GDays Mandaue 2014: My First Major Google Event

My Musings on Innovation.
Why I think Getting your business out there is important.
How Social Media Can Affect Your Business.
The mind-blowing Secrets of Gmail.

As the event opened with models strutting their stuff on the stage, fancy dresses and large John Lennon sunglasses, I was thinking dafaq? It was really cool and all _{(the designs were so fab but I could never think of being able to bring it if I ever get the chance of wearing them)} and after watching the fashion designer's, Bree Esplanada, video about being able to use Google to build his online presence, I thought sure, great for him but at the back of my mind was this is weird.

I'm sure everyone in the audience thought the same thing so, after the GBG Mandaue organizers caught on, Bjorn _{(thanks so much for helping me get in, I had so much fun!)} came up on stage after a few segments and explained why they had the fashion show. Erica and Lindsey _(sp?) from Google talked, through a video, to the GDays Mandaue attendees about a Google Transformation Challenge. To use Google in businesses, no matter how small or big, to enhance, it, digitize it and make it grow. If you lack the knowhow, GBG Mandaue will help you do just that. They assist businesses and professionals, like Bree's fashion designing, and take it to the next level. Contact GBG Mandaue and let them know what they can do for your business.

Photobooth manned by Ryan Orcullo

Right outside the venue was a photobooth with really cute cutouts of the different Google Apps which was really great and fun to mess around with. I took my turn on it, of course, but I couldn't find my pic on the GBG Mandaue Facebook Fan Page. Instead, I found this:

close enough

I ran into Ryan and Rey, friends who I got acquainted with during my StartupWeekend experiences, and got to talk about the new FabLab in Bohol _{(Hardware junkies in Bohol, leave me a message! We should schedule a meetup!)} and StartupWeeken Bohol among other things. I learned a lot from my short conversation with them by the door as we densely stood by the entryway as busy organizers who obviously had to be somewhere important were squeezing through. It's conversations like this, with like-minded people willing to give and take information on topics you are passionate about, that you get to appreciate and enjoy your field of interest.

The entryway we stood by

I ended up sharing a table with them and a few more awesome people like Jan, who I met at SWC2, and Giovanni, who I met while riding up the elevator _{(with weird buttons)}  going up to Lakwatsa Resto Lounge.

I later met Jhanis at the event proper during an ice-breaker activity the second speaker made us do _{(say hi to the person beside you and ask them what fruit they'd be and why. She's a pretty banana)}. She's an amazing blogger with really funny entries about her life as a mom of two kids. I really enjoy reading her work, and it really helps me relate to what my own mom thinks, too.

The event overall was so much fun with so many learnings. I'll meet even more people in the afternoon session in our Google for Management group, which I will be blogging separately about, and I even got to talk to the event hostess, Issa _{(who I thought, and still think, would make a great model)} after the event ended and got to splurge about each of our family businesses and frustrations.

Again, thank you Bjorn and Ruben for helping me attend! It was an awesome experience :D

Google MapUp-Tagbilaran: Niceness of Boholanos

DTI Office, 2nd floor, FCB building near Cogon

Attended my first Google Mapup Evenat last September 3, 2013 which was held at the above mentioned office. It was really fun with Ruben and Dal  facilitating it all. Most of us were able to map out 20 or so places within the city. We also got some free shirts and stickers. Yey!

We also got to eat out at Gerarda's, a small restaurant by the roadside with awesome food, great service and a very relaxing and homey atmosphere. Definitely worth checking out.

Gerarda's, Torralba St., Tagbilaran City

We also had a little drama on the way there. Ruben forgot his trolley bag _{(with a laptop and some money in it)} at the back of the tricycle _{(three-wheeled public transpo common here in Bohol)} he was on. It already drove away by the time he realized it. The table was so tense within the first hour with everyone breaking into teams and left to try and track down the vehicle. We reported it to the local radio station and authorities but nothing. The guys who left came back empty-handed too so all we could do was sit down and eat the food that was served. Ruben was so chill about everything saying,

"There's always a reason why you lose something. It's either somebody else needs that thing more than you do, or it will be returned to you tenfold."

Coincidentally, the tricycle driver himself came knocking on the restaurant door to return the bag! We were all "Yeeeeeey" and continued lunch on a happier note. Ruben and Dal got the driver's details while I didn't. I'm sure they'll post around about it somehow. All I got was his vehicle's serial number: 0829. Kudos to you, good sir! Hopefully, MapUp events in the future will still be this pleasantly thrilling.