Monthly Archives: November 2011

Leyende

By | Proud to be Pinoy!, Shopping | No Comments

I have been seeing Leyende in many bazaars for quite some time now but only got to know about their products recently.  Thank you Claude Santos, Pioneer for Marketing Projects,  for introducing me to the brand to me. 

dsc_4912.JPGleyende-01.jpgdsc_4914.JPG

 I sampled their basic facial products and their massage oils.  They have shampoo, cologne and lip balms.

set1000_basket.jpgset1_350.jpgset_open_350.jpgdsc_4916.JPGdsc_4917.JPG

Another person behind Leyende  is Angelica Cruz, Managing consultant for corporate and spa accounts

leyende-02.jpg

Heart2Heart loves products that are locally made ( our very own Filipino products ), environment friendly and natural products and Leyende is all that plus they are ECOCERT-certified.

dsc_4911.JPG

 I was able to try their new facial scrub which is made out of our very own muscovado sugar and calamansi.  It’s good to know that what you are putting on your skin /face is natural and does not have harsh ingredients.

leyende_holiday_ad.jpgleyende-la-dolce-muscovado-face-scrub.jpgla-dolce-ingredients-leyende.jpg

I love the bag it came in which they gave to me

 dsc_4090.jpg

I have not yet met the owner, Neva, who is the President and founder and is a friend of my sister in law, Krie of Messy Bessy.   The two of them have similar ways and we are fortunate to have them as they inspire us to do business not just to make money but to be able to help others ( social aspect ), help our environment and save the earth and use natural and local ingredients.

leyende-passion.jpgleyende-success-stories.jpg

Visit their website for more information:

leyende-philippine-handmade-natural-and-organic-lotions-moistu.jpg

[email_link]

Happy2Help Happily Helps the Makati City Jail

By | Giving Back | No Comments

In the Makati City Jail, believe me when I say they are busy 🙂  Not only are they busy doing their daily chores and routine, they even have livelihood projects.  They earn a living inside so they can earn.  

Salon and Shoe repair 

happy2help-05.jpg

Candle Making 

happy2help-06.jpg

A Jail sari sari store 🙂 

happy2help-015.jpg 

A bakery 🙂  This guy is their baker and when we visited he was in his last few days in jail and ready to go out in a few days.  He said that he has taught and passed on his knowledge to someone else so they can continue to do what he was doing 

happy2help-09.jpghappy2help-07.jpghappy2help-08.jpg

They even grow their own vegetables 

visit-to-makati-city-jail2.jpeghappy2help-010.jpghappy2help-011.jpg

And have a few animals they grow for food  

visit-to-makati-city-jail4.jpeg

In the female jail cell, we saw some women repacking coffee into smaller portions and they sell them 

happy2help-012.jpg

And the latest livelihood brought by Chary to them are her Statement bags.  She brought more fabric for them to work with since she is getting a lot of orders for her bags for Christmas.  She helps the detainees by giving the something to do and at the same time earning something for their labor of sewing the fabric together into bags 🙂

happy2help-013.jpghappy2help-014.jpg

And here is the finished product and a message from Chary.  Chary has her foundation with other friends called Happy2Help!  It’s like Heart2Heart-  H2H :-)  Hope you can support Happy2Help and the detainees in the Makati City Jail by purchasing the bags they make  

 pink_smile_heart_thumb.jpgpink_smile_heart_thumb.jpgpink_smile_heart_thumb.jpg

Hi Friends,

One “ber”  month has already passed so it seems an appropriate time to remind you that Christmas is just around the corner. tadadadaaannnn

Fear not those who haven’t bought a thing! This year, happy2help, is selling two kinds of bags which would make beautiful, meaningful and eco-friendly Christmas gifts for your family and friends. 

The other line we are offering this year is the “Smart Shopper,” HUGE canvass grocery bags with waterproof interior and heavy duty straps. The smart shoppers come in chocolate brown, army green, light grey, tangerine and cream.  As you can see from the photos, they are emblazoned with our favorite “universal truths” as stated by different icons of our time: the Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill, Norman Vincent Peale, JK Rowling and Lady Gaga

These bags were handmade by the inmates of Makati City Jail.  Many of the men and women who made them are accused, but not convicted, of crimes and have been waiting several years for a verdict in their cases.  Happy2help is giving them this opportunity to earn money for their families through these bags.

The smart shoppers are priced at P200 each, or P900 if you get a set of all five.

295708_296223553739425_100000553495642_1099792_689284058_n.jpghappy2help-01.jpg310644_296234417071672_100000553495642_1099808_387019419_n.jpghappy2help-02.jpghappy2help-03.jpg

In the pictures attached, you will see a group shot of the “Glam Shopper.”  These are satin bags in six jewel tones with a damask print embossed in black velvet.  The handles are made of grosgrain ribbon.

 happy2help-04.jpg

Made by victims of typhoon Ondoy who have since been relocated to the province, these bags are the perfect gift for teachers, tellers, office ladies, and any other woman who knows being “green” doesn’t necessarily mean forsaking all sense of style!

 309639_296206277074486_100000553495642_1099722_1567414641_n.jpg

We are selling the bags pre-folded into pouches at P100 each.  If you want them in all-black silk-lined boxes for added sophistication, then those are either P150 for singles or P350 for a trio.

We can customize bags for you as well for a minimum 100 orders.

All the bags have attached a tag that explains how proceeds from these bags help improve the lives of the sewers, and the communities that are served by happy2help.

Thanks for your consideration.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Chary Mercado

email address:  charina.mercado@gmail.com 

Please contact us through our facebook page, click below to go to Happy 2Help at facebook to place your orders

 294553_260197427342038_100000553495642_964571_6131580_n.jpg

pink_smile_heart_thumb.jpgpink_smile_heart_thumb.jpgpink_smile_heart_thumb.jpg

[email_link]

 

Visit to The Makati City Jail

By | Education, Giving Back | 5 Comments

On Halloween day, I spent the morning at The Makati City Jail.  It’s just a few blocks from MC Home Depot in the Fort.  This is where people are detained while they are waiting for their day in court.  It’s a pity because some of them wait for so many years, it’s like they served their sentence already.  Then when the time comes for them to go to court, they meet their lawyers a few hours only before their trial

visit-to-makati-city-jail1.jpeg

Yet it was nice to see that despite that, people here are trying to make the most of what they have

When you first enter, you see a nice christmas tree made from recycled plastic bags.  They celebrate early too like me 🙂

visit-to-makati-city-jail9.jpeg

Thank you to my friend, Chary, for bringing me along with her.  For Chary this is a regular routine for her as she comes every week to tutor the detainees.  Thank you too to Bong Espenocilla, a detainee himself,  for touring us around and telling me about life in their place

visit-to-makati-city-jail22.jpeg

A typical day for them 

visit-to-makati-city-jail21.jpegEveryone is kept busy which is good.  I would not know how life is in a place like this but seeing all of them, it was nice to see some smiles on their faces and hope that maybe one day they will still have a life outside visit-to-makati-city-jail3.jpeg

These are the old jail cells for solitary confinement but these are not used anymore nowadays.  This is where Ninoy Aquino and Serge Osmeña stayed during their stay here.  Now they are used for conjugal visits of spouses or just locked up and not being used 

visit-to-makati-city-jail5.jpeg

They cook their own food 

visit-to-makati-city-jail6.jpeg

They are a very religious community.  There are even volunteers who regularly visit, some even everyday to give spiritual guidance for them.  They have a grotto in the garden with a chubby Mother Mary 🙂  They are looking for someone to donate a Virgin Mary for their grotto.  I actually like their version because I find it unique and antique already 🙂  

visit-to-makati-city-jail7.jpeg

Chary never visited the cells but this visit we went inside and we toured the male cells and they even serenaded us 🙂 They were very well behaved and the place was clean and neat.  There are around 400 plus male detainees 

visit-to-makati-city-jail15.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail16.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail8.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail14.jpeg

And we visited the female cells.  There are almost a hundred female detainees, not as many as the males 

visit-to-makati-city-jail11.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail10.jpeg

They have  many, many activities to keep them busy, who said life in jail was boring? Not here! 

visit-to-makati-city-jail17.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail18.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail19.jpegvisit-to-makati-city-jail20.jpeg

Chary teaches up to 10 per class.  Since March this year, Chary and other volunteers with her – Jason Bangayan, Leah Puyat and Risa Garcia come over to tutor them for an hour.  Many of them don’t have highschool diplomas, so teachers from the Department of Education come twice a week to teach them and Chary and her friends come once a week to tutor them in preparation for the once a year test they will have to pass to get their diplomas.  

visit-to-makati-city-jail12.jpeg

and boys have separate classes from girls, they are not really allowed to interact unless they have joint activities planned.  Chary told me that she used to teach them under the heat of the sun!  It’s a good thing now they have these huts where they can work in  

visit-to-makati-city-jail13.jpeg

Thank you Chary for this very enlightening experience for me.  I will never forget this Halloween Day.  And Thank you to you and your friends for giving hope to the detainees who are wiling to learn and earn a highschool degree.  And maybe one day when they are free and can go out in the real world, they will be ready and able to do more for themselves and face a bright future  

[email_link]

Be Brave! Be Chic! Be A Woman!

By | Fashion, What's New at Rustan's | No Comments

 This winter, the Sinéquanone woman will be wearing clothes that let her unique, multi-faceted style shine through bravely, without compromise. Elegant, nonchalant and refined? – Absolutely. Chic? Always! Taking the best bits of the perfect wardrobe, the creme de la creme, she’ll put them together in her own ultra-stylish, totally modern, way : 70s classics, 80s athletics gear, the tailored look that defined the 90s…

 An individual choice of clever combinations, subtle harmonies and measured mixes – this is a recipe for true style! She’ll casually drape furs over her shoulders. She’ll wear her maxi-dress, box-pleated skirt, or neat little suit and blouse, made only of the finest materials. She’ll create a thousand and one different looks by mixing cable sweaters or brightly coloured tops with her 2011 fashion favorite – the maxi-skirt! Because this winter, the Sinequanone woman loves her clothes long! You won’t often see her without her 70s floppy hat and flared jeans. Biker jacket, perforated dress, trousers – they’re all sure to be made of leather – an obscure object of desire that will remind us she has a rebellious side too! As for jackets – bomber-jackets, cosy, casual aviator jackets, made of luxury materials – they’ll add a surprising touch to a look that might otherwise seem a tad middle-class, a tad ‘safe’… If she’s aiming for all out chic, she’ll choose lipstick red, but she won’t ignore the blues or violets for all that, from the lightest, brightest of all, through to deepest cobalt, navy and nearly black. Two colours, once enemies, now the best of friends! And when she flashes her gold card it will be the perfect complement to all those warm browns, minks and hot chestnuts.

sinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-1.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-2.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-3.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-4.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-5.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-6.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-7.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-8.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-9.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-10.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-11.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-12.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-13.jpg

sinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-14.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-15.jpg

sinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-16.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-17.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-18.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-19.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-20.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-21.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-22.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-23.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-24.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-25.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-26.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-27.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-28.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-29.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-30.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-31.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-32.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-33.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-34.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-35.jpgsinequanone-fall-winter-2011-collection-36.jpg

In the Philippines, Sinequanone is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI) and is located at Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City, and SM Mall of Asia.

 [email_link]

Re:New Me By Cohen Lifestyle Center

By | Great Achievements, Health and Fitness | 6 Comments

The fist time I heard about the Cohen diet was when I saw photos of my friend in facebook.  It was amazing!!  Mecca looks even younger than when I knew her about 15 years ago!

new-me-cohen-8.jpgnew-me-cohen-9.jpg

Then I heard more about it from our friend, Dette who would not eat anything when we would have our lunches!!  She was really very strict about what she was eating….no wonder these girls get such good results!!!

new-me-cohen-10.jpg

And then I also found out that my batchmate Rowena sent her daughter who is 18 years old  and she looks really great too!! Rowena told me that not only does she look great but it has changed her daughter’s life.  She has higher self esteem now and continues to work towards her desired goal

re-new-me-05.jpg

 So I asked Rowena to take me to the event with her because I wanted to know more about it and of course to see her daughter model 🙂 

re-new-me-01.jpgre-new-me-02.jpgre-new-me-03.jpgnew-me-cohen-11.jpg

The owners themselves are living proof of the program because they themselves have lost so many pounds!  After seeing many testimonials, the average weight loss is around 10 pounds per month.  The beauty of it is that it is supervised and they take your blood pressure every month when you visit the clinic to have a check up

new-me-cohen-25.jpg

Dr. Bandola literally lost a whole person by losing 110 pounds!  AMAZING!! 

new-me-cohen-26.jpgnew-me-cohen-15.jpg

I bumped into a few people who I knew- Batchmates – Anton Turalba- Abdon and Adiel Ty Cruz, Tita Evelyn, friends and relatives of people under the program,  some are undergoing already and some still planning to RENEW their lifestyle 🙂 

new-me-cohen-4.jpgnew-me-cohen-6.jpg

I wish all events would serve healthy food 🙂  Even our food that evening was healthy and based on recipes from Dr. Cohen 

new-me-cohen-12.jpg

Take note, they only give you a fork to eat 🙂  I don’t know if that is intentional but to me, it’s a good technique to lessen your eating 

new-me-cohen-7.jpgnew-me-cohen-1.jpgnew-me-cohen-2.jpgnew-me-cohen-3.jpgnew-me-cohen-5.jpgnew-me-cohen-13.jpgnew-me-cohen-14.jpgnew-me-cohen-16.jpg

The event ended with a fashion show of some of the living testimonials and every one of them looked really good, healthy and happy!   

new-me-cohen-17.jpgnew-me-cohen-19.jpgnew-me-cohen-20.jpg

And here is Isabella, Rowena’s daughter.  Rowena told me she was crying when her daughter was walking down the ramp….I would probably too.  Way to go Isabella!   

 new-me-cohen-21.jpgnew-me-cohen-22.jpgnew-me-cohen-23.jpgnew-me-cohen-24.jpg

Click below to go to their website for more information:

 cohens-lifestyle-centre-weight-loss-and-wellness-through-nutrition-20111107.jpg

[email_link]

Bootcamp

By | Health and Fitness | 2 Comments

Early morning every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, this is my regular routine….Bootcamp! This is my space in the gym all prepared before I arrive 🙂  If I have meetings in the office I just go half class but atleast I get to exercise.  It’s better than nothing!

Previous Entry:  Manila Polo Club Group Workout  September 12, 2011 

zumba-07.jpg

And here is our class

bootcamp-2011.jpg

Here is our trainer who is both strict and funny! 🙂

 dsc_0757.jpgdsc_0772.jpg

Everyone so serious and working hard! 🙂 

zumba-01.jpgzumba-02.jpgzumba-03.jpgzumba-04.jpgzumba-06.jpg

Here is the Workout Schedule for the remaining of the year.  JOIN US!!!

mpcs-october-to-december-schedule-2011.jpg

[email_link]

 

The Assumption Bazaar 2011

By | Velada 2012 | 3 Comments

It was so nice visiting the Assumption Bazaar today at the Intercon Hotel!!  From downstairs i could hear the kids singing and it was just beautiful!!  I love the kids from Assumption Malibay when they sing!! I was so happy first thing in the morning

Previous entry:   Christmas Cheer December 21, 2007

Santa Claus is Coming to Town December 30, 2008

dsc_4350.JPG

Sr. Jo also smiling from up the stairs

dsc_4345.JPG

Sr.  Bernie who is all smiles as well for her kids from the Glee Club

dsc_4413.jpg

Dedicated loyalists from Assumption who volunteer and give off their time to help always

Tita Rose who is part of the Board of the AAA ( Assumption Alumnae Association )  

 dsc_4354.jpg

also Tita Lori -Vi Valdes 

dsc_4410.jpg

Gina Hechanova – President of the AAA Dancing and having fun 🙂 

dsc_4408.jpgdsc_4409.jpg

Our booth for Batch ’87!! NICE!!! Assumption shoes and Head Gear for SALE!!! 

dsc_4380.jpg

And many more Assumption merchandise!! 

dsc_4357.jpgdsc_4367.JPGdsc_4368.JPGdsc_4370.JPGdsc_4373.JPGadsc_4359.jpgdsc_4358.JPGdsc_4361.jpgdsc_4362.jpg

One more Sunday, November 13.  Come and join the fun at the Assumption Bazaar!! 

 aaa-ac-assumption-bazaar-2011-santa.jpg

[email_link]

 

FILTER