2014-10-26 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Red Baron Ribs and Steaks: Bring on the Meaty Battle at Quezon City

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If you don't look close enough, at first glance you might miss this little ribs and steaks specialty restaurant located at D. Tuazon corner Calamba streets at Barangay Lourdes of Quezon City. Yup! You are not being deceived, this small spot surrounded by lots of cars being serviced by mechanics serves really astounding dishes that probably deserve a better location so that more people would get to appreciate their meaty specialties.

But have no fear, because the owners did say they are looking into other locations to put up another branch. Now that's great news since the crowd from the other parts of the Metro would loved to feast on their meaty masterpieces.

Red Baron Ribs and Steaks is "where all things steaky are celebrated. This is where sumptuous steak is equated to piping hot stone-slated steak fit for your most discerning taste buds."

True enough, I was surprised seeing these huge juicy slab of steaks being served aside from their other superb Angus beef dishes. The appetizer, they call nibbles, was quite interesting enough as it was my first time to see a restaurant serve a jar of dried peanuts. Then out comes the nachos served generously with meaty toppings and appropriately named as "Nachoriffic." I'm betting you'll shout out its name after taking a bite.

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger, Ross Del Rosario, suddenly became a special guest at Radyo Agila's "Kain Tayo" radio show of Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), the broadcasting company responsible for the more popularly known Net25 TV channel and also its Pinas FM 95.5 FM radio station.

I was there because of an invite by a fellow blogger who was supposed to share the limelight with me, along with other bloggers she invited to join us. But due to unavoidable circumstances involving an accident within her family, she suddenly had to cancel the guesting and reschedule it for next weekend. Everyone was informed of the reschedule including me so I decided to just attend an event to be held somewhere in Makati city instead. However, I suddenly received a message from her asking me to continue with the guesting. It was only later that I fully realized I will be on my own.

With just one hour notice, I bravely traversed the traffic jam infested Metro Manila by commuting using the dreaded mass public transportation system known as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and other vehicles. From Makati to Central Avenue of Quezon City, I was jumping from one mode of transportation to another. From the MRT to a jeepney, from a jeepney to a tricycle, I made it in time for the show barely out of breath so my first request the minute I arrived was a glass of water.

The "Kain Tayo" radio show, aired every Sunday from 12 noon to 1 pm at Radyo Agila DZEC 1602, is hosted by Belle Surara, also an executive producer of the radio station, along with Cynthia Vallesteros, her partner who was on sick leave that day. Lucky me because this allowed me to seat on the anchor spot along side Miss Belle.

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As an employer, we all know the tedious processes involved in preparing and implementing the payroll system. Employees also experience how difficult it is to sometimes line up to get their payslip or related information from the concerned departments of the company. With the proliferation of many applications designed to automate the usual manual processes, it is not surprising to eventually see an automated version of handling the payroll system.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger was invited to an intimate discussion of Salarium’s latest features which included geo-fencing, employee-self service, etc., as discussed by its founder and CEO Judah Hirsch who personally shared to us about the many benefits of his Software as a Service (SaaS), a software delivery method that provides access to software and its functions remotely as a Web-based service.

Salarium, an innovative enterprise payroll system, also won the Seedstars Manila competition, the Filipino round of Seedstars World in 2014 national competition, among local startups to represent the Philippines at the Seedstars World Competition Finals, the global startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland this coming February 2015.

This recognition already makes the system something to really look at as a very promising solution to reduce the wasted hours spent at the HR and Administrative departments of many companies. The first place prize of $500,000 at the competition is also a great motivating factor why the creators of Salarium should perform well. Additionally, “We aim to show them that Filipino engineers are capable of building world class software. I plan to make some noise for what startups are doing here in the Philippines.” says Judah.

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With so many competing businesses around, it is but necessary to provide enough reasons why customers should maintain their loyalty to a business establishment. If we could not stop people from trying out other products or services offered by the competition, we can persuade them to go back to us if we provide the better solutions to their needs highlighted by value-added customer service, reasonable price, quality after-sales assistance, and the likes.

The 3rd Customer Loyalty Conference and Expo, held last October 24, 2014 at the New World Hotel in Makati city, recognizes that this is the "Age of Engagement" where everyone should extend extra efforts to understand the significance of identifying better and more aggressive ways and means to engage customers in order to keep them supporting our businesses.

There were several ideas presented by the many speakers to help key personnel from different companies plot strategies to achieve a more fruitful and harmonious relationship with our customers - the real reason why we are in business, and why we stay in business.

Companies that provide significant solutions for loyalty and rewards programs were also around to give the delegates an opportunity to network and eventually try out their products and services. The event is intended to offer prominent solutions to many requirements that would enable us to offer our customers a more engaging experience with us.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It is in a forum where a lot of us find our passion. For me it is a life-changing event because we get to hear about the exciting things that people around the country, or the world, are doing. I find it an enriching event where there are many lessons to be learned. With all the rapid changes taking place around the world, I have often felt extremely overwhelmed. Attending similar events like a forum is my lifeline. I am grateful to be able to return home with wonderful ideas to improve my personal strategies at both my home and organization.

It is where we can also build connections. I meet people there who, like me years ago, are just starting out on their improvement journeys. These people inspire us and calls us to action with their passion and insight. It's great to be around so many like-minded individuals striving to create a better world. By collaborating with others, we can create new ideas to solve the new challenges brought about by a rapidly changing world.

In the networking sessions, I’ve found people who share their successes and failures as they work to improve their craft so invigorating. At the 26th National Quality Forum (NQF), an annual gathering of quality management professionals organized by the Philippine Society for Quality, Inc (PSQ), a non-stock, non-profit organization that laid down the groundwork for setting up a quality organization that can serve as a catalyst for action in the application for quality management, we become part of a worldwide movement. That feeling of belonging and being part of something global should never leave us and should continue to stay as long as we aim for the best.

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger was invited to watch a special advance screening of a video documentary of the dreaded disaster that hit our country. This 60-minute special will premiere in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia on Discovery Channel this coming Saturday, November 8 at 8 PM to mark the first anniversary of the typhoon that hit the Visayan region.

The documentary revisits Tacloban months after it is pummelled by one of history’s most intense storms - Haiyan or more popularly known in the Philippines as Yolanda. It is hosted by Filipino-British television presenter and actor Trey Farley who was chosen for the role so Filipinos can equally relate to a "kababayan" half-Filipino host interviewing them and telling the story on video. Since Trey understands a bit of our Filipino language, he can easily interact with the people and be able to convince them to share their experience with truthful emotions.

The documentary is in partnership with Filipino documentary makers, Caelestis Productions Inc. They visited Tacloban to uncover and honor the heroic human effort undertaken to rebuild the storm-ravaged city and the surrounding islands in an exclusive 60-minute documentary dubbed as HAIYAN: AFTER THE MEGASTORM.

We also got to interview Emile Guertin, the Executive Producer, via phone-patch. All of this was held at the Perceptions head office at the 17th floor of the Corporate Center building located at the McKinley Business Park of Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

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Learn and be knowledgeable as UST JFINEX proudly presents its 4th Annual National Finance Summit entitled: "Synergy Unbound: Prospects and Perspectives on ASEAN Integration" at the UST Medicine Auditorium on November 8, 2014 (Saturday) from 7am to 6pm.

This year, notable speakers will discuss concepts and principles that will enhance awareness among Financial Management Students from different educational institutions regarding ASEAN Integration. Furthermore, reputable companies will also be invited to provide career opportunities for our delegates.
BE INFORMED. BE RELEVANT.

Don't miss this opportunity! Ticket price is Php280 only. For inquiries, you may contact Ms. Sasha Telan (0917 497 0126).

‪#‎WeGoFurther‬

Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Synergy-Unbound-The-Fourth-National-Finance-Summit/1540474956169425

The Walking Dead Haunted Prison House: Experience The Zombie Horror at Eastwood City

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Available today until November 9, 2014 is a Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and Eastwood City horror attraction created specifically for the Halloween season. It's on a very limited run so be sure not to miss this mini maze of horror.

They invite all thrill-seekers and enthusiasts to conquer and survive this year's most terrifying horror house - The Walking Dead Haunted Prison House, a horror attraction inspired by the post-apocalyptic horror-drama TV series from the US. This gives you a chance to experience the gore and spine-chilling thrills of The Walking Dead in real life.

The Waking Dead was based on a popular comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman and developed by Frank Darabont for TV. It capitalizes on the popular zombie apocalypse movies.

The setup was taken from the fourth season where our The Walking Dead stars are situated in a prison that is also overrun by the blood-thirsty and flesh-eating zombies, also known as walkers.

Ticket price is only P 100 per person but children should be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, please visit http://www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com

DTSI Group Boosts Industry Alliances with ITAP Membership

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Premier business solutions enabler DTSI Group joins the roster of top-notch IT companies affiliated with the country’s primary ICT organization, InfoComm Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP). The partnership with ITAP is envisioned to reinforce DTSI’s support with other ICT companies as well as galvanize its commitment to the ICT industry.

An NTT Group company and ranked 32nd in the Fortune Global 500 (2013), DTSI Group is an award-winning, full-service provider of world-class facilities, advanced communication services, and game-changing technology to global companies.

“We’re very pleased to be part of an association that reflects our core values as a company,” says DTSI Group President and CEO Miguel C. Garcia. “DTSI wholly believes in ITAP’s vision of being the prime mover of the information and communication sector in the Philippines and as such, we are committed to its goal of further promoting ICT development and usage in the country in order to remain highly competitive not just in the region but globally.”

Photo above shows (second from left) DTSI President and CEO Miguel C. Garcia with ITAP President Dondi Mapa, PLDT’s Alpha CRM Head John Gonzalez and other officers after the induction ceremony.

For more information on DTSI Group, please email marketing@dtsigroup.com or call 856 8888.

Top 10 Haunted Places Around the World

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Prepare to be scared this Halloween. This is the season when everything frightening becomes the hit attraction. Many would be wearing Halloween-inspired costumes based from mythology or horror movies, But the most popular would be to go visit spooky places. You would see people lining up to experience horror rides or wander around haunted establishments just for the fun of it. Wouldn't it be interesting to actually see a ghost, a ghoul, a monster, a zombie or the likes of these creatures so we would know if they are for real? Wouldn't it be also cool to set foot on places that are said to be haunted?

From presidential palaces in Colombia to film centers in the Philippines, the most normal places are not always as they seem. In honor of Halloween, global real estate marketplace Lamudi guides you through the world’s top 10 haunted properties.

Launched in 2013, Lamudi is a global property portal focusing exclusively on emerging markets. The fast-growing platform is currently available in 28 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, with more than 600,000 real estate listings across its global network. The leading real estate marketplace offers sellers, buyers, landlords and renters a secure and easy-to-use platform to find or list properties online.

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WD, a Western Digital company and storage industry leader, today announced the expansion of its award-winning WD Purple line of 3.5-inch hard drives for video surveillance applications, with the release of the 6 TB capacity. Video surveillance is a highly data-rich application within the “Internet of Things (IoT)” ecosystem. WD Purple hard drives excel in new and existing home and small business security system environments with up to eight hard drives and up to 32 high-definition (HD) video cameras. Available today, WD Purple hard drives are being offered in capacities from 1 TB up to 6 TB.

“Video surveillance has long been a pioneering Internet-of-Things application. Driven by machine-to-machine interaction between high-resolution, high-bit-rate video cameras and high-capacity surveillance video recorders, IoT applications bring access and big data analytics to improve user’s security,” said Matt Rutledge, senior vice president and general manager of WD’s Storage Technology group. “WD Purple 6 TB drives enable innovation in this fast growing market.”

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Light bulbs falling in love? Photo frames as leading ladies? How about simcards as dashing sidekicks? All these and more in PETA Theater Center’s upcoming treat for the whole family !

This November 14-16 and 21-23 every 10 am and 3pm, the PETA Theater Center stages Finland’s Amazing Magic Theater’s Wally Watthead and his Lost Glow.

Join Wally Watthead, his best friend Simon the Simcard and leading lady Polly the Picture, as they try to find out: where did Wally’s light go?

In this children’s show devised by magician Janne Raudaskoski, lead character Wally Watthead levitates, shrinks and grows right before your very eyes !

Raudaskoski not only does magic tricks, but also acts onstage with multi-media characters such as screen-projected Polly Picture, played by Tuija Nuojua Raudaskoski, and an interactive robot-like mascot of Simon the Simcard, voiced by Jonathan Hutchings.

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Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC), will return to Manila with its largest fight card to date on 5 December. ONE FC: WARRIOR’S WAY is set to take place at the state-of-the-art MOA Arena in Manila. The main event will feature ONE FC Bantamweight World Champion, Bibiano Fernandes, who will defend his title against the undefeated Korean superstar, Dae Hwan Kim. ONE FC: WARRIOR’s WAY will also feature the highly anticipated ONE FC debut of Brandon “The Truth” Vera as he takes on Igor Subora of Ukraine.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship, Victor Cui, stated, “ONE Fighting Championship will hold nothing back as it returns for another night to remember at the state-of-the-art Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Brandon Vera is a global Filipino mixed martial arts superstar, and ONE FC will finally give fans in the Philippines the opportunity to see him in action live for the first time! He’ll be tested against heavyweight standout Igor Subora. Also, bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes will have his hands full against the unbeaten and dangerous Dae Hwan Kim. We have some awesome fights lined up for fans in Manila as Warrior’s Way promises to be the biggest fight card of 2014!”

Tickets for ONE FC: WARRIOR’S WAY on 5 December in Manila are on sale now at SM Tickets (http://www.smtickets.com). Ticket categories begin with the full Red Carpet and cageside experience for VIPs at PHP 6,360 followed by Patron PHP 3,180, Lower Box PHP 1,280, Upper Box PHP 640 and General Admission PHP 220. Prices include ticketing fee. Pre-sale packages are currently available.

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Transportation regulations should facilitate convenient, safe, and reliable services to the public, not hamper them. This is according to Secretary Jun Abaya of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), in relation to the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) recent anti-colorum efforts against vehicles operating through the Uber app.

“I have asked the LTFRB to reach out to Uber and seek ways to modernize our transportation rules. While the LTFRB was only doing its job in implementing the law, we also have a duty to push for modern solutions to archaic problems,” Abaya said.

“I view our role in the DOTC as one that is supportive of new approaches to addressing transportation inadequacies. Regulations must keep up with fast-paced technological innovations, and one way to do that is to amend antiquated laws or policies which may no longer be responsive to today’s needs,” he added.

Abaya and LTFRB officials will meet with Uber officers soon in an effort to modernize government’s regulatory function over vehicles for public use, in such a way that innovative solutions will be allowed to flourish, without sacrificing safety and security oversight functions.

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Now, Filipinos from every walk of life can find ways to get healthy and be nutritionally well by following very simple guidelines drawn up by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) of the Department of Health (DOH).

The “10 Kumainments” -- a campaign to promote the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos -- was launched by the NNC at the “3rd National Conference of Nutrition Action Officers" held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on October 23, 2014.

The 10 Kumainments are the popularized versions of the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF) approved by the NNC Governing Board to promote a healthy lifestyle among Pinoys. The nutritional guidelines aim to address and prevent malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

The Kumainments are simple and easy to remember guidelines that can be easily followed by ordinary citizens to improve their nutritional status. With messages like “Kumain ng iba’t ibang pagkain”, “Kumain ng gulay at prutas araw-araw”, and “Panatilihin ang tamang timbang”, individuals are encouraged to eat the right foods, exercise right and pursue a healthy lifestyle in 10 easy rules. The messages will be aired on TV and radio stations nationwide.

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The development of printing technology continues its steadfast pace, with players aiming for faster print speeds, better quality prints, and low running cost.

That is why global digital imaging leader Epson is increasing the production capacity of its leading-edge PrecisionCore inkjet printheads. PrecisionCore printheads, which offer blazing fast print speeds and stunning image quality, are used primarily in office, commercial and industrial inkjet printers. The company is investing approximately 10 billion yen from the 2014 fiscal year (beginning April 1, 2014) through the 2015 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2015) in production lines at its Suwa Minami and Tohoku Epson PrecisionCore production sites in Japan.

Investment will total roughly 40 billion yen by fiscal 2015, including research and development spending and capital investment over the past decade.

Wanderlust Photography Exhibition at Water Dragon Gallery

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Writer/ curator Giselle P. Kasilag combines her twin passions for travel and photography in her first solo exhibition dubbed "Wanderlust: Windows to Asia." Featuring 40 photographs, the exhibit opens on November 13, 2014 -- which is also Kasilag's 40th birthday -- at the Water Dragon Gallery of the Yuchengco Museum.

"Wanderlust" showcases photographs Kasilag has taken on her trips to various places in Asia, including South Korea, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and the Philippines. Her favorite subjects include architecture, especially windows and staircases, as well as street scenes and nature views.

"I like anything that can serve as a portal into another world. I enjoy it when I come across things that are different but still strangely familiar, or so familiar but vaguely different," says Kasilag.

Through her photographs, she hopes others can join her in discovering the extraordinary in the everyday.

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Do you want to take your selfies to the next level? LINE, the world’s leading mobile platform with over 560 million users, has launched the B612 Camera App to revolutionize the selfie-taking experience!

Filipinos love to take selfies. In fact, two of the country’s cities have been globally recognized as the Selfie Capitals of the World: Makati and Pasig. Bearing this in mind, LINE is giving Filipinos a more enjoyable way to take their selfies.

LINE’s B612 is a simple camera app that strips away unnecessary features and zeroes in on making selfies look fabulous. The name B612 was inspired by one of the planets that the protagonist in the novella “The Little Prince” lived in.

Use B612 Camera App when you’re scouting for the perfect shot to send to your friends, upload on social media, or post on blogs. This app will certainly make your selfies look more stylish!

The B612 Camera App is now available for both iOS and Android users. It has tons of photo-editing tools, which allow users to decorate, smoothen edges, and add filters to their selfies.

ResDiary: Manage Your Restaurant With This Cool Online Reservation System

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With so many restaurants to choose from at every location, getting ahead or at least at par with, the competition is not only about serving affordable and tasty dishes but also on how you market your place. People need to know you exist before they could experience what you offer. Thus, arming yourself with the proper knowledge to reach a wider audience is very essential. There are several ways to promote and build your reputation as a prominent place for dining by Googling online, and one is by checking out Profitboss founder Adam Guild way of restaurant marketing.

Your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger was invited to an intimate presentation of a new restaurant reservation system. The meet-up was held at the 2nds restaurant located in Bonifacio Global City where a handful of the members of the media witnessed the promising new system.

Start up company, Govago Inc, and UK Based restaurant reservation system, ResDiary, are introducing the first complete online booking system that allows them to know more about their diners and manage tables more effectively. This new online reservation system is not only very useful for the customers but also for the restaurant owners.

A shortcut for Restaurant Diary, ResDiary is a clever management tool designed to improve the restaurant reservation practice and also to enhance customer loyalty.

Diners will now have the convenience to book at any restaurant with the said system using any smartphone or computer. The portal and mobile phone products are designed to make it easy for diners to find restaurants and eventually book themselves. That's free bookings with no cover charges!

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger is deeply honored to have been given the rare opportunity to have a one-on-one interview with a top MMA fighter who is also proud of his roots as a Filipino. Our idol is the son of a Filipino father, Ernesto and his Filipino step-mother, Amelia. His birth mother is Italian American which makes him half-American and half-Filipino, but he would probably be quick to reiterate that even though he is American by nationality, he is proudly all-Filipino by heart.

Imagine my delight after a phone call inviting me to interview the big guy at one of the hotels in Ortigas. I was actually surprised that it would be an intimate interview. Wow! It made me feel really special, so I was actually as nervous as a newbie because my thoughts keep reminding me "You need to make this interesting for both Brandon and the Wazzup Pilipinas readers."

I've read somewhere that Fil-Am Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Brandon Michael Vera will soon be fighting Ukrainian Igor Subora at the One Fighting Championship (One FC) “Warrior’s Way” event on December 5, 2014 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, so it's great timing to be able to ask more details and personal statements from the main man himself.

I decided to make it a video interview so that everything will be captured in its entirety for everyone to hear and see, including all the warm feelings and smiles from Brandon who actually understands and speaks fluent Tagalog. I would have loved to interview him in the vernacular but I was more comfortable hearing him talk in the universal language so that he can reach the heart and mind of more people from different nationalities all over the world.

The video is for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Monday, October 27, 2014

Wazzup Pilipinas Original Short Stories Series: The Client

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There’s this social truth with us about the “strong vs. weak”. Just like in our story, the social classes are different.

Mr. Smith is among the affluent, while Mr. Wilson is part of the lower class people. There are abusive parts where Mr. Smith told Mr. Wilson that he has no right to reject everything he said, especially the part where he was fired. The main conflict of this story is about the job and human rights of people. It is important for us to know when to save ourselves.

Life would seem a bit unfair most of the time since equality for all is not really very evident in society. There will always be a class dominating and continuously progressing inspite of all our hard work and creativity.

Most of us will still be divided among classes, and most of us will still reap from the benefits of belonging to the rich and influential families.

Though some of us may find comfort to know that all classes have their share of misguided elements.

Read and enjoy our short story for the day.

Wazzup Pilipinas Original Short Stories Series: A Place Where Forever Exists

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John and Cass were introduced here as a couple and have been together for almost four years already.

One day, Cass had an accident and was brought to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed that Cass has been suffering from brain cancer which explains why her head suddenly aches every now and then. What is worst is that, she only has two months left to live.

Cass so loves John so much that she thought of finding a replacement for her as the lover of John so he will not get hurt when she dies. She then thought her best friend Julia would be the best candidate. Cass then made a way for John and Julia to get close and arrange dates for them to fall for each other.

However, Cass wasn’t successful in making John fall in love with Julia. John found out about what Cass was planning and explained that he never really dated with Julia and he doesn’t like her. And in fact, John will never like anyone except Cass. Cass realized that John really loves her so much. Unfortunately, John died in a car accident before Cass’ last day of existence.

Below is our short story for the day. Read and enjoy.