My blog , this blog Touched by an Angel… Receiving the Best Website award , blog category of the 9th [tag]Philippine Web Awards[/tag] is a… Read More »Best Website, Blog Category in 9th Philippine Web Awards is….
Like my dear friend Cathy, the photo from today’s Sunday Inquirer moved me to tears. The article on the Bicol tragedy due to super-typhoon Reming (Durian) describes devastation that has wracked Bicol like no other. Not even World War two was like this. I texted most of my friends in Bicol and they have never seen such damage in the years they have lived there. Even Naga which is farthest away from Mayon suffered as well. My husband’s relatives (The Dado clan) are from Tabaco, Albay and there is still no word from them on their situation. No landline or cellphone connection.
Pedro Malate and his son Miguel, in that photo above hold on to each other for dear life, “wearing perhaps, the only clothes they have left. Little Miguel looks terribly dazed, Pedro, in all probability is in shell-shocked state.”
I am helping Cathy with her “A Thousand Bears for Bicol” because this is a way to channel our sadness over the Bicol tragedy. Please read her site for more details. I trust Cathy will do an excellent job in delivering the bears to these children in time for Christmas day. Cathy comforted sick children by establishing Migi’s Corner , a play area for these kids in more than 10 public hospitals in the Philippines. If anyone can execute a project for children, Cathy Babao-Guballa , a TOWNS awardee is the most qualified and trustworthy person in the Philippines.
To children, stuffed animals are more than toys, they’re imaginary friends who are always ready to give comfort or play. They provide a certain amount of security in a sometimes scary world. Though it may be a small act, my heart’s desire is to bring as many stuffed toys – ideally friendly looking teddy bears to the children in the Bicol region. I am hoping to raise at least a thousand bears that I can send to the Albay province in time for Christmas, hoping that these bears will bring even a little joy and comfort to children like Miguel who have a long way to go on their healing journey. I am making arrangements with am NGO in the Albay province to ditsribute the bears on Christmas day.
Photographs do speak a thousand words. Great works of photography move you into action.
Help us bring a “A Thousand Bears for Bicol”. To send teddy bears, click here.
EDIT: I bought 10 teddy bears already.
Read More »Teddy Bears for the Children of Bicol
The two girls arrived home last night due to the upcoming storm Reming but they were craving DOUGHNUTS. “Uh not now dears. It’s late! ” I promised to buy them [tag]Krispy Kreme Doughnuts[/tag] by waking up early for their Opening Day. Well, today is the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Opening Day at the City Center, Global City. Bringing my mug of coffee to perk me up , I drove over to the City Center at 6:30 AM. There were like hundreds of people crazier than I am who dared to wake up early just to order the first batches of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
Krispy Kreme staff were gracious enough to hand out retro caps, raffle coupons and a brochure to lift our sagging spirits and knees. Music and a dance number entertained the tired and hungry. The police, police dogs, security guards , ambulance and the fire men were on their toes,hovering among the crowd of eager customers. Would someone be crazy enough to create a stampede? They promised to open the door by 8:30 am. US Ambassador Kristie Kelly and Congressman Alan Cayetano cut the ribbon which officially launched Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in the Philippines. I didn’t catch the name of the lucky first customer who won a free supply of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. It was my secret wish to win one of the raffle prizes but alas, it was not meant to be.
Finally, at 10:00 AM, I entered the Krispy Kreme Doughnut store. Since I already tasted the “Melt in your Mouth” original glazed doughnuts, I ordered two dozen Assorted Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (335 pesos for a dozen). I have no intention of going back in the next few weeks so might as well order all the doughnut varieties. With the hundreds of people in the city center, Krispy Kreme did a pretty good job of organizing the smooth flow of customers in and out of the shop. There were hundreds and hundreds of doughnuts to be sold. Even Go Nuts Donuts could not cope with the influx of orders when they first launched a few years ago.
After all that hassle and waking up early to be one of the first 500 customers, was it worth it? Not really. As consolation, I ended up with:
You should also check out the 12 Cups with the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give in to Giving which offers a chance for you to donate to 12 charities and to receive a Giving Journal designed by renowed artists.
Updated– Click here for the Limited Edition Starbucks Coffee 2009 Planner.
View more photos of the Limited Edition Starbucks Coffee 2009 Planner.
View the 2008 Starbucks Planner
I kept getting these text messages from my daughter, M the past two weeks now “Don’t forget to order starbucks coffee”. Yesterday another text message came “I need 13 more stickers and I get the starbucks planner. whee” I showed the text message to a friend. My friend smirked “My two daughters are also crazy over their planners. I am looking for the supplier so I will just get from them”. Curious over these planners, my friend and I transferred over to the Starbucks Coffee just to take a look at the sample planner. Flipping through the pages, it’s no wonder my daughter is crazy enough to drink starbucks coffee to avail of it. Inside the pages are really cutesy keepsake envelopes. The planner seems like a mini scrapbook of sorts to hold in precious mementos. I can’t possibly drink 13 cups of coffee! Even if I could afford to drink Starbucks coffee every single day, it’s boring. Drinking in coffee shops is something I do once a week or whenever I meet a client. With this rate, it will take 3 months to complete the 13 stickers.
I don’t want my daughter to starve and use her allowance to buy coffee.
Starbucks really knows how to increase their sales this Christmas season. Obviously they are targetting the young crowd. I told my daughter that I couldn’t possibly drink all that coffee but I ‘d increase her allowance for the next few weeks . I considered the costs involved.
The planner needs 21 stickers (9 are for Starbucks featured Christmas beverages while 12 for Starbucks beverages of your choice). The cheapest price for regular drink is 80 pesos (I think) so that’s 960 pesos while Christmas drinks at 125 pesos minimum 1125 pesos for a total of 2085 pesos ($42) to complete the 21 stickers. How expensive. Looking at the bright side, Starbucks Christmas tradition is not just about increasing sales. They are in partnership with UNICEF’s SparkHope project . Acutally the thought that one is helping a cause makes the expense a little bit worthwhile. Let’s see how this works.
(ME,Jove, Bridget, Jher, Patty and Pamy who took the photo)
A meeting of Philippine Idol bloggers just before we went inside the theater. Jove Francisco (to my right), a popular Philippine Idol Blogger and ABC reporter told me that Philippine Idol bloggers built up Philippine Idol’s popularity. Maybe it’s true that bloggers contributed to the popularity of Philippine Idol. I remember when I first blogged about Philippine Idol. There were not many readers reading my Philippine Idol entries compared to recent entries. I notice that commercial breaks are getting longer indicating that there are more advertisers. The presence of celebrity guest in tonight’s show compared to the past show a vote of confidence for the Philippine Idol shows.
Tonight’s Big Band Night was such a refreshing change. Philippine Idol felt so alive and exciting. The top 4 [tag]Philippine Idol[/tag] finalists sang songs from the Big Band Era. The elegance of the production design and the songs made me want to dance with my husband. I am such a sucker for old standard music. It might seem boring to the younger crowd but it’s soothing and relaxing. Big bands makes all music sound great.
Gian measured up to the international standards of Big Band music. He was meant to sing this kind of music. I am not too confident if Mau can warm up to western audiences during the competition of a “World Idol”.
Who will be Philippine Idol’s Top 3? My prediction is:
Shopping with my daughters is always an opportunity to bond with them. Stress and worry from schoolwork sometimes makes it difficult for them to really talk to us. When I ask how they are , a usual reply is “okay lang”. I sometimes wonder if that means they are ok or they don’t feel like talking about it yet. When I notice a little downtime, I treat them to shopping or a rejuvenating spa. I suggest “Do you want to go shopping or need a massage?” More often than not, the sparkle in their eyes show that they appreciate this gesture. So this is what I told L . “Since you have no classes on Thursdays, maybe we can shop in Divisoria” .
One unusual trait with L is her frugal nature. As a daughter, she is very generous giving everything she earns to us. But with clothes..no! She refuses to buy “branded” clothes. Her favorite shopping places are Divisoria or the “ukay-ukay” (thrift stores). I even gave her money to buy Levi’s jeans but she won’t hear of it. I often tell her that she should own at least a pair of Levi’s jeans or splurge once a year on a branded dress. One day, she finally got a Levi’s jeans only because she got it at a discounted price from a fund raising project of their Katipunan Magazine. L only buys if it is a bargain. Haayy. Her logic is clothes are so trendy that the next month, they just go out of fashion. She doesn’t want to spend unecessarily on clothes, shoes or bags. Maybe she will change when she is working.
Isn’t it silly that a mother is practically telling her daughter to splurge a little more on clothes?
Today, we went to Divisoria to buy materials for her crotchet gift project she planned to give her friends. We dropped by 168 Shopping Mall to see if there was anything new with this mall. Right now, 168 mall has more stalls and more interesting shopping finds compared to our June shopping adventure. The problem was the deluge of christmas shoppers.
The crowd at 9:00 AM was hampering our movements especially in the first floor. I bought two handbags and I could barely walk down the crowded aisles. Moving around was difficult. L bought a dress worth 250 pesos , a pair of shoes worth 200 pesos and a few belts and accessories. After buying my gym outfits, I discovered I could not continue shopping . (TIP: bring an assistant to help you carry the load) . We carried shopping bags that we could barely hold on to.
Read More »Christmas Shopping at 168 Shopping Mall , Divisoria
[tag]Krispy Kreme Doughnuts[/tag] arrive in Manila. Sort of. A dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts were delivered at my doorstep today. What will I do with all these golden glazed doughnuts? I called up my daughters at the dorm if they wanted Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. “Of course, send it over”, my daughters yelled. “We will microwave it here”
I haven’t tried their favorite method of eating doughnuts aka microwave style. Maybe it’s the warmth and soft texture that adds to the pleasurable eating experience. Doughnuts are their number 1 comfort food. The 12 golden glazed doughnuts look perfectly glazed. Glazed doughnuts of Dunkin Doughnuts or Go Nuts look sloppily glazed to me. Hehe, there goes my compulsive-obsessive nature.
It has been years since I last tasted a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Sipping my aromatic Kenya Coffee brew, I took my first bite. The first thing that I notice is the very tender texture of the doughnut. The taste is practically the same if one compares Go Nuts and Cello’s. I can feel my blood sugar rising because Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are just too sweet. One doughnut is all you need to eat to get over the doughnut cravings. Later on, I will have to bike for 30 minutes to burn this excess sugar. Krispy Kreme better come up with a sugar free version.
Pow Chavez gets the boot but this is not the end of her journey.
What touched me was her good-bye speech that made me tear and everyone else in the audience: (thanks Jove for the transcript)
Pow Chavez: (before the announcement)
““Gusto ko lang magpasalamat sa lahat ng taong tumanggap sa akin, ah, iyun pong dalhin nyo ako sa stage na ito malaki na pong karangalan sa akin!”Pow Chavez: (teary goodbye)
““Baka hindi na ako makakanta (pause) di ako umiiyak (pause) ah gusto ko lang pong magpasalamat sa (pause MR C hands her a hanky) mula po sa puso ko (pause) nagpapasalamat po ako tinanggap ninyo ako at nakarating ako ganito kalayo (pause) di po ako sumasali sa mga singing contest kasi natatakot ako na baka hindi nyo ko tanggapin, isang taong kagaya ko, pero kaya po ako narito kasi po gusto ko kumanta….
Of course, we accepted her for who she is. It’s just people like old school [tag]Philippine Idol[/tag] judge, Pilita Corales who insist on seeing her wear a dress. Forunately , Lea Salonga is more open minded and advised Pow that a dress doesn’t suit her. But Pow was game, she wore a dress for her movie clip (View Youtube video of her movie)
There may still be homophobics in the Philippines but when they see raw talent, they forget their homophobia like the homophobic parents of this blogger
My mom voted for Pow for all the weeks that she was competing. A huge feat for my mom given that she and my dad are majorly, majorly homophobic. Ang lungkot di ba? My parents are so homophobic but Pow somehow managed to win over my mom while I’ve been trying to get their tiny approval for years. An average of 75 votes kaya siya per week!
Pow has a strong fan base to keep her in the music industry. After every show, a crowd of adoring fans gather around her just to take photos with her. She is humble, charming and likeable to her fans taking time to thank them for their support after every photo ops. You don’t see a lot of fans hover around Miguel and Jan , the weaker performers but these two have powerful voting blocs. Pow wanted to stay in the competition while Miguel was lukewarm about his stay:
Ryan Agoncillo:
““Miguel for the past two weeks you’ve been scratching your head after results night kinakabahan ka lagi especially last night, it struck me when you said -I’m ready to go-. Gusto mo pa ba mag continue sa competition na ito, Miguel?”Miguel Mendoza:
““Oo, if there are people who will still vote for me, okay lang, okay lang din hindi”
He tears after every results night. Maybe he is sad that the better Idol Finalists leave before him knowing they are so much better.
Haay naku. But that’s life. Life is unfair but it doesn’t have to be unfair forever. It is not the end of the road for Pow. We will be seeing more of Pow in concerts, album launching and tours.
More POWer to your future . You have a lot of fans, Pow.
To read more about Pow’s elimination, read fellow blogger and ABC insider, Jove Francisco’s entry. If you missed Pow’s performance, here is the youtube video (below) of her song in the Movie Themes portion where she sang “So Far So Good” and the YouTube video “I’ll Give my Life for you”
Read More »Pow Chavez eliminated from Philippine Idol
A month ago, I bought a new digital camera, a Canon Powershot A710 IS (Image Stablizer). You might have recalled I also bought a Canon Powershot A530 last June for a Boracay trip that never materialized. So why buy two cameras in a span of 4 months? Well I gave my old Canon Powershot A530 to L. Deprived of a digital camera for more than one year, L begged to have a new camera because it’s her last year in Ateneo. I thought “L has learned her lesson so maybe it’s time to give her a digital camera”.
At the height of her blogging days, she had quite a collection of digital gadgets to enhance her blog entries. Unfortunately L seems to have a jinx with digital toys. I love L very much. Sadly, L just hasn’t been lucky with anything containing “electronic chips” for the past two years. Let me count the ways:
1. For her 18th birthday, I bought her this nice camera phone. Two months after, the phone drowned as she slipped into the shallow waters of Tali Beach. She wanted to capture the breathtaking sunset. The dumbest thing one can ever do when a cellphone gets wet is to turn it on. Naturally, the battery will cause a short circuit, I told L. “Just remember to remove the battery when this happens and dry the phone”
2. Her Sony Cybershot digi cam together with her Panasonic Digital Camcorder w/ Still Mode/MP3/Voice Recording were stolen as she played a video game in the Power Plant Mall. She had placed the bag on the floor and was too preoccupied blasting away the enemies in the video screen . Little did she know that her bag was already snatched just a few feet away from her.
3. A sympathetic reader donated a part of the cost of a new digital camera, a Canon Ixus 430 in 2004. L used her savings and I pitched in the rest to buy this new camera costing 35,000 pesos in 2004. It was expensive because a 4 megapixel camera was a new thing back then. Barely a year after, she vacationed in San Francisco. As she toured one of San Francisco’s aquariums, she slipped and the contents of her handbag fell into a pond. Her handbag’s zipper was not zipped and the camera fell off head first . What did she do? She picked her camera and turned it on. ugh, read number 1 above. Don’t turn on a wet electronic gadget.
There are a lot more. I cannot even fathom how her CPU’s motherboard ended up in smoke.
(Updated November 13: Mo Twister spared from wearing a dress)
Controversial DJ Mo Twister vowed to wear a dress for one week if KEN DINGLE continues to stay on as a [tag]Philippine Idol[/tag] Finalist. When asked by Ryan to choose their top Idol finalist, Mo blurted out his fearless forecast that it is Ken’s time to go. This announcement brought so much laughter from the live audience. I think I might have laughed too much. My husband and daughters teased me that my wish might finally come true. Ryan Agoncillo mentioned that they will have a dress on standby in tonight’s results night, if Ken manages to stay in the competition. Mamita will even provide the dress and dared Mo to don a mini-skirt. Mo Twister then ran up the ramp to rehearse his catwalk in case he needed to model the dress. Sometimes I think some kind soul is voting for Ken like crazy just so Philippine Idol comes out controversial. Controversy=More talk. More talk=Higher ratings. But this is getting ridiculous. Ken sticks out like a sore thumb among the more talented Idol finalists. Much as I want to see Mo Twister prancing around the ramp wearing a mini-skirt, I ‘d rather see Ken out of the competition. Glancing at Ken during the closing of the show, I noted his sour expression as if he had drank some vinegar earlier. I can’t blame him for looking that way after the way the audience guffawed over Mo’s declaration.
Don’t I look tacky posing with my top 3 Philippine Idol finalists? I’m not really a showbiz person or a huge fan of any music artist except for the Idol reality TV shows. Since I’ve watched Philippine Idol from the start, I might as well see how far these talented singers go. They can’t be called Idols if fans don’t pose with them. The photos will speak for itself. My husband and daughters are rooting for Pow because she has such sweet vocals that shows clarity and wide projection. I love Pow, Mau and Gian. I ‘ll just see how they perform in the next 5 weeks. I need to sleep.
(Photos from left to right: Posing with Gian, Mau and Pow)
Read More »Mo Twister will wear a dress if…(Philippine Idol Alert)