Release the Stress

My family loves getting massages, more so foot reflexology services.  Our fave is Cinese Foot Spa in M. Paterno St., San Juan:

If you love them like we do, give them a call. Their address is 17 M. Paterno St., San Juan Cty. Telephone number: 723-9559, 727-2322. Below is their services menu. If you do like them, you can buy in bulk and avail of discounts.

We also got to bring home a pack of 4 of these drinks. Haven't tried them yet though:

Do the Plunge!

There was a major fire that hit the squatters area in E.Rodriguez near St. Luke's Hospital over the weekend.  Our electrical lines were cut, because Meralco wanted to avoid shortages if ever their lines were hit.  So, at around 5p.m., we didn't have electricity.  Hubby called Meralco and they couldn't promise us what time we will have them back.

We decided around 6p.m. to go to my parents house nearby, and wait it out.  This is what we did with little J.  The first part may be a bit boring, but wait until you get to the last 30 seconds :D

Pardon the noise and the laughter, we were all so excited to see little J attempt to stand up on his own, and it seems like little J is doing the "Nestea splash."  With him on the bed is my youngest brother.  He's 21 years old, and taking up pre-med.  We have a big age gap, that's why, sometimes, I feel like little J is my younger brother, too! ;)

Water Baby

Our little J loves taking a bath.  He loves it all the more when he can stay in his little yellow bath tub.  So, last Holy Week (Black Saturday to be exact), we bought him this inflatable pool :D 

His smile is worth every centavo we spent ;)

If you're on the lookout for inflatable pools for kids, try getting this one.  I got the largest one, but it's still pretty small. You can inflate the bottom for a extra cushion.  Priced about P600.  Got him these colorful balls as well.  It's sold for P130 for 20 balls a pack.

It's also a great way to beat the scorching heat!  How about you?  How do you fight it off?

Our New MYOH's :D

I decided to claim my personalized Havaianas yesterday, instead of last Saturday.  Was with my two brothers, little J, and my brother's fiancee, Tippi :)  The lines were still long, a lot of items were out of stock already.

A few minutes after we arrived, Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and her kids were introduced as the celebrity family of the day.  They'll be making the MYOH's for the customers:

That's my brother, Jones, with Tippi.  Tippi finally gave in, and bought her very first pair of Havaianas.  It helped that we didn't have to fall in line ;)  At the counter is one of Maricel Laxa's boys.  He made Tippi's Havs :D

Pia Magalona and her kids were also there:

Bumped into Jan La'O again. Little J enjoyed the bonding hehe...  Yaya was so curious who he was... Told her that Jan is the guy in the BPI commercial-really funny!  Now, you guys remember? :)

Tada!  Our MYOH's.  They each come with a slipper bag---nice!  Tippi got a strawberry sole with mint green slims, while I got jelly straps for me and my mom with commemorative MYOH soles.

Left to right: Tippi's, mine and mom's

After paying, we went around and had our photos taken.

I've been wanting to get a hold of one of these:

What I'm wearing: acid-washed denim romper (from 11/88 mall near 168), and Marc by Marc Jacobs bag

On our way out, we saw this photo wall.  Apparently, you can have your photo taken at the booth, courtesy of Sony; and claim the photos after an hour!  Fun!

What I'm excited about: I'm surprising my mom with a full-on bling pair.  She'll be back tonight from an out-of-the-country trip with my dad.  Hope she likes it :D  *keeping my fingers crossed*

Slipper Happy

My mom let me have the driver yesterday, and I decided to hit Rockwell tent during my lunch break for the 5th Make Your Own Havaianas.  I got dropped off a few meters from the tent, and saw this:

There was a crew filming:

I got there about 12:10nn, and the event started/opened at 11am. This is what greeted me at the entrance. WOAH!

The pretty Anne Gonzales of Havaianas greeted me at the entrace. This lady is super hands-on, and very accommodating. Here with her is events guy Stephen Ku of Eventscape:

After our short chitchat regarding her latest photoshoot with Mega, where she wore a New Yorker cocktail dress—fabulous, you should check that out. I bumped into Nana Caragay of Chalk magazine.

Mark approached me and Nana. He's the dude who was filming outside. Mark (or Jan La'O to those who know him), Nana and I share a bond—we all were part of Chalk at some point in our lives :D

Mark then did his rounds, and Nana lined up for her pair. This is what you'll see inside :o Pandemonium!!!!

After taking some photos, I went back to the forms:

See the left hand page? They've released a commemorative MYOH 5 print for the soles, in black and white. Here is a guy getting his in black.

But I had a hard time deciding what to get, so I decided to take a look at the actual samples

Don't you just love the new jelly thongs? They come in grape, pink, and

... clear. I couldn't decide which of the three to get :o All I was sure of was getting the commemorative MYOH 5 in white ;)

So, while deciding on what combo I should get, and what pins to include; I did one round and took pictures:

The lighted havis are so cute!

Mark was also doing the rounds, looking for the lady who owns the other pair of the flip flop he's holding (and in the photo) :)

I ended up at the cashier. People were hoarding!

Not only did this lady hoarded, she had lots of pins on every pair. And the pins are really big, compared to the past MYOH, but prices are a bit more expensive, too! Those big pins cost P150 each.

If you're a Havaianatico, then these things are what will make you line up for more:

- MYOH commemorative printed soles

- the pins!!!! They're bigger and with more styles that have blings.

- new strap colors: flouroscent, and jelly


MYOH is ongoing until April 26 at the Rockwell Tent. The lines are really long, so prepare to bring your friends and family who'd be willing to help line up for you. Bring your ipod, your DS, or whatever to keep you company.   Good luck!

I'm really lucky because: I was only there for an hour. Had work so couldn't wait for my pair. I got one for my mom, too! We've never miss a MYOH event. Good thing, I'm friends with Anna and her PR (GMCI) and Events (Creative Juice) teams. So I left my form, and will be back tomorrow to pick up my new havis. Can't wait to get them. Thank you, Anne of Terry S.A./Havaianas, Anika and Rhea of GMCI, and Janice Crisostomo of Creative Juice ;)

Easy Pasta Dish

Don't you just love it when you come up with a dish in just a few minutes?  All the more if they taste really good :P  One of those moments was when I made this pasta dish:

I used what our very good friend, Fifi (yes, that's his name), gave us—Italian sausage. I (or rather, our cook) unwrapped them and I crushed them into bits. But first, I sauteed the garlic bits, and added some onion slices, and then, the sausages. I put in some sliced tomatoes, and mixed in basil leaves last. That's it! Served over pasta, and garnished with parmesan cheese.  

It's now one of my fave dishes :D How about you? What's your fave quickie dish?

Sweet Tricks

One of my favorite midnight snacks is in season now :P Melons!!! I always have them in bite sizes, dunked in a glass of cold skim milk. If I'm really hungry, I'll have it served in a bowl. Never fails to make me smile:

I first learned of this combination when I had them during our trip to Australia.  I was served melon cuts with vanilla ice cream—yummy!  Thought of a healthier alternative with the help of skim milk :)  Try it

Kris' Top

Wore this top to one of my many meetings with Kris Aquino---she told me that she loved the blouse.   For those of you who don't know, I was her editor-in-chief for a while.  This was around 2008.  It's a FLY NOW top my mom bought for me in Thailand; and  I gifted her with the exact same top when we went back to Bangkok.  

With me from left to right: my brother Jones, his equally tall fiancee Tippi, me and hubby.

Hubby and I usually just leave the telly/TV on at night. We tune in to ABS-CBN (I'm super kapamilya haha...) and watch the teleserye/soaps. Seeing Kris Aquino wear the top I bought for her made me smile. Good thing I was ready with my camera, and was able to take a photo:

Nothing beats seeing someone use/wear your gift ;)

Star Sightings

Had to go to my old office in ABS-CBN (one of the big TV networks here in the Philippines) to pick up some items yesterday, and decided to bring little JJ along.  It was a spur-of-the-moment decision I made.  Our yaya (nanny) didn't even have time to change into her uniform.

Of course, since we were there, I gave our nanny/yaya a tour of my ol' office.  We ended up in ASAP (a hit musical variety noon time show), and found the stars doing their rehearsals.

We stayed for a few minutes, and were lucky enough to have chanced upon their break time. The pretty Maja Salvador exited our way, and we got to spend a couple of minutes with her. She thought I was there to style some celebrities—that was one of my "jobs" before.

Being a mommy... I asked if I can take a photo of her with little JJ. Hihi... but it was blurred :( Oh well...

What made me giddy: In between catching up with Maja, Vina Morales (also another celebrity) couldn't resist asking who little JJ was and planted him a kiss. She found him so cute! She was in a hurry, so wasn't able to take a photo. Got really kilig/happy over that :D

And speaking of ASAP, they are celebrating their fifteenth anniversary. Wow, how time flies right? They've released some cool and colorful graphics shirts under the BUM brand. I must say that these shirts are tastefully done.

On another note: I wonder why all the celebrities wear shades, even in enclosed areas?! Is it because of the stage lights? D0 they (always) lack sleep?

An Inspirational Talk

Hubby and I are really blessed to have a really nice and caring set of godparents for our wedding.   I paid a visit to one of our godmothers yesterday over lunch break.  It was worth the trip—I'll post that next time :)  For now, I want to announce a talk that our godparent, Uncle Wyden King.  This is him, leading the prayer at our wedding reception:

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He's cousins with my dad, and the man who used to handle Anito Lodge.  He is very vocal about how he was before, and how and why he changed and found God.  And he's giving a talk today, this is the text I got:

What would make a man give up earning millions?  Find out as Wyden King, owner of former Anito Lodge shares his story: 8 p.m. at UECG, 18 J. De Mesa St., San Juan

Now, for those of you who do not know... I'm still very much a Catholic, but I embrace and am very open to other teachings.  After all, we all believe in the same God right? :)


So, if you still don't have plans for tonight, and are interested in hearing him talk. Do drop by :)

What we're thankful for: Uncle Wyden for being an inspiration

From Russia, With Love

Ever since I can remember, I've always spent Holy Week and sem breaks with my mom.  We travel a lot, and the boys in the family would rather stay home.  So, it's usually the two of us.  But for the past two years, I stayed home.  I was pregnant the first time; the second time(this year), I started work :( Sigh, great timing right?

So, my mom dragged my brother along with her for their Russia trip.  I felt a bit sad, but I'm happy that my brother got to travel and see another part of the world.  I've always been the luckier one when it comes to that.

They got back a few days after Holy Week, and this is what we got:

toys for little J, shawl and some accessories for me, and coffee for hubby

This pendant is so lovely.  Very Russian, don't you agree? :)

I just had to share this necklace with you.  My mom is a very impulsive shopper, and she bought this hematite necklace for me.  She got one for herself, and two bracelets for my brother and dad.  The seller told her that hematite can help lower cholesterol.  Really?  We'll see about that haha...  Another reason I found this funny is that we have a lot of it here in Manila.  My mom had to fly all the way to Moscow to get us these.  But, it's the thought that counts ;)

I'm lucky to have a mom who loves to shop ;)

A Parent's Source of Inspiration

I've heard this line a LOT from working parents: "You'll feel energized just by hugging your kid/s when you get home after a hard day's work."  I've never really given it much thought, but I know that's how my dad feels every time he comes home at night.   These are the things you take for granted.

But now that I'm a working mom myself, I can relate to other working parents.  Most especially with my dad.  I remember him telling us siblings that everything he does, he does for us.  We are his inspiration.  And that's how hubby and I feel when we see our very own little J :D

Here are some photos I took of us last night when I got home:

what I'm wearing: H&M beaded cotton top and pleated shorts

What gives us strength: our little bundle of joy, JJ :)

Super Woman

Looking back, I guess I went way overboard with work.  I've always thought I could do everything.  Like for my first day of work... 

- I woke up 6:30 a.m. and pumped out milk for my baby

- Got ready by 7:30 a.m. and had my regular staple of oatmeal

- Played with little J and left the house 8 a.m.

- Got to the office by 8:45 a.m. 

- Met some of my bosses (two of those flew straight from the U.S.) and had an impromptu interview with them. Yikes!

- I got off at 6:45 p.m. from our office in Roxas Boulevard and drove straight to the Shiseido launch at the Ayala Museum for their new Whitening product line.  Click on this link to check out the event.

- It was great seeing old friends and colleagues.  I got to catch up with some of them.

- Got home 10 p.m. with our little J fast asleep. 

- Took a shower; checked my mail; and went to sleep at around 11 p.m.

What a day, right? I think I overdid it for my first day of work.  Out and about for more than 15 hours is not good.  Too much for "breaking in" haha...  and I learned the hard way.  After a week of doing this routine (less the event attendance) and forgetting to take my vitamins, I got sick :( I couldn't take any medication since I am still breastfeeding, so it was really hard.  I was sick during Holy Week, too!  Even our little J caught the bug, so I felt guilty all the more.

Little J and I are both feeling better.  Thanks to our super nice pedia for the prescriptions for little J; and my mom-in-law for wheatgrass (do let me know if you're interested to order). NOTE: only take this with an empty stomach, and use a plastic spoon to mix the water and the powder.  If you use metal, it will diminish the powerful extracts of the mixture.

Thanks also to my hubby for the tons of ascorbic acid supply; and my dad for driving all the way down to Chinatown to buy me 2 bottles of good 'ol Pei Pa Koa.  It's a Chinese herbal/natural medicine that's made of honey extracts, loquat and natural herbs.  Once you swallow, let it stay in your throat. DO NOT wash it down with water.

I've been taking this since i was a teenager, and it's only now that I checked out the paper that came with it. I find it cute that they have illustrations on who can take the medicine and when they need it. So, if you can't read a single Chinese character, you can still understand what they are trying to convey:

The ingredients are found in this sheet, too!

Along with instructions...

So, if you're feeling under the weather. Fight it with Vitamin C, wheat grass, and lots of water. If your throat hurts, try Pei Pa Koa. This name of the medicine is actually pronounced in Cantonese, btw. If it's in Mandarin (our national language), it's pronounced as Bi Pa Gou. It's available in all Chinese drugstores.

What I'm thankful for: my hubby, my dad, and my mom-in-law for taking care of me