June 2008

Photo Hunt: Emotion(s)- Feeling Young on my 51st Birthday

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Saturday, June 14, 2008Monday, June 16, 2008
25 Comments

What a timely theme for Photo Hunt today which is also my 51st birthday. Emotion (s). The photo was taken last saturday as bloggers took the time out to enjoy the massive quarry at Porac, Pampanga. I love being with bloggers because my age seems suspended in time. (That’s why I insist in being called by my first name sans Tita , Ate, Maam).

I always feel young despite the fact I could not balance my way to the top of the piles of gravel, sand and lahar. I feel like I’m on top of the world, nevertheless. I guess that’s the secret to aging gracefully. Just try to enjoy. Have fun. Blog. Think young. Relax. Think positive.

My Pilipinas

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Thursday, June 12, 2008Thursday, June 12, 2008
18 Comments

Happy Independence Day! So how does one celebrate Independence day when we already took a vacation last weekend? It wasn’t much of a vacation to me because like I wrote yesterday, I was burdened with electrical woes over at my home.

How else does one celebrate it? Wave the Philippine flag? My thoughts on Independence day was focused on a very shallow reason: fashion. Yes I know. Shallow, right? But I bet some of you might be sick and tired of reading “Are we really Free?” So just bear me out on this.

So what do you think? Nationalism is hip, wearable and understandable concept for today’s youth.

At the launch of the Collezione C2, My Pilipinas Series, the concept of Nationalism being hip just won me over. Really, my thoughts were like “Is Nationalism outdated or only heroes can show what it’s like to be patriotic?” I liked the idea that art and fashion are ways by which we can make the Nationalist story more real and accessible to the new generation. I had a feeling that my 2 girls would love My Pilipinas designs. But I wasn’t sure if they’d like Collezione. Before I went to the launch, one of my daughters perceived Collezione as a low-end brand.

Oooh, I corrected them. You know, your dad and I wore Collezione in college. That’s how old it is. During my teenage days, imported clothes was a luxury. I remember the Bang-bang pants from Hongkong costing 500 pesos which is an enormous amount in the seventies considering starting salary then was 500 pesos. Ugh did I spend that much in clothes back then? For us, Collezione was quite affordable. That cutesy little key icon on the shirt is unforgettable.

On Wire theft, Globelines Contractor and MERALCO Woes

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Wednesday, June 11, 2008Tuesday, June 17, 2008
16 Comments

It started at 12:30 Sunday morning when Butch and I woke up to darkness with the airconditioner turned off. Oh no a brownout! Peering down our bay window, I discovered that the rest of our neighborhood had lights in their homes. Maybe our circuit breaker tripped. No worries. I turned the main switch off then on. Nothing. No lights. Time to call MERALCO call center (16211) to rule out a problem with their power supply to our house. They arrived within an hour.

The MERALCO service guy removed our electric meter and showed us the smoking main line leading to our house. I didn’t need to see it. I could smell burnt rubber. They said they could do nothing about it since the problem is inside the house. To prove his point, he showed us the electric current coming from their line which was running fine. Great. Something is short-circuiting our main line. Luckily, we were able to sleep despite having no whirring electric fan to cool us.

Fortunately, our electrician arrived early the next day. He found the source of the short-circuit problem which was the main line leading from the electric meter to the wires just before the circuit breaker. That shouldn’t be a problem. We can replace it easily. Still puzzled, I could not figure out what would cause our main line to burn. Just then, a neighbor passed by “You have an electricity problem too?”

Launch of Pampanga Governor Eddie T. Panlilio’s (Among Ed) Blog

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Saturday, June 07, 2008Sunday, June 08, 2008
14 Comments

We just arrived here at the Pampanga Executive House to witness the launch of Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio’s (Among Ed) blog. So what am I doing here with 20 other political bloggers when I barely write about politics? Oh well, I am here as a fellow blogger to support a new blogger.

I will be live-blogging the program (if possible).

1. Audio-visual Presentation on Pampanga and the Panlilio Administration’s accomplishments to date
2. Pampanga Politics and Good Governance Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio
3. Responsible Citizenship and Today’s Youth Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Ms. Angelica Guevarra, Youth Leader
4. Blogging for Good Governance Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Mr. Jhay Rocas, Bloggers’ Kapihan crew and student leader from De La Salle University – DasmariÃƒÂ±as
4. Launching of Among Ed’s Blogsite

World Environment Day: Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Wednesday, June 04, 2008Wednesday, June 04, 2008
4 Comments

Rina Bernabe of the Renewable Energy Coalition, ( a multi-sectoral alliance of civil society groups and industry players working for the passage of the Renewable Energy Bill in Congress) sent me an email if I could write about Renewal Energy in my blog. If she didn’t email me, I wouldn’t have known that tomorrow (June 5) is World Environment Day with the theme “Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy.”

Health Is Wealth at The Farm and Nutrilite

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Monday, June 02, 2008Friday, June 06, 2008
28 Comments

It’s 7:00 in the morning and it’s time for a Meditation session at the Amphitheater of The Farm at San Benito, Batangas. The cool breeze and the rustling leaves coupled with the birds chirping here and there added to the peace and tranquility of this lovely health resort. I was deep in reflection about my unhealthy lifestyle particularly in my diet and lessons learned from the Nutrition Camp.