Touched by An Angel

23May 2006

SM Mall of Asia (page 2)

Continued from SM MALL OF ASIA PAGE ONE

The FOOT FOR THE GODS caught our attention or was it the 50% OFF special treat.
The 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

21May 2006

Condominium Shopping

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 9 Comments

This beautiful ancestral house is inhabited by ghosts. No kidding! I’ve been ignoring the footsteps, the weird sounds, odors and the cat getting spooked for the past 8 years. We moved to Makati in 1998 and thought it was the best decision we ever made. Sure, it took only 15 minutes to my husband’s office. Luijoe was only 4 years old. He cried every night the first few weeks because he wanted to go back to our cute bungalow in Pasig City. He often said that “This house is not beautiful. Let’s go back“. He’d stare forlornly by the window sill.

In early 2000 we already knew that this house didn’t bring in good vibes. This led us to purchase a house and lot somewhere in Sta. Rosa , Laguna and thought of moving the whole family to the south. That meant looking for a new school for the girls and Luijoe. Unfortunately, Luijoe died May 27, 2000 and our plans got shelved aside. Moving out took a backseat because we were too stressed out in our bereavement. The house is being rented out to a Japanese family who want to hold on to the house because it gave them “good luck”. We can’t move in there yet. So I don’t know. Can a house affect good or bad vibes? I think so.

19May 2006

Before and After : Weight Loss Photos

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 23 Comments

It’s inspiring to see before and after photos of people who have lost weight. Take for instance Five stars who went to fat and back like Janet Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Anna Nicole Smith, Nicole Richie and Jared Leto. Janet lost a whopping 70 pounds:

Janet’s secret is not lipo, not starvation, not gastric bypass. A few months back, Janet signed up for a healthy gourmet delivery service called Fresh Dining, a company that is becoming Hollywood’s new thing.

There’s a similar service in Makati that prepares the [tag]Southbeach diet[/tag] and delivers it to your house. I know of a couple who ordered this diet plan. It cost them 20,000 pesos (roughly $400) every 15 days. God, it’s way too expensive. The result. They didn’t lose weight and I think even gained some poundage. So much for Southbeach diet.

My weight management plan was based on South Beach diet which I prepared by myself. Nothing fancy or expensive. It worked combined with daily exercise at the gym. At the age of 48 years old and afflicted with diabetes, I ‘ve achieved a [tag]weight loss[/tag] of of 30 pounds over a period of 4 to 5 months. I have 10 more pounds to lose.

So here’s my before and after pic:

16May 2006

Ali Sotto’s Special Mother’s Day Feature

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 5 Comments

I was quite apprehensive over the production of Ali’s Sotto Mother’s Day Feature. Ali’s talk show was launched late last year and I had never watched a single episode. What will be the focus? Will it sound sensational aka Oprah Show style? Or will they show some heart breaking dramatic effect? I was prepared for the worst.

Surprisingly, the episode was nice, touching and inspiring. The Ali Show featured mothers who have moved on towards a positive resolution of their grief. It’s not easy to narrate my grief and the events surrounding Luijoe’s death in public but I needed to share , if only to give hope to other bereaved parents. Most importantly, my son’s memory is kept alive through The Compassionate Friends which I co-founded with two other parents. (View Screencaps of the show)

* * *
When I woke up this morning, I received a few text messages about the show. The funniest of them all was a text message forwarded by my husband.

Hi Butch . Is Noemi a movie celebrity? I keep seeing her picture on TV. what show does she come out in?

haha, I don’t know if our new friend was kidding or not but I think he was referring to the preview of the show.

16May 2006

Sports in the family

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 6 Comments

Sports should have been one of the children’s activities. Yes, there were swimming classes but no volleyball, soccer, softball or basketball. Sure, L kicked her way to Kung fu lessons while M took rock climbing and fencing during the summer. I think the reason I didn’t encourage contact sports was because I was also brought up that way. All of the siblings studied piano lessons and my mother didn’t want our delicate hands to be injured. So in the same manner, I also discouraged my girls to take up sports that had the highest risk of injury to their hands. “Sports is the only thing that we lacked.” Not that my kids are ungrateful. They appreciate me for the arts and crafts, ballet , piano, voice, theater and the light sports lessons. It’s just their bodies needed more physicial exertion.

Oh well , mommy is not perfect and besides they can always start something on their own like badminton or tennis. It’s never too late. The only consolation I can offer at the moment is membership at the fitness gym. Team spirit may not be present during the exercises but bonding with their mother and the other members can be just as rewarding.

14May 2006

Cook for Mom day

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 5 Comments

The love of my children are enough to see me through any day. A kiss and their love greeting is a wonderful gift. I managed to survive all these years inspite of losing a son because I still had to take care of 2 girls. During those bleak days, they somehow were a reminder that I had to live for them . In honor of Mother’s Day, I was spared the job of cooking for lunch. Butch went to the grocery to buy some meats and vegetables for our [tag]Korean Grill[/tag] lunch. Even if it’s not [tag]Mother’s day[/tag], my husband does the marketing. He loves doing this task every sunday.

The beauty of using a portable oven on the table is a lot of conversation as one cooks their meal. It takes longer to eat the meal due to the cooking time involved. Ingredients used for the Korean Grill are : sesame oil, Kikkoman soy sauce, shrimp, beef, garlic, mongo sprouts, onions, green onions, mushrooms, and more. Really good dish. It’s also a great way to entertain visitors. So now, I have to go to the gym to exercise and pamper myself.

12May 2006

Mother’s Day Special for Bereaved Mothers

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 2 Comments

interview It’s not that I’m vain. That’s a test shot. I checked to see if the makeup artist placed too much cake on me. Okay, I’m vain. I was invited as one of the guests for the taping of a Mother’s Day Special for Ali Sotto-Bsaies’ talk-magazine program (light public affairs show aptly titled “ALI,”). I expected it to be over in 30 minutes. It was difficult for Ali to do this episode. Our interview reached two hours due to frequent crying breaks and retouching of makeup. Miko Sotto‘s birthday was just last May 10 then there ‘s Mother’s Day. Anniversary dates, holidays, birthdays, special days will come and pass, each with their sting of pain. I felt really sad. I don’t know what will come out of my episode. Just see for yourself on the outcome of the interview. Other mothers featured are Agnes Prieto, Alma Miclat , Vilma Dy and Ali Sotto herself. It’ll come out on May 16, 2006 ABC Channel 5 at 11:00 PM.

I’ll talk more about this when the show airs next tuesday.

More TV shows are showing a mother’s loss this month, like Maalala Mo Kaya and Magpakailanman

I’m exhausted.

11May 2006

Child Abuse Advocacy

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 7 Comments

I am not surprised that after the mashing incident in Greenbelt 3, a smiliar incident will happen again. A friend in her mid twenties emailed me about a child abuse incident in Shoemart (SM) Baguio. The father, Angelico Mercader is the Head of Communications at the Office of the Secretary in the Department of Education and a father of three young children. He is advocating against child abuse after that incident:

I’d like to share an incident which happened last Saturday, April 29, 2006 in Baguio City where my two sons, age 6 and 8, were sexually harassed at SM Baguio.

FRISKING MY KIDS’ PRIVATE PARTS Ã¢â‚¬â€œ NOT FUNNY!

I went to SM Baguio with my two sons and 4 year-old daughter on Saturday afternoon. At the entrance, there was this routine baggage inspection Ã¢â‚¬â€œ one line for males and another for females. Upon our entrance, the guard inspected my bag and frisked me. As I was holding
my little girl, my two sons were following right behind me.

After I was inspected, I saw the guard frisking my sons from the waist down to their private parts, one after the other. I freaked out when I saw what the guard did, as I also saw him smiling while my two sons were looking at me helplessly. I reprimanded him and said that he had
just sexually harassed my children. Instead of apologizing, he argued that he was only joking and that he wasn’t gay and that my children were boys anyway.

The complete email can also be found here and here. Incidentally, the owners of SM and the security agency, Star Force Security, are one and the same.

The incident angers me because of a similar attitude I got from a fellow mother-chaperone in one of my girls’ choir tour in Canada. Another mom whispered to me that one of our kids, a 6 year old girl (let’s call her Leila) fondled the private parts of her Filipino-Canadian host’ 8 year old child. I was appalled and immediately reported it to the mother-chaperone of Leila. I was even more shocked at her reply:

10May 2006

Belly Dancing Mama and Daughter

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 8 Comments

I told my daughter , Lauren ” Did you know that [tag]belly dance[/tag] was taught by mothers to their daughters for easy childbirths?” She raised an eyebrow. I added, “At least you’re learning it now while still single“. Lauren rolled her eyes. She decided to tag along with me last week for belly dancing . Ahh, we had so much fun. After the belly dance session, she went to the “Girl Shoppe” at Market! Market! and bought me red hip scarves with coins while she got the purple for herself. This morning was our second session. The second time around is so much easier . Belly dancing reminds me a bit of the “hula” or “hawaiian dance” which was the craze for pre-teens in the late sixties. I know how to sashay my hips like a graceful hula dancer. But belly dance is different.

The dance’s movements teach you to focus on moving one part of the body, and make muscles and limbs toned yet flexible. One learns to control body movements, restricting them either to the upper or lower body. In “shoulder shimmies,” for instance, only the shoulders, arms and chest should move, not the waist or hips. Source

08May 2006

Getting a pet Cat or not?

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 7 Comments

I was at the pet shop of Makati Cinema Square, looking for an anti-flea medication for the pets at home when I spotted these kitties. How adorable. This Birman kitten mewed as I approached the cage. So cute. Then did a cutesy pose. He looks like a cross between a Siamese cat and a Persian cat. I looked at the price. Birman Cat, No papers, 10,000 pesos ($196.00). 10,000 pesos, really? I exclaimed. The salesman said it costs 36,000 pesos ($705.00) if the cat came with papers but he could gives me 1000 pesos off the asking price. Our Siamese cat came without papers and cost only 2,000 pesos over 7 years ago. But this is a Birman Cat. Unlike the Siamese cat, Birman cats are affectionate and soft-spoken. Lauren’s Siamese pet can be such a loud mouth. I really want to buy a pet cat of my own or even adopt an ordinary cat. See, the existing pets at home are owned by the 2 girls. They refuse to be petted by me whenever the girls are around. The kitties clamber up to my chair only when the 2 girls are at school

I don’t think my husband will approve of a third cat at home. He’s asthamtic. But out of his love for the girls, he allowed them to have pets. In fact, he surprised me by buying “The Everything Cat Book“. It’s enjoyable to read and contains a lot of information I never knew in caring for cats. He knows I love these furry balls.

But a cat book is different from having a third cat. Mother’s day is coming soon, as Lauren quipped. Hmm?!

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