Another theme I liked to follow before was "clouds." I walked a lot to work before, and walking under the glaring sun is not very fun. So I have learned to appreciate pretty, fluffy clouds.
So ANYWAY, I digress. BEFORE, my IG was full of my "artistic shots" of tower cranes and clouds. I lost my iPhone for awhile, though, so when I had it replaced finally, 7 months after, it was ressurected with pictures upon pictures of FOOD. Yes, I am one of those people who take pictures of their food (I pray first, though hehe). In every restaurant you go to, I bet if you just looked around, you will catch other people taking pictures of their meal before they stick their fork into it. Every restaurateur should be pressured to beef up their food presentation techniques, because pictures of their dishes are sure to sprout up on the World Wide Web sooner or later; and with the pictures can come brilliant and/or scathing reviews.
Aside from dabbling in unofficial "food photography," a lot of people seem to be unofficial food critics as well: giving their unsolicited opinion about the restaurants they eat in; commenting on the interior design, the service, and of course, the food. Everybody's a critic!
One (free) application actually allows everyone to be a food critic: looloo! It's a very useful (and for me, very addicting) app that allows you to submit reviews on restaurants you've tried (which you can also share via Twitter and Facebook). Feel like a real food critic by giving a rating of up to 5 stars! And that's not all...your opinion really counts: other looloo users can follow you, read, like and comment on your reviews, and some users can use your reviews as basis for their next lunch / dinner out! You can recommend places for friends to try out, and you can actually get "inflooence" points if they try it out for real and write a review about it, too. You can also earn badges (i.e. Bar Hopper, Coffee Head, Filipino Food Fan) for visiting 5 different places from the same category.
According to the looloo blog:
"We’d like to think it’s an app for foodies, spa junkies, nightlife lovers – anyone who loves going out! We built looloo for curious and adventurous Filipinos who love the experience of trying out places and finding new favorites along the way. We want you to discover places you haven’t heard of before, but that end up becoming exactly what you’re looking for."
Sometimes though, you're still not sure what exactly you're looking for. I'm sure you've also had this conversation before with friends, family members, or your significant other: "Where are we eating lunch / dinner?" "Anywhere you want! Kahit saan!" It's frustrating when your stomach is grumbling and you're stuck with someone who is indecisive. Then when you DO decide on where to eat, you end up going some place that didn't match your expectations / cravings.
With looloo's "Explore" feature, you can search for places nearby and see reviews of other looloo users on restaurants you want to try. Craving for pizza? "Oh look, there's a pizza place nearby!" Wanting to try out that new milk tea place? "Ay, 3 out 4 reviewers rated this place 2-stars, let's try somewhere else." Or have you been hesitant to try out that new Chinese restaurant because it just might be all hype? "Wow, 10 out of 10 users rated this place 5-stars, must be good, let's give it a try!" Yep, looloo users don't give out flak reviews; they are regular folk like us who just want to try good food.
And they don't have JUST food places...they also have spas, parlors, fitness centers, airports, hotels and museums! The looloo people just want you to go out there and experience what the Philippines has to offer...and then write about it on looloo, to share with others, of course. Their logo is not a flag for nothing. According to the looloo blog:
"We associated the flag with several concepts: discovering new places (e.g. the moon!), remembering great things for future reference, marking geographic locations, or guiding others."
I think that's pretty awesome.
Looloo didn't just allow me to discover new places and new dishes; it also allowed me to discover the foodie in me. I didn't know I could enjoy food and the dining experience so much until I made a conscious effort to be aware of every single detail of my meal. As a frustrated-blogger, I think it's good practice to critique your experiences, because it is an exercise of observation. Getting that observation into words that other people can relate to is a most-welcome challenge for me!
So are you a frustrated blogger (like me), an enthusiastic foodie, the ultimate consumer (like me, too hehe), or do you just like trying new things? Then get on looloo now and explore the Philippines, 1 flag at a time!
Download the app from iTunes or visit www.looloo.com
Note: This post was not sponsored by looloo. I'm just really so addicted to looloo that I had to blog about it. Haha!
Thought this was only locked in Manila until last night. Holy smokes, this pretty app has come to Bohol!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's great that they're trying to map out all of the places in the Philippines! From Bohol to Cebu to Bacolod to Iloilo to Davao...galing. :)
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