On blessings and letting go…

I recently blew out the flames on a number of candles. (yes I am a year older, nonetheless still very young hehe) While blowing out the flames, images of the past year flooded my mind. Memories, both good and bad, zapped to and fro. I realized how lucky and blessed I have been. Despite the many changes and trials in my life, I have been given so much love and support. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to forget to count the blessings we have. Being away from home and everything close to my heart has made me appreciate life more. Having said that, allow me to shout out a couple of long overdue thanks to the important people in my life (you know who you are).

To my family who never stopped believing in me and who never stopped giving me the benefit of the doubt (i am very sorry for the trouble, please believe that). To cousins who took time to bond over coffee. To cousins who constantly send words of love and encouragement (i miss you). To aunts and uncles who have shown their love in so many ways. To you whom I have hurt and yet you are still there for me and beside me after seeing both the good and bad in me and still accepting me (Words are not enough to express my apologies but I am truly sorry. Also in case you did not know I love you dearly, please know that). To friends who kept calling incessantly all throughout my stay in Davao, checking up on me (thank God for Sun). To friends who would make the effort to see me when I come back. To you who offered to be there beside me in person during that manic and panicky week (the thought was wonderful and also thank you for letting me back into your life). To you who would send me messages at odd hours of the day (I hate the time zone difference).To mentors who encouraged, listened, advised and supported me throughout and even after. To school personnel who served as second parents. To dormmates who became the sisters I never had. To you who became my sounding board in Davao. To you who took the effort to check on me at the dorm. To you who took the effort to be the 10% audience impact. To friends who helped build my vocabulary in Bisaya. To friends who readily accepted me and allowed me to be a part of their lives (I could not have done it without your presence and I am deeply honored to be a part of your lives). To friends who taught me how to drink like a camel (I am proud of it). To friends who adopted me into their clique (I will always cherish the long drives, the drinks, the stories, the laughter and the kulitan). To friends who still keep contact even after I have left Davao (you will always be a part of my heart). 

Being in Davao not only made me count my blessings, but it taught me a lot about myself. Life is all about change. We cannot go on without change. Change can be good or bad, depending on how we view it. Change is inevitable and it is best that we embrace it rather than resist it as there are many things in life that happen and stop us from following our plans. But despite the pain and disappointments, I do not have any regrets. Everything does happen for a reason. Without the pain and disappointments, I would not be the person I am in the present. Being away from my structured life made me see more facets of my personality bringing me to shift paradigms, realign values and eventually recreate new belief systems based on the values instilled in me. The entire experience has taught me that I cannot have my cake and eat it too. I cannot always get what I want. There are things in life that one might not just be able to have simply just because…and there are times when there is no good explanation for that. 

Apart from change, it is important that one would learn the art of letting go. Sometimes it is easier to hold on to the hope of eventually getting something as it is more painful to let go of that hope because it leaves you with nothing to hold on to. But by letting go, you will open up your doors to new opportunities for growth. Part of letting go is accepting the fact that you cannot control everything. Inability to control things from happening is painful, especially if one anticipates pain and yet is rendered helpless by circumstances. But all of this is part of growing up and maturing. 

Having said all that, I am grateful and humbled by my experience. It has grounded me a lot and made me realize my strengths and most importantly my limitations. It has made me realize what I want in life and what my priorities are. And after everything, I can now say that life is indeed sweet…:)

Follow up…and much deserved thanks!

Wow! Less than 24 hours and so much has happened. First of all, I would really like to thank friends, family and other concerned parties who have inquired about it and did spare me the benefit of the doubt. Many thanks to those who have wrote about it and commented on this matter. People have been urging me to reply, so despite my earlier statement that I would not reply, I decided to.

 To the writer of galitsascammer, first of all, I do appreciate you taking down the pictures of other people NOT involved. Thank you for that. However no way was that a right thing to do. You could have posted things about me but then involving other people was rather uncalled for. And with that, I think you do owe them an apology for posting their pictures without proper warning. Also posting pictures online on a PUBLIC social networking site does NOT make it PUBLIC property. Neither does it mean that it could be used as fodder against anyone. In the same sense, your personal information along with your address, full name and other pictures of your family and friends belongs to you. I CANNOT AND WILL NOT in any way post it and use it as it is rather libelous to do so. A “shame campaign” as you put it is not any way to get what you want. It just creates bigger problems as many people who know nuts about the situation get involved and make a field day of the situation. 

Third point, if I indeed wanted to scam any of those I have transacted with, I would not have sent back the money in the first place. And I would have just let her get the item, which incidentally was not working anymore. And her post on Multiply was definitely not the thing that made me send the money back as I have not been online for a while now. You could check with online activity. Yes, it was definitely my fault for not being able to reply to text messages and answer her calls right away as we were helping out at Cainta, which was incidentally badly hit by the typhoon as we all know. However I did settle it all with her. But then this arises.

Fourth point, you mentioned that you were unsure as to how the scamming part came in. So why is it that you started writing about this as if you knew what happened? I understand where you are coming from and no one likes to be cheated. However please do get ALL your information correct and kindly verify with all parties involved. Please do not just get half baked data and start spouting them off. On the same note, how is it scamming when I was supposed to MEET UP a potential buyer? How do you scam someone you are meeting if there is an exchange of goods? Where is the scam there? The last time I checked, scamming happens if a person does not actually respond at all and becomes totally incognito. However you have all my personal information. Would I have shared it if I was actually planning to do something stupid? And as a follow up to your comment on the potential buyer, the amount agreed upon for the item was actually 2,000 and not 3,000. Once again please do get all the information correct. I do appreciate your concern for other buyers. It is nice that someone looks out for them. However please do also think about other sellers. There are instances when circumstances do arise and misunderstandings do happen. Please keep that in mind. Good day!

 To the writer of geomedlenses, I understood your concern regarding the matter. I also appreciate that you did give detailed information regarding our conversations to show that I did get back to you. It was definitely my fault for not replying at the soonest. However due to the circumstances brought about by the typhoons, things were a little bit crazy. If I truly wanted to scam you,I would not have replied at all. I would not have given two hoots as to whether you left an entry. If I had all intention of scamming, you would not have my complete personal information. I would have given a pseudo name and pseudo Gcash account. It is very easy to do that nowadays. Having said that, I am terribly sorry for making you worry. I should have been more accessible. However like I said, circumstances made it difficult. However please do understand the repercussions of posting someone’s personal information online. This will make them very vulnerable. This is not a matter of reputation anymore. It is a matter of safety as you have posted personal information of other people as well. 

 To the writer of mejhez, thank you for coming out to try to make things clearer. Like I said through text messages, I am terribly sorry being incognito. And definitely I know it is not about the money. Because the amount is not something that will make either of us richer or poorer significantly.But rather it is the principle behind it. And I am sure that is what you are after. The principle that embodies trust and honesty. And for this I am sorry for making you worry about the item. However due to circumstances, I was unable to be more available. This made a very irresponsible seller and for this I apologize. But this does not make me a scammer. If I had all intention of scamming, my personal information would not have been readily available online. Some people had my address. Some had all my email addresses. I would not have been that open with my life if I wished to scam people.Like I said in the last entry, I did send out text messages. However with the problems of the telecom networks, there is a chance you did not get one. We all know that the floods have made internet and cellular signals a bit unstable lately. As for the pick up, I have been dealing with XEND for years now. They need at least one day to send the item. We might be in the same area, but I am guessing that they would need to key in proper documentation before sending you the item. On my bookings, I really do not think that they give out that sort of information. In any case, I have never sold anything to anyone in Benguet recently, so perhaps they made a mistake with their information. As for deliveries and pick ups again, I am terribly sorry for the delay as the typhoons left us a bit rattled. After the typhoons and the stress that went along with that, I had to go to the hospital to care for people. The potential buyer was someone I was “supposed” to meet during the weekend. Nothing was written in stone. The transaction was not finalized. I could have gone out to meet her for a short while. If I was really intending to scam her, I would not have bothered telling her that a meet up was possible. Lastly if I was out to scam people, I would not be giving blow by blow details online where I can easily be refuted. Once again, I am terribly sorry and like mentioned in text messages, you will get your item tomorrow. Will update you through text message regarding the delivery. Kindly update me as well as to whether you do receive it earlier or not. I am very sorry for the misunderstanding. Really hope that we could end this here as it is blowing rather out of proportion. Good day!

Open letter to person on Multiply

The Internet is such a wonderful place. You have all kinds of information at the tip of your fingers. With the rising technology, it is so easy for everyone to exchange information and data with people around the world. This has made communication so much easier and cheaper for everyone. This is the reason why I started selling a myriad of goods online 6 years ago. It was so much to easier to transact online as you would not need to get out of the comfort of your four walls and just use courier services to send out the items. But then as you would not be seeing the buyer/seller, there is always that risk of not having a completed transaction. In the first four years wherein I was selling goods online, most of the transactions went very smoothly, as I had good suppliers and good buyers. Like many other cases, there were instances where in there were delays due to problems with suppliers or emergencies. However none of them were ever left unresolved as they were all sorted out amicably. 

 Recently, during the long holiday due to Typhoon Ondoy, I did a thorough cleaning of my house and came across many items hardly used which I decided to dispose of online instead of a garage sale. I was able to get buyers for them. However due to the floods, deliveries of items (4 packages to be exact) got quite delayed due to some reasons. First of all, many areas, including my area, was rather affected, making pickup of deliveries extremely difficult.Telephone lines and electricity lines were affected as well. To top it all off, some of the people around me got quite sick due to the exposure to the floods. This is definitely not an excuse for being incognito, but when circumstances do pile up, there are times when focus cannot be given to other things. And for this, I deeply apologize. When my focus was diverted to other things related to the floods, I should have been more accessible. I did send out a couple of text messages. However due to the instability of phone lines, apparently some people did not receive the messages, making them rather annoyed. 

I was not aware of this situation until earlier when I received a great number of calls, private messages and text messages. Due to certain circumstances, I was unable to go online for approximately a week and a half already so I could not update anything or reply to anything. I had no idea that someone was going around sending messages to all my contacts. The first instinct was to ignore, as I knew that I did text the people I needed to and I was not running away with anything. However after further thinking, I realized that my silence meant that I was hiding from the people talking about me and that I had something to hide. Upon reading the entries, I found out that many things were being written already. Many people who were not involved started talking and were already passing judgment when they knew only one side of the entire situation. Having said this, I extend my deepest thanks to some people who gave me the benefit of the doubt even without hearing my side yet.

Since a lot of details were already given, I might as well add some more details to add more color to the story and give it clarity.

• A dual sim phone was supposed to be sold to a certain buyer from Cavite. As mentioned above, due to the storm and many days of floods that would not subside, the delivery was quite delayed. Along the way, the phone got damaged due to handling of the item. As I did not want the buyer to get a spoiled item, I refunded the amount paid which was 1,000php. According to the buyer’s update, I was apparently “frightened” into sending her a refund. Just to clarify, I had no idea that there was something being posted online. So when I did send the refund, it was when I found out that the item garnered some problems en route to the customer. If I wanted to scam the customer, I would not have bothered to inform her that there were some defects to the phone. If I wanted to scam the customer, I would have just let the item reach her, I would have kept the money and that would have been the end of the transaction. My failure to answer all her calls and text messages immediately only aggravated the matter. I should have been more available as I was selling something online and there is a tendency for buyers to get uncomfortable when they do not receive confirmation at the soonest. And for this I am deeply sorry.

To the writer of the Multiply ID (galitsascammer), first of all I do apologize for the delay. As mentioned above, certain circumstances came my way making me unable to reply at the soonest. Nonetheless I understand your sentiments and your reasons for acting in accordance to what you probably believed was me running away with your goods worth 200+ pesos. I understand your having to go to through all the trouble of creating an entirely different account just to be able to talk about these things. However I really did think you got my messages, which turned out to be wrong as you did not receive anything. This most probably made you further believe that I was out to scam you. I really do hope that this can  be sorted out amicably as this is rather blown out of proportion already. Many speculations have been made and many things have been, WITHOUT even hearing the other side of the coin. Many pictures of other people not involved are posted indirectly involving them, which is rather uncalled for. They are entitled to their privacy and their pictures posted online in that way is being very unfair to them. I would have ignored this and just let this matter slide by. After all I did NOT know that you were not getting my messages. And I have nothing to hide so I was going to let this pass. However involving other people and posting private photos of other people without getting full knowledge of the situation is wrong. Kindly do take them down as their privacy is being compromised. 

Having said all this, I would like to thank friends and business contacts for the concern. I received a barrage of text messages, private messages and calls today. Many thanks for taking the time to ask me for my side and for informing me of such an occurrence. Otherwise I would not even have known that such a problem was already occurring. I would also like to apologize to friends, family and business contacts who were inconvenienced. I am terribly sorry for your involvement in this misunderstanding. Lastly I would like to request that people are not involved please do STAY OUT of this. It DOES NOT HELP if you know neither head nor tail of the situation to be able to comment and make snide remarks. Kindly do not add more comments and snide remarks that do not help the matter, but rather add salt to the injury. This has been settled in private so please allow this matter to rest. 

On a final note, I would like to use this matter as a reminder to people that we need to be responsible Internet users. When posting something, do take into consideration other things before publishing your post as it might harm other people. Furthermore also do your research. Please do verify things clearly before jumping on a bandwagon. It is easy to condemn someone on the Internet as confrontations are rather difficult given the logistics of the entire thing. Lastly, be very careful with the information you share with other people lest this information be used as fodder against you. 

Once again, I deeply apologize to everyone who was inconvenienced. Also I extend my deepest thanks to friends, family and business contacts who have shown great concern and have taken the time to inquire and ask.

With that, I will end this entry. This is will be the first and the last time I will entertain this matter. Many people are getting affected and I will not allow this matter to go even bigger as many people who know nuts about the matter are having a field day. Also will be disabling the comments to this post to avoid another word war. Lastly despite the many smooth transactions completed in the past, will be deleting my seller account at Multiply as I am not very comfortable and disconcerted with the whole concept of online selling anymore. 

Restaurant Review: Bizu Patisserie

 Cybele and I were checking out the newly opened Greenbelt 5 and decided we wanted a snack. Well a snack for us would mean something sweet. Since we were already in Greenbelt 5, we decided on Bizu Patisserie. Bizu Patisserie is located beside Gloria Maris and it is in front of the area where New World Hotel is. 

Upon entering Bizu Patisserie, I immediately liked the interior design. It was colorful and bright. The ambience was perfect for a catching up session with one of my best girl buds. We decided to get a cake slice each and some macarons. Upon checking out the cakes, we realized it would take us forever to pick something. The cakes on display all looked scrumptious. 

But we finally decided on the following:

Cybele picked Amour. This is a Valrhona orange chocolate mousse in between layers of crème brulee and brownie. It was really good. But a tad too sweet for my tastebuds. The cake slice is Php185.

I, on the other hand, picked out the Mango Chiboust. One of their bestsellers, I loved the fresh mangoes that went so well with their French-style cheesecake. The cake slice was also Php185. 

After savoring the cake, I decided I to try some Macarons de Paris. Apparently they are one of the bestsellers of Bizu. I was not disappointed. They are small but each bite melts in your mouth. And you can really taste the different flavors in each type of macaron. They come in various flavors, namely Caramel, Raspberry, Blueberry, Mango, Lemon, Rose, Coffee, Vanilla, Chocolate, Pistachio, Cherry Chocolate. I forgot how much they cost per piece. But if you would get a Box of 8, it would be Php265. A box of 14 would Php455 and a box of 28 would be Php895. I could not decide on which one to get so I got one of each.

My personal favorites: Caramel, Lemon and Pistachio. (especially the Lemon. You can really taste the lemon)

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Pros: The ambience is a perfect place for dates, get togethers and for desserts with the family. The cakes looks great and taste even better. The service is fantastic. Waiters are there by your side almost immediately.

Cons: Some of the cakes can be a bit too rich. So if you are not the type who loves sweet that much or you are someone who might need San Diego dental inlays  ,it might be best you share a slice with another person. 

Rating:  4.5 out of 5!!

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Bizu Patisserie and Bistro is located at the Ground Floor of Greenbelt 2.  For orders, you can call them up at 757 476. They also have another branch at the Promenade, Greenhills. 

For Bizu Patisserie and Cafe, there is one at Glorietta 4, 3rd level and another one at Alabang Town Center, Ground floor.

Bon Appetit!

A picture holds a thousand words…

My friends graduating and me having a lot more free time on my hands has got me to think a lot about my college life. As I look back on the decisions I have made and the things I have experienced, feelings of sadness and remorse and regrets have surfaced. Being  slightly nostalgic, I started going through friends’ multiply sites and my own hard drive checking out old pictures taken during different times in my college life. All the pictures make me reminisce those times I have spent with my close friends who have made my college life so special and memorable for me. Each picture brings me back to that particular moment reminding me of what actually happened and how I felt. Those pictures remind me of how much I have changed as a person and how great it felt to have my friends beside me as I matured and learned more things about life. Checking out the pictures, I was amazed at how my friends have changed both physically, mentally and emotionally. Some friends changed a lot physically and became more good looking. Some friends, like me, put on weight but nonetheless still look good (again like me haha). Some never changed physically but matured greatly. Looking more at the pictures made me feel a pang of sadness because as people have graduated, all our paths have changed. I might still be in school but in another semester, I will be doing something for myself. Another good friend will be migrating abroad, while another friend might be publishing a book. Others are still trying to find themselves, while others are already busy looking for jobs in sales and finance. Some are entering the world of marketing as there have been many new ways of marketing products. Others are also trying out the IT world.  There is a part of me that is extremely happy for them as they will be finding their place in the real world. There is a part of me that is jealous like hell that I am not experiencing the same thing. And there is that part of me that is scared that we will drift apart. Granted that we were bound to do different things, a part of me is scared that I would lose my friends and I would lose that place in their lives that I once held.

It seems like it was only yesterday when I entered the Ateneo and started trying to understand the system worked. It seems like only yesterday that I met my different friends for the first time. It seems like only yesterday when we crammed for thesis. It seems like only yesterday when many tears were shed because of the stress from school coupled by stress brought about by personal problems. It seems like only yesterday when we were running in Intramuros to take pictures required for a class.

But then I guess it is really like that. All good things must come to an end to be able to pave the way for new and better things to come. And I am certain that great things are in store for my friends who are each brilliant in their way. For now, I will just pore over old pictures and think of the thousand words that would remind me of the great people and the memories that will be forever embedded in my heart and mind. 

Cherished memories…

I recently went out of town with a couple of friends. Going out of town is something I have not done in a long time (save for the times I go with my family). Going out of town and just hanging out with friends is a luxury I did not have during the past 4 years of my life at the Ateneo. Don’t get me wrong. I love my school and I love what I do. But somehow my friends and I are always so busy with schoolwork that we cannot seem to find the time to go out of town and just relax. So now that everyone has graduated (well almost everyone. Yours truly has a semester to go), we decided to get out of town before people start looking for jobs.

Going on that trip reminded me of so many memories I shared with different people throughout my college life. All memories will remain with me as I am about to leave this part of my life (I can’t wait to finish!)

But some memories will remain more salient than others. I started thinking about the more special memories I shared with very special people throughout my college life and this is the list I came up with. (Note:The people I tag are part of this list)

My Top 25 Memories of College

     1. Dancing under the stars at the field in between Dela Costa and Soc Sci Building. God bless the soul of the person who brought stereo speakers. Also I miss my Regcom family.

     2. Getting your nails done with me because I was feeling really down.

     3.  Pretending to be Baywatch lifeguards and running along the beach. We must have looked really stupid. And Banana Boat-ing and Beach-ing under strong rain= AWESOME!

     4. Taking power naps with me at the sleeping room during our internship. I loved those satin sheets.

     5. Drinking at your house and pole dancing in your garden. 

     6. Watching you struggle to open the door of the driver’s seat to find out that the car was not yours. (The color of the car was the same so you are excused)    

     7. Meeting you after school to drink those yummy but cheap teas at Frio Mixx Cubao. I felt so bad when they closed down. 

     8. Calling Maam Minda to find out that my appeal for probation was approved. Many thanks for all the votes of confidence. Those kept me sane. 

     9. Foot jobs! (your fetish, not mine)

    10. Hanging out in the smocket

    11. San Fran Coffee. I miss those baristas, ’specially Rannie. Wonder where they all are. I also miss the driving there almost everyday. And that same note, THESIS (one hell of a memory). When I say hell, I meant both figuratively and literally. We aced cramming! 

    12. Dotph (nuff said) oh and TMB.

    13. Sexual innuendos and green jokes

    14. 4 companies in one presentation

    15. Lunches, dinners, breakfasts, snacks. Hell basically food at your house. 

    16. You being there when my dad had his heart attack

    17.You guys being there for me the night I broke up with my boyfriend

    18. Walking with you guys after Community Night and seeing a pig outside someone’s house. And finding out the next day that it was not a pet but rather food for the day.

     19. Building houses

    20. Rushing to an early morning class with you twice a week. I am so proud of your driving. You improved right before my very eyes.  

     21. Falling down in front of MVP. Then you helping me up but falling down right beside me instead. And two gentlemen who laughed at us instead of helping us up. 

     22. El Pueblo (It will forever make its mark on me for various reasons.)

     23. Studying and sleeping in the library.

     24. Standing in front of your nearly towed away car along Meralco Ave. (that was much more fun than the place we were headed)

     25.Oh and Palito’s class!

Looking back, there were many things I wished I didn’t do or things I wished I did better. But I would probably not be the person I am now if I had not gone through some of the shit I went through. Having said that, I am so happy that I experienced some of my shit with the wonderful people I will always hold dear. 

I know I have already said it before, but

 Congratulations to the Batch 2009 of Ateneo.

I am so proud of you guys. Many thanks for all the wonderful moments. 

Ok so enough of the sappy stuff. The next round of drinks should be on you guys who will be working before I do*evil grin* hihi!

As the truck says

INUMAN!!! (translates: DRINKS!!)

Restaurant Review: Cookbook kitchen

One of my favorite pasttimes would be traveling. One aspect of traveling that I love is the many different kinds of food. I especially love trying out food at hard to find places that a few people know about. But since I cannot go to restaurants in San Diego, I decided to just look for some place to eat in Metro Manila.  While surfing the net, I came across this review about this restaurant, The Cookbook Kitchen.

The reviews were pretty good and the prices seemed reasonable. So Cybele and I decided to go there one Saturday to try the food out. 

Upon checking the address, it turned out that Cookbook Kitchen is near my house. It is located at. If you are coming from Edsa, you go along Shaw Boulevard and turn right at  Torres St. which is right before Nissan Shaw. Go to the end of Torres St and make a left at Araullo St. After which, look for Soccoro Fernandez St. We actually had a rather difficult time looking for the place because it is smacked in the middle of a residential area. But people seem to be familiar with the restaurant because we were able to ask for help with directions easily.

When we got there, we were surprised with the exterior design of the place. It looked so homey and cozy even from the outside. The decors outside gave it that very homey feeling. It was as if I was entering my own house.  Once we entered, we were greeted with an even nicer surprise. The walls were covered with replicas of famous paintings such as those done by Van Gogh. 

The tables had cute vases that seemed to have bits of stained glass glued to them. 

So enough about the the decor and interior design. On to the important stuff. Upon getting the menu, we were happy with the collection of the food. 

*pictures courtesy of the Cookbook Kitchen Multiply site

After looking at the menu and flipping it back and forth, I finally decided on the Parmesan Crusted White Fish, which is apparently one of their best sellers. If you are the type to like rich foods, the Parmesan fish was exquisite. The fish melted in my mouth. It was very cheesy and I could taste all the herbs being used in it. The rice that came along with the fish went perfectly with the cheesy fish as it balanced out the richness of the fish and cheese.      

Cybele, on the other hand, got FIsh with Orange sauce. I am not too sure as to what the entire name was. I couldn’t seem to find it on the menu.  If you are not the type to like rich foods, this would be perfect for you. The orange fish is slightly sweet and it melts in your mouth as well. (Sorry but was not able to get a picture of her fish)

For dessert, we had one of their best sellers. KItten’s Scarlet Cake. This red velvet cake is moist and bursting with flavor. However I found it a tad too sweet. Cybele, on the other hand, loved it to bits. 

Pros: The presentation of the food is good. The food is very flavorful. You can really taste the ingredients being used and you know that they don’t scrimp on ingredients.  The price is reasonable. Lastly its location makes it a perfect date place! It is not noisy and crowded like other places. 

Cons: Some of their food can be quite rich. It makes you full easily. So it is best to share a dish with someone else. Lastly if you want to go in for lunch, make sure you go in around 12 or 1 because they close at 2pm and open again at 5pm-10pm for dinner. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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For more details, you can contact them at  7243595 or 3815935

Exact address is 8 Socorro Fernandez Street, Mandaluyong City 1550

Reservations are necessary as space is quite limited. 

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Mineral Makeup weekend

 I am not the type to wear makeup because I have very sensitive skin. I easily get pimples so wearing heavy makeup is a no no for me. But I have been hearing so many good things about mineral makeup. (http://www.themineralmakeup.com/) for some time now. Apparently it is hypoallergenic and would be especially good for skin prone to blemishes. This made me want to try mineral makeup even more. So finding out about a mineral makeup weekend was just so perfect.  

For those makeup afficianados, here is your chance to get a free makeover.  

When: December 20-21 (Saturday and Sunday)

What time: 10am-6pm

Where: Greenmeadows Clubhouse (which is inside the Greenmeadows Christmas Rush Bazaar)

There would be talks on makeup and makeup and skin specialists.  

The Mineral Make-Up Weekend brings together different mineral makeup brands in one venue to celebrate mineral makeup and create more awareness about it. Six brands will be joining, and as a treat, FREE SAMPLES will be given away to all pre-registered visitors, as well as free makeovers and skin consultations.

Moreover, talks will be held by skin specialists, makeup artists, and mineral makeup brand owners as they showcase their strengths and advantages, and show us how to create simple yet stunning day and night looks.

FREEBIE ALERT!We are giving away 300 FREE mineral makeup lootbags, worth Php500 each!!! Each loot bag contains product samples from all the participating brands. Plus a free mirror if you come on Saturday!

To avail of your free loot bag, here’s what you need to do:

1. Post about this event, together with the banner, and a link back to this site on your multiply blog or blogspot. (Just copy the text above until this part - procedure on how to avail of free loot bags, then include a link at the bottom.)2. Send your blog entry URL together with your full name, address, and mobile number to claudbaron@yahoo.com, with subject: MMU Weekend. Also, please indicate if you are a mineral makeup user or newbie.
3. Only one free loot bag per blog, per person. Sorry, but we cannot accept submissions for your friends.

4. To claim your free loot bag, simply attend the event and present a valid picture ID at the MMU Room Registration area. 

See you all there! 

Buto’t Balat (reflection for theology)

As I was eating my lasagna and drinking my cup of tea at San Francisco Coffee at El Pueblo, I saw this little girl outside the coffee shop holding a plastic bag. She looked tired and hungry. I wanted to give her something to eat but she was gone by the time I got a pack of skyflakes out of my bag. It was so ironic how I was drinking my expensive coffee while this kid was trying to find some leftover food to fill up her stomach. This got me to recall the documentary we watched the other day. 

 The documentary Buto’t Balat hosted by Kara David focused on the living conditions of some of the people in the Philippines. In the documentary, a family from Mercedes, Bicol was shown. They did not have enough food to eat that they would eat plain cooked rice in order to fill up their tummies. The money they have is only enough to buy rice, coffee and sugar. All these things would ensure that their tummies will be filled. However they do not get the nutrition that they badly need for their bodies to be able to function properly.

Another family’s breadwinner was a fisherman. He could not buy the fish he would catch because they cost much higher than what he actually makes. Because of this, his 2 year old child’s weight is only equivalent to that of a 3 month old baby and his 14 years old child’s weight is only equivalent to that of a 2 year old child.

Another family relies on a pedicab driver for their daily sustenance. Because of the rather small amount of money he can bring home, they can only live on 30 pesos a day. A little meal like a 7 eggs and rice would be shared by the whole family of 7 children and 2 adults.

This documentary was extremely disturbing for me. I did not realize how bad the malnutrition situation is in the Philippines. I knew that many people were suffering from poverty but I did not realize that this was the extent of it all.In fact the Philippines is just 2% lower in terms of malnutrition rate as compared to Africa. The problem is so big that I am not sure how it can be addressed anymore.  I am just at a loss. One problem that could be seen would be the ignorance of people. A lot of them do not realize the importance of what they eat in accordance to the function of their bodies. The sick child in Bicol kept on praying to Mama Mary because she felt that Mama Mary could cure her. But the ultimate cure for her condition was proper food and not Mama Mary (but of course praying helps). The mother who did not want to leave her malnourished child in the hospital probably did not realize the gravity of the situation and the extent of the child’s condition. Couples who already did not have money would have a large number of children and others to come along the way. One cannot fathom how they can actually still procreate while knowing that they are already unable to feed the rest of their brood. This is why I support the Reproductive Health Bill (which is something else to blog about). After all if there were lesser mouths to feed, the government might have an easier time helping them. 

Another problem would be the lack of full blown programs. A lof of the programs we have are just for a certain period of time. The local governments should try to  fix the budget in such a way that the people would be able to benefit all year round from feeding programs. 

 Basically I think all the problems stemmed from ignorance. Lack of education left the people handicapped. But I am really not sure how to reach out to so many people now. It is so difficult at this stage because so many people are suffering. When will this all end? 

When will the children be like this?  

My latest purchases from the National Bookstore clearance sale

Thanks to Azrael, I went to the National Clearance Book sale at Market Market. Wooo! I got really good finds. Bought 17 books for the price of 700. Not bad.!!!

On change in the country (blog entry for Theology)

I recently came across this documentary about this Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Jesse Robredo. According to the documentary, Jesse Robredo ran for the mayor position for Naga City, when Naga City was suffering from poverty. However with dedication and hard work, he was able to turn Naga City into one of the most promising provinces of the Philippines. He has created many job opportunities for the people and he has made the city more prosperous. This documentary made me remember Davao. I went to Davao earlier this year. One incident that struck me was when I was about to leave the car of my friend. I was taking out my laptop with me. My friend told me to just leave my laptop there. I was apprehensive. But my friend told me that the crime rates were so low because the mayor was so strict. Apparently when their mayor first sat in his position, the crime rates were very high. So the mayor imposed very strict rules and ruled with a tight fist. He would make sure that all criminals were all placed in jail or were severely punished. He was reasonable to deal with as long as you were following the law. This made the people afraid of him yet they admired the way he ruled the town. This mayor along with jesse Robredo, made me think about the situation of our country. It made me start thinking about the corruption.

Would the day come when we would have some change in the country? Can poverty actually be lessened?

I was thought about our president and felt a twinge of pity for her. No doubt, she is definitely corrupted. She has definitely amassed a big sum of the country’s money. But on the flipside, she must have been doing something right which is why the Philippines is not suffering as much. Yes we are suffering. Yes many people are getting poorer by the minute. But prior to this economic crisis, our economy has been moving quite steadily as compared to other countries. So she must have done something right at the very least. But this does not change the fact that she did squander amounts of money. Because of the many wrong things she has done, people have overlooked some right things she has done. And for this, I pity her. Because in the eyes of people, she will never be able to redeem herself anymore. 

 Trust is extremely important. In any relationship, be it with your significant other or your friend, it is important that trust be present. It is so easy to break someone’s trust but it would take a lifetime to patch back the broken pieces. In the same way, the mayors of Davao and Naga have won the trust of the people which make them very successful in what they do. In order to alleviate the Philippines from poverty, we do not only need a leader who has the brains to be able to think of ways to pull us from this black hole we are in. But we also need someone we can trust. Someone who will work for us and not against us. 

 Now that the Presidential elections are fast approaching, who do you think can actually lead the Philippines? Who can be the “Obama” the Philippines needs at the moment? Because a successful country needs good governance.

My 2008 Christmas Wish List

My boyfriend and other friends have been bugging me for my Christmas wish list. So here it is. 

1.  DVDs (The 10th Kingdom, Love Story, the Encantadia TV Series, and yeah yeah laugh all you want the Dyesebel and Marimar TV series)
2. Books(anything by Gregory McGuire, Philippa Gregory[’cept for the Queen’s Fool], Anya Seton,  Alison Weir[’cept for War of the Roses], Amanda Foreman, Linda Berdoll, Neil Gaiman [’cept for Stardust])
3. Tops (plain and solid colors of babydoll tops, tunic tops) I am a size small. But a size medium might be a best bet just in case the material of the cloth is different  
4. Cardigans (also in plain and earthy colors)
5. Dresses (bright colors are fine; preferred length would be an inch or two above the knee)
6. Scented lotions
7. Big bags for school in solid colors
8. a webcam 
9. Perfumes (L’occitane’s Green Tea, Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea, Clinique Happy, Ralph Lauren Blue)
10. Jewelry (earrings and a bracelet would be nice. diamonds would be nicer *wink wink* )
11. Ateneo jacket (i am a small coz the jackets are rather big)
12. lipglosses (shades of pink)

For my dear friends, please leave me the links of your Christmas Wish Lists

How we let out stress…

Last semester was extremely stressful. So one rainy night while finishing up some work at San Francisco Coffee at El Pueblo, we decided to let out some stress. I also took a video of Ade but I can’t seem to find it (sorry Ade) 

Reflection on a documentary

It has always befuddled me how the poorer the family, the more children they seem to have. There is definitely something wrong with this equation. After all they do have lesser resources and for them to have more children just plain disturbs me.

After watching this documentary yesterday on the poor Filipino, I started thinking about the problem. There is definitely a core problem but I could not place my finger on it. A lot of people would blame the government and say that all the problems lie in the fact that the government is not providing free food and shelter. Many would say that education is the problem. A lot of Filipinos are not educated enough hence they are not able to land good jobs. But then if you would look at it, the government does provide schooling at lower rates for those who cannot afford. So if this is the case, why are there so many Filipinos who are stricken and suffering of poverty?

I feel that the main problem lies in the ignorance of people. Education does a role in this. Many of the Filipinos especially in the metropolis are suffering because of the lack of opportunities for them. A big reason would be because they left their provinces in search of greener pastures, which they failed to find. With this I feel that the government should play a more active role as our society definitely has a problem. It is a problem on top of other problems. I am really not sure how they would go about. But one of the first steps would be to educate the Filipinos about the number of children they have. Because the government can only help so many people. Another thing that Filipinos ought to know is that the government does not owe them their life. Yes, the government can help them but they have to help themselves. They cannot keep on producing child after child.

It is a very big challenge for our government to turn this around as this societal problem has been long and is deep rooted already. 

What every woman needs- Belle de Jour Planner 2009

It is that time of the year when planners come out again. I am waiting for Starbucks to come out with their planner as I had a great time with my planner this year. I loved the “leather bound” planner that came with a pencil. 

 But I recently got a whiff of a different planner 

 Introducing the Belle de Jour Planner

 Compared to the Starbucks planner, which is neutral earthy colors, this planner is bathed in bright and loud colors. Not only does it have “happy” colors, it contains 60 coupons from different establishments that cater to a woman’s every need. 

The theme of the upcoming planner is Fashion of the 1970s. The planner is placed in this double wire binding.

But what makes this planner unique for me is how it is tailored to fit the mind and needs of a woman.

For those who like to see all the tasks they need to accomplish in one day, there is a page for this. There is also space at the upper portion of the page to plug in all the very important tasks for the week or day. Little spaces are given to allow the individual to have the option of placing in each task for a certain time.  The layout of the page would give the woman room to change the way she would want to schedule her tasks in. 

 There is also a page for you to write in all your goals for the year.   

Apart from these pages, one has the option to write in their dreams, menstrual cycle and expenses

But best of all, the planner comes with 60 coupons coming from the following establishments:

Ace Water Spa, All Flip Flops, Aldo, Azta

Bizu, BYSI

Coffee bean, Celine, Charles & Keith, Chocolate, Cinderella,CMG

David and Goliath

Esprit

Face Shop, Flojos, Fly Shade, Folded & Hung, Freeway

H & E, Havaianas

Jellybean

Iora

Karimadon, Kashieca, 

La Senza, Le Donne

Maybelline, Memo

Redbox

Schu

Penshoppe….And more…

—————————————————————————————————– 

Anyway for those who are interested in getting this planner, please leave me your email address and I will contact you immediately. These are perfect for gifts! 

First 100 sure buyers would get a “Philosophy by Mikaela” Salon Discount card. We are accepting reservations now as stocks will be coming in 1st or 2nd week of November.

Price: 598

Pickup Point: Ateneo, Katipunan, Jollibee Plaza, Ortigas 

Courier (to be used if pickup point not accessible): XEND for Metro Manila and Air 21 for provincial deliveries.

Rates for Courier: XEND- 60; Air 21- 120

Payments can be made through: Gcash or BPI Family. 

Why I vote for Mike Villar (and why you should too)

Not many blogs catch my attention the way Mikey’s blog does. If you actually look at it, he just writes about the mundane things that happen everyday. But the thing that separates him from the other blogs is his ability to captures the essence of life in all its unpredictable glory. Given all this, his is the epitome of a personal blog. 

He could still touch my soul…

Once more I will go into cheesy mode and blog about my impromptu date with the BF. So today was not such a great day. Woke up with body aching. Must be all the late nights. So decide to stay home. BF wants to have dinner so eventually go out to meet him. Lo and behold the rain. It is not cooperating with me. We meet at Starbucks. He is exhausted and very grumpy. So I grab a cup of coffee. The nice barista goes, “Oh kamusta ka naman? (How have you been)”. I go, “very tired..” he goes “Well cute parin ”. I smile at him and walk back to the table with my coffee. I see the BF’s grumpy face and get annoyed. (Thought running through mind is HOW COME BARISTA CAN BE NICE AND YOU CAN’T). 

So anyway we leave Starbucks and he asks me where I want to eat. I say anywhere and we head over to Glorietta. As we entered Glorietta, he seemed to be in a better mood. Apparently the rain annoyed him and made him feel even more stressed. So we grab dinner and he asks me if I want to go for a drink. Apparently we are not meeting anyone. So we trek over to Grappa’s at Greenbelt.

He orders the house beer (called Pilsner something). The vodka ice I ordered was lukewarm so I decide to try Pilsner something. (Note: This is the first time I actually drink beer because I do not like the smell of it. But Pilsner something has no smell, so I opted to try that). I get the 300ml one and start drinking. It did not taste too bad.  So as we both drank, we started talking about work, life in general and other people.

BF: (after 500ml of Pilsner something) Why do you love me? I am not rich, handsome or intelligent 

Me: (after 200ml of Pilsner something) You bring out the best in me. There are so many reasons I love you but there is no ONE specific reason.

BF: (shuts up)

ME: (after another 200ml of Pilsner something) Why do you love me?

BF: Because I admire you

ME: (feigning annoyance) WHAT?! You admire me? So you love everyone you admire?

BF: (trying hard to sound coherent after 1000ml of Pilsner something) I love you because of the way you are. You are one of the people I admire the most. I admire the way you carry yourself. I love the way you look after me. I love the way you put yourself into your work. I love you for so many things that I cannot find the words to express them because I cannot find the right word to express that love for you (then he stops and says in his tipsy state NOW YOU ARE MAKING ME CRY.

**Note: No guy in their right mind would cry for no apparent reason. They must be either intoxicated, overwhelmed by the feelings they are experiencing at that moment, due to some humongous problem or a mixture of the 3)

ME (looks at him and indeed, his eyes are tearing up and it is not just because of the booze)

ME (eyes start welling up)

BF (holds the hand which has the promise ring he gave me and touches my chin)

ME: (holds his hand tightly) I am sure that there have been moments or at least A moment in our 4 year relationship that you felt like giving up or doubted what we have. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for sticking by me.

BF (looks at me with red eyes) I love you

ME (whispers) I love you too (thinking are you crying or just getting drunk)

****************************************************************************************************************************

I have always known that we have something special because we have been through a lot together. We have been through the loss of a very beloved one, career changes, family disputes and many other things. But it amazed me that after all this time, I could still make him cry. I could still touch his heart.  His love for me has not dwindled. It has grown stronger as we get to know each other better.

With this, I say that this has been one of my best days and one of our best dates ever.  Because I saw once more that after 4 years he could still touch my soul…

Butterflies in my tummy…

I just had to blog about this.

I was out with the BF just now. I logged out and had dinner with him. It was a very short dinner because I still had to get back to work. It was nothing special. Simple short dinner at KFC of all the places. He was extremely tired so I told him to head home from Galleria and I would just walk to the building which was just 2 minutes away. As I was crossing the road, I felt someone running beside me and taking my umbrella. It was him!

I couldn’t help but smile as he took my umbrella and walked me to my building. I just appreciated the effort and simple care that came from him. So we parted ways and he called me when he got home. I told him I would be heading home in a bit. That was at 10:30pm. I stayed longer than I thought I would be staying and at 12midnight, he called. I was extremely surprised because he usually falls asleep right when he gets home. Apparently he was waiting for my call. I was so touched that he was waiting. He started scolding me but I could not get that stupid grin off my face as he was going on and on. (That stupid grin is once more on my face as I am typing this blog entry)

The things he did today were very simple and normal things that BFs usually go for their girlfriends. It is nothing out of the ordinary. But after 4 years of being with him, it makes me happy to know that he can still make me have those butterflies in my tummy and make me smile those stupid grins with the little things he does. He can still make me feel all tingly over just like when we first started dating. It feels really nice…:)

Note: Thanks Pa Pete-ness for sitting down with me  

The darnest things kids say…

Conversation over YM. Talking to cousin who is 10 years old.

Me: Hi sweetie, what did you do today? How have you been?

Kid: I was looking at magazines.

Me: Oh which one is this? (thinking that it is one of those princess magazines kids buy nowadays)

Kid: Mommy’s magazine

Me: (getting very curious) Which magazine is this?

Kid: (changes topic and speaks in a very high pitched tone) Tahnee, I cut out the picture of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

Me: (curiouser and curiouser) and why did you do that?

Kid: I paste Tom Cruise’s head to Brad Pitt’s body

Me: (wanting to bang my head against the wall beside me and straining myself long enough to ask why she did so…calmly asks) Why did you do that baby?

Kid: Because Brad Pitt has a hot body and Tom Cruise has a nice face.

Me: (stunned)

*******************************************************************************************************

Conversation with Kid above’ sis through YM

Me: So are you going back for Justin (another cousin)’s wedding?

Kid: I don’t know. Maybe. Are you?

Me:(felt like teasing the kids) No. But I am getting married next year.

Kid: (shouts) Tahnee you are getting married!! 

(The next thing I knew, there were 4 windows popping up on my screen. Asking the same things, whether or not I was getting married)

Me: (starts laughing) No no. I am not getting married.

Kid: Oh okay. I really thought you were getting married.

Me: Why made you think I was going to get married? Do I look old? (fishing for a compliment)

Kid: No you don’t look old.

Me: (big grin splattered over face) So why did you really think I was getting married?

Kid: Because your age is old

Me (kill me now) 

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How strong is your relationship

Your Relationship is Strong

You’ve built the foundation of a great relationship, and it would take a lot to shake it.
Through good communication and respect, you have a true love that can last a lifetime.

http://www.blogthings.com/howstrongisyourrelationshipwithyourguyquiz/