Shopping Bargains and Disasters

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Visit my shopping blog, Shopping Finds.

The last week of May and the first week of June are major shopping sprees because of school opening. Some of my shopping turned into useless expenses or “things that could have waited”.

Let me start with shopping bargains:

1. Shopping at 168 Mall at Sta. Elena, Divisoria

Imelda marcosThe last time I was in 168 Mall was last December 29, 2005 where I saw the former first Lady, Imelda Marcos with her bodyguards. I took a cellphone photo of her surrounded by avid onlookers. Hmm, she used to close down Tiffany’s in New York during her reigning days. She didn’t close 168 Mall just for her this time. Apparently, she toured the place, waved her hands as admirers called out her name . Charming as ever.

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The Grief Interview with Cheche Lazaro

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Update on Cheche Lazaro: (May 8, 2009) Cheche Lazaro and the Wire Tapping Case filed by GSIS

cheche lazaroTo be interviewd by Cheche Lazaro in “Straight Talk” is an honor. Her interview style is excellent. You know, I usually get a pre-interview by production assistants days before a show. This is normal procedure since hosts are usually busy. It surprised me that no one from ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) called me up. Hmm, I thought that maybe Cheche can handle it herself. The only call I received was from the production assistant of the executive producer. He was so touched after reading Luijoe’s memorial website and wanted to borrow Luijoe’s photos for a clear graphic shot. They went all the way to the house just to get the photo albums.

Before the live interview, I caught up with Cheche at the dressing room and we had a little chat as the makeup artists retouched our shiny faces. I am amazed at her preparation for this episode. She printed out research materials on grief and highlighted sentences in my story of the Fallen Cradle. She told me that this is a fairly new topic rarely discussed on TV. I know. I told her that grief education is quite new in our country and we’re just taking off with the introduction of grief pyschologists and grief support groups.

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Cito Beltran’s Straight Talk

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I told the girls I can’t be bothered to be their driver tomorrow because I have to appear as a guest at Cito Beltran’s Straight Talk at 1 to 2 PM. My daughter’s immediate reaction: “I won’t be surprised if you appear in Boy Abunda’s talk show“. I don’t really watch TV so I don’t know what kind of talk show it is. But why not? If it helps promote The Compassionate Friends, I’m all for it. I just found out today that Cito Beltran is on leave so Cheche Lazaro will take his place. That’s excellent! She is one of the country’s most respected broadcast journalists . As founding president of Probe Productions Inc. and host of The Probe Team, she started the first investigative newsmagazine for television in the Philippines. I hope I “talk straight” as it is my first ever live interview. The other guest is Agnes Prieto who edited the book on loss of a child, Fallen Cradle. She also initiated this book project.

If you don’t catch the live interview, the replay is at 11:00 PM, June 2 and at 6 PM on June 3, Saturday. I think it will also show simultcast at the The Filipino Channel or ABS CBN Global.

Compassionate Medical Professionals Wanted

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Here is another case of stupid toilet humor that occured in Silliman University Medical Center Foundation, Inc. (SUMCFI).

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A grieving mother who has infertility problems lost her second baby by [tag]miscarriage[/tag] last May 9 and lodged a complaint that she was subjected to indignities by a hospital staff who commented that the dead fetus which was to be her second child was to be urinated upon (because the hospital ran out of formalin and or distilled water.)

Read complete news story From the Negros Chronicle in here and here.

Olga Lucia Uy emailed her story to me 3 days ago. Maia, her baby was only 5 to 6 weeks old at the time of her death.

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My husband, my co-homemaker

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My husband is quite a character. I thought I knew him so well. After all, we were steadies for 7 years. Living together revealed an unknown facet of his personality. He likes to market in the palengke (wet market) and do the grocery. Not only that, he is very nurturing and more motherly than me. A fussy father er mother. He loves washing the dishes and even doing the laundry (when the laundrywoman is not available). This was quite a surprise revelation and a minor irritant at first. He can even iron clothes. I can cook, bake, organize and clean the house but I don’t relish the idea of laundry or ironing chores. When the kids were sick with asthma, he stays up all night and monitors their breathing, and give their medication. I grew up in a family where dad was the sole breadwinner and left household chores with the females. My 3 brothers were spoiled by their sisters and my mom.

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Couple Spa

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spa.jpgFriday and saturday were stressful days for us. Butch and I commemorated our son’s 6th death anniversary by embarking on a new mission which will unfold in the days to come. After we had settled with our new mission, we thought of exercising at the gym and then having a massage together at a [tag]couple spa[/tag]. Romantic bonding moment. The couple spa is also a perfect retreat to replenish our body , mind and spirit. The kind manager offered us a complimentary milk bath after the massage.

The masseuse started with our session. Hmm, I loved the citrusy aromatic oils while the chirping bird music in the background lulled me. Butch seemed to be drowsy too. This is relaxing, so I thought. Then I heard a faint “meow” sound interpersed with the tweeting sounds. “GROAN” Stupid message ring tone (the actual meow of our Siamese cat). I forgot to turn the cellphone into silent mode. It “meowed” 4 more times. Never mind the text messages but the meowing sound stuck to my head. Almost throughout the massage session, I imagined a cat meow together with the bird’s chirping noises. So much for relaxing. I forced myself to zone out of the “meow sound” and just let it be.

spa1.jpgThe massage invigorated our bodies but we didn’t have enough time for a milk bath. The tub looked inviting. Maybe some other time, right? We sipped mint tea and just sat together to enjoy the ambience. I always make it a point to have couple time every week whether we’re stressed out or not. It’s not cheap but that’s the price we pay for love.

Life’s simplest pleasures

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I have been tagged by Ajay to describe 10 of life’s simplest pleasures. She said that “The trick is to be original with your answers and not repeat those which have already been written by your circle of friends”. I have more than 10 of course but here’s my original list not found at Ajay’s list:

1. Watching little boys play with their dads or moms in a park. ( Yes I miss my son)

2. Butterflies that suddenly cross my path. (Is that a sign?)

3. Meditating in a Sauna room. (OOh the heat just makes you want to reflect)

4. A random kiss from my husband and not totally expecting it. (Inspite of more than 27 years of togetherness, I still get gooesebumps when Butch does that.)

5. An email from a long lost classmate or friend after finding me through my blog. (Wow, small world they found me)

6. A hug from my daughters. (I am loved!)

7. Laughing together as a family as we watch comedy shows. (Guess who has the loudest laugh?)

8. Staring at my pictures where I look so much slimmer. (I even look so much better now than I was 20 years ago. Narcissistic huh?)

9. Chatting with my siblings who are all based outside the Philippines (boohoo, I’m the only one left here)

10. Holding hands with my husband. (and … 🙂 )

Now tell me what are your life’s simplest pleasures?

* * *

Speaking of my husband, I got the surprise of my life when I saw his name in my googletalk a couple of days ago. I sent my first message. Butch replied with “we save on text messaging cost this way.” Apparently, his secretary installed it for him so it is easier to communicate. Yesterday, he sent me a rant:

gtalk.jpg
Haha, Butch hates crowds. He probably ended up at the crowded Skating rink.

As you might all know, I use the computer a lot for my business so I am pretty much online. Now it feels strange seeing his name highlighted in my desktop and seeing if he’s available or idle. One time he sent me a message and when I didn’t reply , he called me instead. “You’re not replying“. He probably thinks I sit all day in the computer chair or perhaps he can’t tell when my computer is idle.

What is even weirder is knowing he left the office already when his name is not on Gtalk. I feel like I’m snooping around or something. I have to get used to this [tag]Googletalk[/tag] business.

SM Mall of Asia (page 2)

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Continued from SM MALL OF ASIA PAGE ONE

The FOOT FOR THE GODS caught our attention or was it the 50% OFF special treat.
foot for the godsThe foot and back massage cost only 250 pesos ($4.80) and foot reflexology and foot spa for only 190 pesos ($3.70). WHY NOT? screams my daughter. I then called Lauren and Pat to join her sister. Merrily, they scampered inside the darkened room with soothing aroma in the air. That left me alone so I decided to explore the rest of the mall.

It’s a blessing for senior citizens or the elderly to stroll in the [tag[SM Mall of Asia[/tag]. They provide a cart for their use. Uhh, I wonder if overweight persons are also included here because she didn’t look elderly to me.
sm mall of asiasm mall of asia

Even kids won’t whine from the long walk. They have fun cars to take them around. How adorable these children are. They seem to be having fun.
sm mall of asiasm mall of asia

One of its unique features is a 20-seater tram to make it easier for shoppers to go around.
sm mall of asia

Visit my Pinoy Travel Booking Engine and take that romantic vacation to the Islands of the Philippines. Book your airplane tickets here.

The mall attracts all sorts of shoppers that delight in just watching the fountains, the globe, the band or throwing coins at the fountain.
sm mall of asiamall
sm mall of asiasm mall of asia

After an hour’s stroll, I met up with my daughter at FULLY BOOKED who shows me a book on cats. They only had one book on cats but dog books lined up the shelves. Unfair.
sm mall of asiasm mall of asia

Tired feet and an empty wallet later, we headed for home promising to come back because some stores were offering discounts . Take advantage of opening sales.

Malca Villanueva, Marketing Manager at Mall of Asia says

Malca urges everyone to tour the Mall of Asia extensively, and to give themselves about 1.5-2 days to explore every shop and corner of the 381,075 square meters space. “It’s okay to get lost. There are plenty of signs and you can always ask for maps at the concierge desk (located in the Main Mall and the Entertainment Mall).”

But like I mentioned earlier, their maps are useless. Needs Improvement.

SM IMAX schedule
Get this theater’s movie sched via SMS, send CTC MOV SMIMAX
To: 2333 (Globe) | 2250 (Smart) | 2355 (Sun)

or click here to get the current movie schedule at the IMAX theater.

Visit my Pinoy Travel Booking Engine and take that romantic vacation to the Islands of the Philippines. Buy Cheap Travel Tickets here.

SM Mall of Asia Photos
View Christmas in SM Mall of AsiaView the SM Mall of Asia photo gallery in full sized images. (taken May 24, 2006 using a NOKIA N70 cellphone so pardon the 2 megapixel image quality)
View the photos of SM Mall of Asia (taken June 7, 2006 using Canon Powershot A350) and more SM Mall of Asia Photos
– Food stalls in SM Mall of Asia (taken June 7, 2006 using Canon Powershot A350)
– Manila Bay Sunset as seen from SM Mall of Asia
– The Manila Bay in SM Mall of Asia

SM Mall of Asia Address

SM Mall of Asia
Central Business Park
Bay Blvd., Bay City
Pasay City

Phone: 556-0104 to 06

Directions to go to [tag]SM Mall of Asia[/tag]

If coming from Quezon City (going south), drive or take a ride towards the end of Epifanio del Los Santos Avenue or EDSA crossing Taft Avenue then Roxas Boulevard. After crossing Roxas Boulevard, the road is now called Macapagal Blvd. You won’t miss it because you will see the globe at the end of the boulevard.

sm mall of asia globe

To contact SM Mall of Asia

Go to their SM Prime Holdings website and Click here to contact them for leasing or other concerns or Phone: 556-0104 to 06

P.S. I am not connected with the SM Mall of Asia so please don’t email me for information.

Go back to SM MALL OF ASIA PAGE ONE