Dealing with Household Helpers

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Our newly employed househelper wanted to visit her family for the weekend. Sure, I told her you can take your weekend off. I soon left for a movie date with my husband. The next morning, one of my helpers reported that she caught her sneaking out at night carrying a bag. Good thing one of my ex-househelper/Luijoe’s yaya was around for a visit and corroborated my other helper. I took a look at the bag. What did I see?

Lipton Milk Tea
Yoghurt Milk
Instant Coffee mix

Disappointed more than angry, I asked her why she stole those items?

Her reply: “I pity my kids.”

I didn’t buy it. Her children are still small. Why would they need Lipton Milk Tea? or coffee mix? Now that the trust was broken, I could not retain her for employment. Petty stuff like this can lead to other bigger loot. She can also be a security risk for those theft syndicates that commonly invade households in Manila.

I never had to worry about security in my old residence. The village guards checked their bags at the gate and they couldn’t leave the gate without our clearance. Quite a snobbish village. I hate checking their bags. I would like to believe that employers should trust their employees. But being nice does not get me anywhere. I lost my cellphone and camera once. Lauren’s Birkenstock sandals too. And probably many other things.

After employing househelpers for years, I should have been an expert by now in sizing them up. Sure I have shared a few tips with you in the past. In fact, that entry on Tips for Household help or Yaya (nanny) caught the eye of the Baby Magazine writer that they featured it alongside an article for the July 2008 issue.

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Danvil Plans Feature on PROBE

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Every now and then, readers email me requesting for such and such topic to be blogged. If I think it benefits the public, I usually blog about it. One simple email request came from Diane on May 25 .

If it’s not too much to ask, can you please link my entries regarding Danvil Plans to your website? I need enough noise to stop this from happening again to other people.

Of course, I had to do my own research on Danvil Plans (soon to be Legacy Consolidated Plans) first before blogging about it. I was appalled to discover that it was the same Family First who have been using this high-pressure and unethical practices for years. The problem with blogging about this topic is that I was not a victim of Danvil Plans . After reading entries upon entries from bloggers, I was convinced that this kind of high pressure tactics need to stop. Not only Danvil Plans but other “scams” as well.

I soon blogged about the Danvil Plans and other Scams with a mirror entry at my Multiply Account entitled Buyer Beware of Danvil Plans High Pressure Tactics.

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Mamma Mia! the Feel-good Movie

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I woke up this morning to my husband humming the tune to Abba’s I have a Dream. You know how it is when a song gets stuck in your head. Mine was the Dancing Queen sequence from the movie,
Mamma Mia we watched last night. I loved the movie! I was 19 years old at the time Dancing Queen became a hit and I remember twirling around and around to the music. I love to dance. I could not contain my excitement when Meryl Streep started jumping up and down on her bed. I wanted to dance right there and then. Holding my husband’s hand, I pretended to sashay to and fro on an imaginary dance floor.


Full Dancing Queen Scene – Mamma Mia! The Movie

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PR Companies and the Milk Formula Manufacturers (Part 2)

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This entry is a continuation of PR and New Media Publishing.

A few months ago, I got invited to watch the presentation of a scientific study that correlated DHA and ARA (components found in Breast Milk which Milk companies now add to their formula) to the increase of the IQ of a child to 7 points. I was quite puzzled by the presentation of Dennis Hoffman’s Recent Evidence that Dietary Supply of DHA and ARA in Early Infancy Leads to Possible Trends in IQ of 4-Year Olds. Though no milk company was mentioned or direct promotion of the infant formula, I noticed that a popular celebrity was around to host the event. An idiot can easily put two and two together and correlate it to that milk company. I felt sick to the stomach because I thought I was attending a parenting seminar.

No problem there because like I told you, if I don’t believe in the product or event, I am not compelled to blog about it. So I left it at that.

Three months later, I got a call from the PR company. I could have said NO from the start of the conversation. But I listened out of sheer curiosity. She admitted that she was being candid and was exploring the possibility for mom-bloggers to be an advocate.

Hm, an advocate? How?

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PR Companies and New Media Publishing (Part 1)

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2006 is the year I started my personal blog. What most of you don’t know is I’ve been blogging on web development, food and entertainment as far back as 2002. The year 2006 is significant to me because I got introduced to New Media Publishing. I know a few bloggers who raised their eyebrows, that bloggers should not be attending PR events or product launches because it is “unethical”. Let me just say that these bloggers are entitled to their own opinion and I’d like to leave it at that.

I have my reasons for venturing into new media publishing.

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Living with A Food Blogger

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If you’re a blogger, you probably have your own typical blogger Conversation within your family.

What if you have a food blogger in the family?

You know how it is. I post food photos in my Pinoy Food Photo Blog to complement my entry. Naturally, when my family eats out, I snap away at the food we order. So here was a typical scene when I first started my food blog in July 2006.

Husband: Don’t eat that yet. Your Mom hasn’t taken shots of that dish.

M: (irritated) Have you taken a shot of this? Can I eat now?

L: (pouting) Hurry. I’m hungry. I wish cameras are banned in restaurants.

I bet they got tired of waiting so…

This is my family two years after.

 

Lauren learned to take shots of her food (at Pepper Lunch) so she can eat it as soon as the dish arrives.

And M too!

If you can’t beat your mom the food blogger, join her. or else, starve.

What is a typical scene with your family or friends? especially non-blogging friends and family?

In other New Media Events

1. I love Ethan Allen furniture designs that a few of my furniture was heavily inspired by it.

ethan allen

Here is a video I took of the showroom,

2. HTC Touch Diamond in the Philippines Mid-July

Imagine having broadband-like Internet with HSDPA 7.2 mbps wireless connectivity right in the palm of your hands?

HTC touch Diamond

3. Join the Buhay Coke Contest and get a chance to win a Phillips LCD TV, an Apple iPhone, a Sony Cybershot 7.2 MP Digital Camera, and an iPod Nano .

coke contest

JURIS Project: Promote Alternative Dispute Resolution in Philippine Court Cases

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When I received the invite for the Justice Reform Initiatives Support (JURIS) project press briefing, I raised my eyebrows upon seeing the venue was at the Mandarin Hotel. Hmm, so the Supreme Court has money to splurge on projects? That alone piqued my curiosity. I discovered that JURIS was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency at Cdn $6.5 million since it’s inception in 2003 where the implementing agencies are the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Alternative Law Groups, Inc, Office of the Court Administrator and the Philippines Judicial Academy.


Left to Right: Hector Soliman (Local Project Director), Brian W. Lennox (Executive Director, National Judicial Institute), Marlon Manuel (Alternative Law Groups Inc.), Eduardo D. De Los Angeles (Philippine Judicial Academy), Alfredo F. Tadiar (Philippine Judicial Academy), Imelda Tuazon (IBP Pampanga)

JURIS has three project components such as the Alternative Dispute Resolution , Judicial Education and Reform Advocacy Support. I won’t bore you with all the facts so just download and read more on the JURIS project and JURIS Fact Sheet.

What struck me on a personal level are two things:

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QTV Sweet Life on A Child’s Grief

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I declined to appear in the Sweet Life Episode on “Comforting the Bereaved” for Lorna Tolentino’s friends. My last TV appearances left me disillusioned with anything showbiz in it. Despite the tragic elements in my life, I cannot stand embellishments injected into my life story. The segment producer tapped me to be the resource person for “A Child’s Grief” and I hemmed and hawed. I then remembered that grief education is part of my mission in life so I agreed in the end.

The guests were two young women, widowed in their mid-twenties. The focus of the segment was comforting their bereaved children. I discussed some creative projects and self-care. Every now and then I had to butt in and correct some misconceptions on Grief Recovery. Lucy Torres is quite smart but I don’t know what to make of Wilma Doesnt, her co-host. At the end of the show, I handed my calling card to the two widows. Wilma looked at me backing off as if I had some communicable disease don’t give me a calling card in half-joking/serious tone. Well, I told her I didn’t plan on giving you anyway but she kept repeating it. What the??

Apparently, she found the show’s theme so heavy and depressing that she kept whining about it. To think I was there to educate them about Child’s grief.

Since my portion covered less than 6 minutes (they practically cut half of that segment and concentrated more on Lorna Tolentino’s grief), I want to add more details that were not really discussed and which parents and guardians of a bereaved child might find useful.

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Tenor Radio Frequency, RevaleSkin and Other Beauty Secrets

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Blogging made me vain. Not directly though. With a blog that focused on an advocacy, it caught the fancy of a few TV shows and magazines. Before I emerged out of my 5 year recluse, I avoided cameras and people like a plague. I didn’t like how I looked. When I saw myself for the first time on TV, I was appalled to see myself 10 pounds heavier.

Please continue reading at beautyoverfifty.net