Birthday Celeb/ Play-Date at Zoofari and Cake Galerie

Three weeks ago (late post alert!), Yuri and I went out of our comfort zone to attend my inaanak Andrei's second birthday.

Gee. Where did the time go? Parang kahapon lang when I visited them at the hospital when he was born. Now he's as loud and makulit as Yuri!

I said we went out of our comfort zone because of two reasons. First, it's our first lakad with just the two of us, and second, we ventured again to the southern side of the city. So far!

But we had a great time. First, George and I spent an hour with the two little men at Zoofari.

PART 1 - ZOOFARI

I have been to the main branch of Zoofari at Bacaca, which is nearer our home, but this was the first time I've been to Zoofari at SM Ecoland. Since we were at the former for a blogger event, I had no idea what to do inside. Haha.

(So you have to get registered at the counter and have your and your child's photos taken. Then they will hand you a stub containing the time you entered the playgym. I'm reminded of my internet cafe days in college.)

While Andrei was too excited to play (he already ran inside when we were struggling at the counter), Yuri had another crying episode. He always does that when he's in a new place. He also didn't have a nap, which didn't help.

He only calmed down when I pointed out to him a line of trucks and tractors. Thank you God!

While the other children zoomed in and out of the playgym, Yuri generally just stayed within his comfort zone, that area with the trucks and tractors. I was just thankful I didn't need to chase anyone around.

Speaking of comfort zone, Andrei started inside his, too, for the rest of the hour: the ball pit. Despite George's persistent invitation, Yuri just wouldn't go inside the pit. Sensory issues! :D

Huge Discounts Await Customers at Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes

I am a Samsung user. Well, my latest phone is not a Samsung, but I'm still using my old Samsung phone for my old number and both my old and new cameras are Samsung. (My fridge is Samsung, too. Does that count?)

Anyway, I was invited again to another Samsung event last week, and because I have been using their products, I was looking forward to attending it. Do you know why? They will be announcing their... Christmas promo!

We had lunch at Cafe Laguna. Very unfortunately, I wasn't able to bring my camera with me so all I have are phone and tablet photos. Here they are:

My sinful plate at Cafe Laguna 

To know more about Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes, here's Samsung’s press release for more information:

MANILA, Philippines – Samsung gives Pinoys more reasons to love the holidays with Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes. From November 15 – December 31, 2014, customers can get a chance to take home their favorite Samsung device at a lower cost by visiting participating Samsung Experience Shops and authorized dealers nationwide.

“We are very excited to make the holidays extra special for the Pinoys with Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes," said Rhinn Piczon, Product Marketing Head for Mobile of Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation.

“We listened to what our customers want and we’re thrilled to be able to give it to them this Christmas," she added.

Included in the promo are the Samsung Galaxy V, Galaxy Tab 3 Lite, Galaxy Core 2, Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, Galaxy Grand 2, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 3.

The Samsung Galaxy V is a dual SIM phone that features a 4-inch screen and runs on Android Kitkat 4.4.2.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite, on the other hand, features a super light, slim design with a 7-inch WSVGA screen, as well as a a 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core Processor and Android Jellybean OS.

Also available at the Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes is the Samsung Galaxy Core 2 which features a powerful Quad-Core processor on Android Kitkat and a 4.5-inch large screen...

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, with a large 5.2-inch screen an 8MP camera...

Samsung S4 which boasts of a 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED Display and 13MP rear camera...

the latest Samsung S5 which has a 5.1-inch display and 16MP rear camera, and one of Samsung most powerful smartphones in the market...

And the Galaxy Note 3 which features a 5.7-inch display and a Quad Core 2.3GHz processor running on Android Jelly Bean.

At Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes, customers can avail of their very own Samsung devices for as low as Php 7,000 less than the original selling price or get a special item from Samsung upon purchase.

MODEL	RETAIL PRICE	PROMO PRICE
Galaxy V	Php 4,990.00	Free Jelly Case
Galaxy Tab 3 Lite	Php 6,990.00	Php 6,490.00
Galaxy Core 2	Php 8,990.00	Php 6,990.00
Galaxy Tab 4 7.0	Php 11,990.00	Php 10,990.00
Galaxy Grand 2	Php 13,990.00	Php 12,990.00
Galaxy S4	Php 21,990.00	Php 19,990.00
Galaxy S5	Php 34,990.00	Php 31,990.00
Galaxy Note 3	Php 36,990.00	Php 29,990.00

Samsung’s Galaxy of Christmas Wishes can be found at participating Samsung Experience Shops and authorized dealers nationwide. Per DTI FTEB-SPD Permit No. 4704.

So if you're planning to buy a phone or a tablet this Christmas, I say look no further! What about a Samsung?

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A Quick Review of Etude House Drawing Eye Brow

I do not wear makeup but I do know that I need to groom my brows to look presentable. Etude House's Drawing Eyebrow helped me with that.

(I didn't plan to blog today but one look at my overflowing drafts folders gave me a little panic attack!)

Okay, so here we go. I'm unfortunately blessed with weird eyebrows. They're, somewhat thick in the inner edges and really sparse toward the outer edges. In person, they may look okay, but in photos, I look as if I have half-brows.

I have nonexistent brows. (Photo comes from this post.)

Pitiful brows!

I have complained about my brows for as long as I could remember but I keep on forgetting to just buy decent brow makeup. But when opportunity presented itself when I was alone at Abreeza after an event, I finally went to Etude House to pick a liner.

(The night before, I liked for reviews of dummy-friendly eyebrow makeup and many recommended Etude House.)

Upon entering the store, I asked the lady which shade would suit me best. She gave me the #1 shade, which is dark brown. Then she said,

"Pero ma'am, kailangan ayusin nyo po muna kilay nyo."

I laughed. It's true! My brows were really a mess that day.

Anyway, here are photos of the product:

So what's the verdict?

A Trip to Lake Agco at Mt. Apo

Hello, everyone! It's Monday, grind and shine!

Man, do I have so much backlog. I have some drafts I've written way before the ex-yaya had her disgraceful exit, and to reduce the amount, I'm going to tell you about the trip we've taken to Lake Agco at Mount Apo.

Which was about a month ago.

Anyway, I have a lot of photos so I'll begin talking now.

HELLO, LAKE AGCO

"Coined as the ‘Garden of Eden’ of Kidapawan city, Lake Agco... is one of the most visited scenic spots at the foot of Mt. Apo.

Lake Agco, Kidapawan is a popular destination frequented by tourists because of its hot and warm pools formed from the waters coming out of local hot springs. It is a unique inter-mingling of calm lake and thick forests, which makes this a delightful place to visit and stay.

The area where the lake is found is the sacred home of the Manobo Tribes of Mount Apo." - Philippine Tourist Attractions

To say I was looking forward to this day is an understatement. I was so looking forward to hitting the hot springs and stepping on Mt. Apo (kahit sa paanan lang haha).

We left home at 3am to pick up some of our companions at the realty office (the more, the merrier) at a McDo downtown.

It was both an exciting and a nervous time for me because it's the first time Yuri will be taking a long roadtrip. The trip from Davao to Kidapawan City takes more or less 4 hours in a private car, but Yuri didn't disappoint. He was such a good, well-behaved boy all throughout the day!

Here are some photos. (I wasn't able to take scenery photos because it's hard to do that when you're carrying a 2-year old. Maybe next time.)

THE MISHAP

We had a mishap that morning. I don't know where we were, but I think we were at the foot of the road going up to Agco. Apparently, it rained hard the night before our trip so the road (if you can call it "road") was muddy and slippery. It was also steep so we decided to leave the car there and take another mode of transportation. A man volunteered his jeepney (the kind of jeepney you see off road, carrying livestock), but he went somewhere else and we were stuck waiting. Some of our companions bravely started trekking ahead. To make the long story short, after around an hour, we were finally inside the jeepney in one of the bumpiest rides of our lives!

Selfie nalang while waiting

Finance Friday: No Cramming for Christmas!

"Christmas is not an emergency; it comes every year." - Dave Ramsey

Who else thinks Dave Ramsey is on point here? No one would oppose it because it's true: Christmas comes every year and, guess what, we know exactly when it happens!

But why do we wait until the last minute to prepare for it? I'm not taking about the decorations and the planning. We usually begin celebrating Christmas on September 1 (right?), and even before Halloween, some of our neighbors have already decorated their homes.

No, I'm talking about preparing for the spending.

A lot of people (like me) cram for Christmas. The result? Impulse buying, overspending, and buying either too many gifts or too little.

Since we all agree that Dave Ramsey is right (if you don't, feel free to tell us why!), I think there should be no excuse to cram. Since we know it's already the season to be jolly, we should have already started preparing for it. Financially.

How do we do this? Here are some tips:

My Off-Price Show Shopping FInds

Last Sunday was the last day of the Off-Price Show. Actually, I didn't know that it was. I kind of know that it's happening at SM again but I sort of ignored it because I wasn't very impressed with last year's Off-Price Show.

But my father insisted to go because he still regrets not buying the pair of Crocs slip-ons he saw last year. Thinking that Crocs is still a vendor this year, we went to the Off-Price Show.

But before that.

Forme dress, department store belt, Gibi shoes, Coach bag

So fat. Boo.

I like visiting malls at this time of the year because they're already so Christmas-y! After joining my family hear the mass at SM Lanang, we enjoyed looking at their decorations and Lego's Christmas village(s).

After the photo ops, we finally went to SMX for the Off-Price Show.

Kids Say the Craziest Things

Yuri says a lot of funny things, but so far (well, until last Sunday), none were too embarrassing for us. For example, a couple of weeks ago, when we attended my grandson Andrei's birthday celebration (which I have yet to blog about!), while 2-year old Andrei was giving us an impassioned rendition of Hey Jude, Yuri suddenly said, "Nakakatakot naman kanta nya."

Bro-love (Yuri and Andrei)

Okaaaay. But it wasn't very embarrassing. Just a tongue-in-cheek remark in front of close friends. i'll make sure Andrei knows he said that in the future though.

Enter Sunday.

We were inside the shoe department of SM Lanang because my father was looking for slip-ons for traveling. There weren't any men's shoes in the Off-Price Show (which I'll tell you about tomorrow) much to his dismay, so we found ourselves in the department store.

Yuri and I were sitting on a bench when I spotted an old schoolmate from UP. He was actually just right behind us. I knew him but I'm not sure if he knows me so I didn't say hi or whatever. I just sat down and minded Yuri.

Apparently, Yuri had another thing in mind. That schoolmate of mine happened to be sporting a short beard, and since he knows only one "bearded" man in his life, he pointed to the poor schoolmate and said,

"SI JESUS!"

I quickly stood up and off we went to the toy department.

The end.

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My Pursuit of Happiness

Hello, I'm back!

*kru kru kru*

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

So I had a blogging hiatus. I felt so down last week not only because of a friend's death but also because my words were mocked in an article that opposed my view.

I wanted to copy the words here (and cite the author, of course) but decided against it at the last minute. I don't want to link to it, but most importantly, I don't want to read my blog in the future and have to read her words again. The author, who is a professor pa naman from UP Mindanao, lifted my words from my post, Let Me Grieve, and didn't even credit me, to show everyone that some people's priorities are askew.

Apparently, according to that author, I am one of those people.

To tell you the truth, I got so mad. Even now when I attempted to copy what she wrote, I got a little miffed again. I get it. I understand that she thinks the NPA movement is noble. She and I have different views. But do I have to get mocked for her to deliver her sentiments? As a writer who speaks out her mind (more than what is necessary), I will never go as low as that.

More importantly, she didn't have to belittle my faith. She didn't know what conversations I had with Perper about it. She didn't even know Perper in the first place! I never directed offense at anyone in my post, so why was I getting attacked?

Source: bible-quote.deviantart.com

But you know what, the article, despite being offensive, made me think. Am I really pursuing meaningless happiness? Here are the things I wrote that I think my friend - and everyone - deserved:

We Have a Certified Positive Winner!

Hello! I'm dropping in quickly to announce the winner for our giveaway! Are you excited?

I'll tell you the truth: I stopped promoting it after the first day. Why? Simply because it's already so hard to choose just one winner that I couldn't imagine having to read even more entries!

Ladies, I love all of your answers. I enjoyed reading all of them and was even moved by some of the entries. If I had the money to buy planners for all of you, I would because you all deserve to win.

But I need to choose. How did I do it? Unlike most contests, I refused to have a Rafflecopter draw. This is a personal giveaway where I'm giving away something I love using with my own money, and I don't want the planner to end up in the hands of some professional contest-joiner. I want to give it to someone who wants it and will really use it.

This is my single criterion: I want the planner to be used for a testimony to glorify God. I want to give the Certified Positive planner to someone who will use it to bless others. While all of your responses are beautiful, I was really moved by the words of this lady: