Words of Comfort From The Woman Who Inspires Me The Most...

Prior to this, I made an entry with regards to certain individuals that were very rude mocking on another's work online. I removed the post as advised by my mom.

All she told me was... "Let go, continue what inspire you the most, these people are to be ignored. Because once you give-in or make a reaction to the rudeness of these people, you will only level yourself to the poor life they're undergoing. Their frustrations and their own ambitions blinding them with envy and grief.

For a moment there, I realized that yes, when I made that post as a form of defense I was eaten up  by one reality of life. "We can never get rid of certain people that has no other intention in the world but to look for mistakes". Thus, in order to live on with dignity and uplifting prowess, one should just play around these individuals who badly needs help in finding inner peace for themselves.

I am really thankful to have that short but fruitful conversation with my mom... Now, I'm more inspired than ever.

Thank you Mom...

My Say To BAYO's What's Your Mix? Controversy

Yahoo! Philippines SHE asks Pinays: "What do you think about the ad series?"

Racism is a very strong word. If it ought to be used, then the problem is big enough to create a wave of madness online. So I checked it out.

It's been all over the internet. It was even a headline for quite sometime. I'm affected because I shop in BAYO. My last retail therapy was from BAYO. I love their clothes. With the recent fiasco, I saw some strong and weak points that's why I made this post. 

Here's what I have on BAYO's What's Your Mix? controversy.

1. On my first look, I didn't find anything offensive. I saw the ad's goal and inner perspective. I know where the theme is coming from. The presentation was good like it's making me go to the nearest BAYO boutique to check their new items.

BUT... there's one thing which I found unnecessary.

2. The digits were ridiculous. Although we all know that the general population of Filipinos are mixed, it doesn't mean that the very same whole population doesn't mind if these type of ad campaigns are brought up. Still, there will be individuals who will take it as pure racism thinking that its only catering to the people of mixed racial ancestry and even associate it with them being rich and all. I know that the whole concept shows that anything mixed with "Filipino" or having "Filipino touch" in any form, is BEAUTIFUL, which is true. But BEAUTY must not be gauged whether you have a mixed blood line, if you're pure blooded, and even gauge it through ones financial capacity in life. We're all beautiful. 

It's more acceptable if the digits were not included. The focal point will go around the transition of BAYO as a Philippine brand getting known worldwide It's an extraordinary way of going global without hiring somebody famous internationally to wear your clothes.

Being 100% Filipino: We don't have to take things literally, like being pure by blood. We know that most of us are not. Being 100% Pinoy is growing up in the Philippines, embracing our culture, beliefs and traditions.

3. In my point of view, it would have been better and "safer" to have a Filipino model known to inspire Filipinos who can definitely stand for this local brand. After everything was presented, from being half Australian, African, Indian, Chinese...where's the true Filipina? What happened to KC Concepcion? Another good spokesperson is BAYO's former endorser Ms. Lea Salonga. For me, the whole ad campaign would have gotten support if they included a pure Filipina model as the highlight among the mixture presented.

What's important now is that BAYO's doing something to correct this, this, this mix and match thing. Maybe they can produce a better ad campaign  that will also reunite everyone's thoughts and feelings again.

BAYO Apologizes

Let me just clear something brought by this controversy. As I was going through some shout outs, I came across a comment from a blogger emphasizing or sighting (with conviction hehehe!) that Benetton is a hard example of racism. Benetton is not racism. "UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON" it brought all races together. It's exactly the opposite of racism that's how Benetton became successful in the first place.

Welcome To The Christian World Mikee!

Here are the bits and pieces of a well celebrated occasion. It was an intimate gathering with our close friends and family. 

Welcome To The Christian World Mikee!

The name Mikee was derived from his first name Michael. There are 3 reasons why Michael.

1. I am a St. Michael the Archangel devotee, I truly believe in the power of his prayer.
2. My eldest son Franky was born on the feast of  St. Michael the Archangel.

3. In memory of my husband's younger brother named Michael who passed away a few days after he was born.

Our close friends graced us with their presence. Being able to celebrate with them is such a blessing. Most of them are the Godparents of Mikee.

The Baptismal Mass was short but it was filled with moments contemplating on the purpose of the Baptism, how sacred it is and the importance of our obligations to the Catholic Church and as parents. As always, my husband and I always make our celebrations simple yet worth remembering just like our wedding. Being in the presence of the people close to us and the people we love makes everything special. Lunch followed in a nearby Max's Restaurant.

Mother's Day Celebration 2012

It's one of those Mother's Day celebration when my dad had to fly to some country for business. Aside for a get together at my parents' house, my dad sent me a message to prepare a small surprise for my mom on his behalf. The whole week, I was coordinating with my sisters on how to go about this surprise. So I told my siblings that whatever they have in mind, 2 important things should be present.

1. A mother's day cake.

 2. Roses for our Mom.

My husband and I took care of the flowers and my siblings bought the cake and my brother Ver added Chocolate Mousse from Becky's Kitchen.

I celebrated Mother's day with my mom but I didn't take the spot light away from her. As always mentioned in my yearly Mother's Day posts, Mother's Day will always be about the woman who brought me to this world. MOMMY! The kind-hearted Being who taught me the true essence and the simplest form of WOMANHOOD. My #1 mentor, adviser, inspiration and strength as I go through the journey of MOTHERHOOD myself.

My siblings and I had a separate celebration for our Mom. It sure is extra special, because we made her cry... We Love you Mommy!

As for me, I thought it was my birthday XD Thank you Adolf Cruz for a one of a kind celebration. This year's celebration was just extraordinary because I got a piece of my favorite food, not only once but throughout the day.

We started with Mom's Day breakfast in Banapple Connecticut Greenhills, Lunch with my favorite plate from Pinoy Toppings and ended our day with dinner at CityBuffet Robinsons Galleria.

But the highlight of Mother's Day 2012 was the new addition of the family my second son Mikee. This time, I celebrated with my "3" boys. The whole meaning of Mother's Day is to have my kids around.

Thanks to those who posted on my Facebook wall, for the warm text messages. I wasn't able to send everyone who greeted me a thank you message, let this entry cover for it. Hugs!

Sunday Spent At The Ayala Triangle Gardens

I was out with my family last Sunday. We met up with our relatives at the Ayala Triangle. The kids had fun running around, while the adults savored some moments of catching up. We chose Ayala Triangle over the weekend because there, you will find peaceful mornings and afternoons compared to its usual busy evenings. It is also the perfect place to take our pets for a walk.

Just like what Kat told me, Ayala Triangle is the "Central Park" version of Makati. It's like an oasis in the middle of the city.

It was pretty humid when we went out last Sunday. Boy, this sudden change of weather is making it even worse. Good thing that there's a lot of restaurants to choose from. To cool down, we decided to chill with some gelato from Caramia Gelateria.

As always, I like something minty, rich, thick and chocolatey. Mango Mint and Cioccolato: perfect combination.

My Gelato Moment

We spent the rest of our cool afternoon strolling around and taking pictures with our phones. For Mothers Day, I want to treat my family including our Beagle Emo for an early morning walk at the Ayala Triangle then breakfast. But this time, I'll make sure to bring a camera.

Ayala Triangle Gardens Guidelines

The Infinite Avengers

I am not a comic book person. But I get my knowledge about these things such as the Marvel Comics both from my husband and brother. I read a few strips of The Avengers when I was a kid. I got familiarized with The Hulk, Iron Man and Captain America with those "few strips".

My husband and I watched The Avengers on 3D at the Promenade in Greenhills. Like everyone else, we waited with great anticipation for it to finally hit the big screen. When the first Iron Man came out, my husband told me that Mavel just might do The Avengers. Well, thinking that The Hulk was released too, and with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) making some special appearances, they just might... and eventually, more superheroes were introduced through the years, including Captain America and Thor.

My husband and I were not the only ones who got into this whole Marvel phenomenon. Our eldest son Franky as well. We bought some videos of The Avengers for him to watch and enjoy. The so-called videos are cartoons of the original Avengers superheroes, which includes The Ant Man, Wasp and HawkEye.

The movie was very entertaining, fun, yet filled with action scenes. They did a great job with The Avengers. We watched it on a weekend and with the whole week of waiting, I've read several reviews and I can't believe that there were still unsatisfied movie goers. Most negative feedback I've read circulated on not giving justice to Black Widow's character and something about HawkEye and there's one who even said that it was an Iron Man movie. In other words, there weren't any balance among the characters. That's them and this is Us- Marvel fans. For me, it was a well-balanced flick. If I'm to play as Nick Fury, I would probably say: "everyone did their job and each met their purpose". I saw the realistic side of being a superhero--- if we have superheroes.

By the way, hats off to Mr. Mark Ruffalo, best portrayal of The Hulk.

-photo source-

To make this entry shorter. One of the things that got my attention was the teaser trailer at the end of the movie. In relation, my husband treated me to a good reading for my iPad. It's an awesome comic book, great while I waited for the time to see The Avengers movie. My husband told me that this particular Marvel Comic book might come in handy for the next Avengers.

And so it is...

Does this smile reminds you of someone or something? Think: The Avengers Teaser. That's right folks, it's THANOS! I say, there just "might" be something bigger, greater and powerful behind the next Avengers. 

Get The Infinity Gauntlet for iPad
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Beachin' Around Subic

Our trip to Subic late last month was partly a family affair and a gathering with our friends. Last year, we went to Baler to surf. Though we planned to go back to Baler this year, due to some circumstances such as having an infant around and a friend who's going to be a first time mom (yehey!) we had to cancel and set for another one. Summer of 2012, we decided to go to a much nearer destination, SUBIC!. Our trip went around the beaches of Subic. After our ZOOBIC Safari, we went to All Hands Beach Resort and there, we spent the rest of our afternoon and evening.

Based on the website, All Hands Beach Resort was famous to the U.S. Navy. The name of the resort was derived from the old saying" all hands on deck". All Hands Beach is great for swimming for all ages due to the shallow and gradually sloping depth of the shoreline. -source-

The sand is fine and white. For a summer weekend, it wasn't as full, so we pretty much enjoyed the whole beach. They also offer night swimming. All Hands Beach Resorts has an awesome line of amenities and water activities for the whole family. They also have a lifeguard to watch over their guests.

Entrance fee: 

Day Swimming: Php500 

Night Swimming: Php600

The following day, we went to a nearby beach resort (which I forgot the name). The beach is more of a public beach. The usual beach resort that offers an affordable entrance fee, it opens at 8am then closes at 5pm.

It was a perfect destination for a quick dip in the ocean. Before leaving Subic, we all decided to go for another round. The view was fantastic, it was clean, with fine white sand and clear waters. If you're around the area and you want to freshen up, this beach resort is located along the way going to All Hands Beach Resort. It's near the Subic Bay International Airport.

 Entrance fee: Php200

We had a blast! For me and my family, it was amazing. My son learned how to swim on his own, he was able to see real starfishes and baby crabs in the shallow waters of Subic. Everything was perfect. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot. Both our families and friends were around. As always, we're blessed with a fun-filled summer!

All Hands Beach Resort