Is there life after high school?

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The Groovies, my high school classmates (circa St Theresa’s College Cebu 1974) once again got into the groove of bonding moments. There were reasons to celebrate. Our class salutatorian, Deirdra came home from New Jersey for a visit. Birthday celebrants needed to make a wish and the groovies from Manila missed Cebu. You know, I look forward to these small reunions. Groovies remind me that we are still cool and awesome despite the passage of time. I draw inspiration from classmates that still manage to look good.

Marget Fernan-Villarica not only hosted the party but our stay as well in her lovely, comfy home. Our current president, Nerissa Soon-Ruiz gave this brilliant idea of auctioning off our give-aways to raise funds for our batch project. What fun!

Tess, the preceding batch president told me to write an article for our Coral reunion last year. It is only this year that I got to read the printed version of the STC Annual 2009.

Here it is:

Is there life after high school? To be honest, I was relieved when my high school graduation ceremony ended. In high school, I was a painfully shy, mediocre student with average grades (as in 81 to 85). I often felt intimidated by the smart and outspoken girls. You know how it is in high school – there are the popular girls and the invisible girls. I was one of the invisible girls but I was lucky enough to have a few friends who made me feel like I belonged to a group.

So do people ever recover from that intense high school social experience? Some don’t. They spend the rest of their lives trying to justify what they were, or were not, in high school. This is why high school reunions are so emotional, especially the first one. I declined to attend the 25th High School class of 1974 reunion because I was not ready to face that dreaded high school experience once again. Coupled with five deaths of family members in Cebu, I felt Cebu was just bad news for me and going home was not an option at that point.
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Loving Philippine Fashion

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I don’t consider myself a fashionista. I have never owned a single dress designed by a fashion designer, or designers slated to become the industry’s next big names. Probably the most expensive dresses I ever owned in my life was when I was single and I had a very generous father who doted on me and bought me trendy Ready-to-wear (RTW) clothes from Rustan’s Department store. The only fashion show I attended was in the UK when I was in my mid-twenties. I was struck with the cobalt-blue fashionable dresses that were presented before me and my sister. I am totally clueless when it comes to catwalk fashion though that doesn’t mean I don’t dress up in style.

So, what was I doing at Philippine Fashion Week Holiday Collection 2009? Well, maybe it was time to take that big leap of faith when it comes to choosing dress styles. Perhaps it was time to fantasize and imagine myself trying out unique creations. Secondly, I am in the lookout for fashion designers that use our local materials. There were just too many shows to cover but I narrowed myself down to Sunday’s show where I thought Premier Collection E might cover unique designs. I covered Premier Collection C but thought their designs were just too un-wearable for my taste.

Just as Premier Collection E started, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney took the vacant chair beside me in the “Reserved for Media” seats. Tessa Prieto seated across me motioned US Ambassador to move to her vacant chair but Kristie said she was fine seated beside me. The US ambassador turned to me, offered her hand and said “Hi, I am Kristie”. Oh wow, I found her so gracious and humble. I turned to the media man beside me and whispered “What’s her family name again?”. He was just as clueless as I was so I plurked and asked my plurk friends if they knew Kristie’s family name. Thanks plurk buddies.

The Buensalido PR provided me with a press kit before the show and it came in quite handy when I whispered some information to Kristie as the show unfolded. Like me, Kristie adored the designs that used native materials. Hmm, we seemed to have the same taste.

jaki penalosa
Jaki Peñalosa
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How I Survived The Amazing Race at Island Cove

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Have you ever dreamt of being a winner, racing on to the finish line? One of my favorite shows is the Amazing Race. Whenever I see the contestants running from one stop to the next, I feel like I am hanging on the edge of my seat . A wave of adrenalin hits me as if I am right there with them. Even if I know I will never be qualified to join , my mind conjures up scenarios that I am actually rushing to the next stop. I want to be there. Yes, it is my dream to win in a race.

island cove
Though Amazing Race is a far-fetched dream, it does not stop me from taking up physical challenges. The Detour: The Island Cove Adventure sponsored by Yehey and Island Cove was a perfect opportunity. Can I really make it?

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Piolo Pascual on Loving Yourself More

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Piolo Pascual and Marian Rivera at the Bluewater Day Spa Capitol Hills Branch Launch

Let’s have some showbiz break with Piolo Pascual. A few bloggers got invited to the BlueWater Day Spa Capitol Hills Opening. Going to the spa is one of my favorite ME time that I couldn’t miss the opportunity to check out another spa especially since it is near the girls’ university. Now it isn’t the first time for me to meet Piolo Pascual and Marian Rivera. I met them in another launch of Bluewater Day Spa last year.

Like I told you, I find Piolo so charming, er gorgeous looking guy to put it mildly. This time around, he looks even more gorgeous than ever. Kinilig talaga ako but I didn’t show my giddiness even if Piolo kept smiling away to everyone. Acting poised and collected, I boldly approached Piolo for an exclusive interview. Lucky me got to sneak in a 2 minute exclusive close-door interview with a few bloggers. Here is his video message to all of you my dear readers:
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Relaxing at a Spa Movie Theatre

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My ME time is always a relaxing day off from home and work. It’s the day I pamper myself and make myself feel good. Nurturing is about how we show love for ourselves. It can be a visit to the beauty salon, a foot spa, a home service massage or an indulgent visit to a spa treatment salon. I am not where I am today if I didn’t learn to nurture myself. I wouldn’t have a second wind in my marriage if I didn’t have a loving relationship with myself first.

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Romantic Weekend at Nurture Spa

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nurture spa

My default birthday present for my husband is always a kitchen appliance. I just realized we have all the kitchen appliance we will ever need. This year, I wanted to give him something romantic! So I asked my awesome plurk buddies for romantic gift ideas. The unanimous suggestion was a romantic getaway outside the city preferably with spa pampering. I was searching for the best spa hideaway nearest Metro Manila because my husband hates driving far and I remembered that Claire invited me to visit Nurture Spa a few weeks ago. I totally forgot the Nurture Spa invite until a day before Butch’s birthday.

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