to cut it for me, driving was still manageable but I could hardly reach the door to close and my parents were telling me not to drive anymore so Papa was my dakilang driver when I had to do errands for ZheZtah. Gosh, nobody told me that sleeping at night was so uneasy since I have to look for a comfortable position wherein she can sleep too. And my tummy was heavy I could only move slowly to avoid hurting her. I could already feel her kick my rib cage. Gosh it kinda hurts. I could also feel her move around. And her hiccups, it is that constant rhythmic movement you can feel on your tummy. Kicking my bladder wants me to pee all the time. I got heavier, my tummy was. And at this point she is about 5 pounds already. Her face is well defined, but we still do not know if he has chinese-looking eyes like her father or big eyes like mine.. Everyone's excited to see her. And with merely 1 month more to go, the big wait seem to be longer.
Pregnancy may be quite hard and delicate but it is the best 9 months a woman can have.. It is a gift, a miracle, a blessing from above. Just imagine that from a tiny cell she was back then, now she is already human-looking, like a little me.. Now it is time to learn how to be a mother.

My Top Emerging Influential Blogs 2011

Alright! This would be the first time I will be doing this, being that I am away from the Philippines. But I get updated about events that has been happening in my hometown through reading these blogs..

Here goes..

1. Pinay Travelogue -- this blog is authored by Ms. Nette Gallinero, who is a wife of a photographer too like me. It informs me about the places I have yet to visit in Mindanao.. http://www.pinaytravelogue.com/

2. Eat's Terrific -- authored by Mr. Orman Manansala, being a foodie myself, reading his new posts about what's delicious to eat in Gensan makes my foodtripping hobby hassle-free because I already know what to order in the menu when I arrive home. http://www.ormanmanansala.com/

3. General Joana -- i just love how Ms. Joana Grace Lapore writes her blogposts. It tickles my writing skills. I first met her when she and her husband ate at ZheZtah Chicken and Burgers and loved the foods we served. http://generaljoana.wordpress.com/

4. Bookworm of Gensan -- I may not be a bookworm myself but I love to read what interests me. He has become a good friend of mine, sharing the same passion for someone we admire, Sir Gilbert Tan shares his love for books in this blog. And I get entertained reading his posts. http://www.bookwormofgensan.com/

5. Scribbles -- my personal blog that pushes me to write about my life's sojourn as I believe that it is in sharing a piece of you that helps other people realize and discover new things they have yet to exlpore about life! It mainly shares my first love for baking, with easy recipes anyone who has a sweet tooth like me can do themselves. http://dimpaylim.blogspot.com/

There you have it!

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