This year was an all out event in terms of tying everything up towards the theme!
My nephew AJ, a budding artist 🙂 designed the logo which he formally presented to Lolo
We even had a beach bag with a name tag, team shirts, and set of three toiletries from messy messy – anti mosquito, room spray and hand sanitizer! Not only do we get to use them, it becomes our souvenir after
Another part of the celebration of Lolo’s birthday were the games! On the first night there was a parade of the tribes and we paraded by teams
Lolo always tells us that when he celebrates his birthday he wants to just see us all together happy and enjoying each other. In every occasion, Lolo joined us and watched us. That is how he is in all our lives. He is always present whether it’s a graduation, in the hospital, or any important occasion in your life, he will even go to wherever you are in the world if you are undergoing an important medical operation! All the children agree that that was how he was as a father – he would go with them to the dentist to make sure they all had clean and healthy teeth 🙂
We divided our family into three teams. It was so funny because everyone was so competitive! Each team really strategized on what moves and who they will assign in each game! 🙂
Lolo comfortably watching the games
Even the kids were very serious! 🙂
Kayak
Volleyball. I am hiding under the shade because it was really hot – but the players were out there seriously trying to win! 🙂
Marie’s beautiful shot!
Easter egg hunt 🙂
At the end of the Tug of War, all teams were tied!! Everyone was happy and did not want to have a tie breaker anymore!! So everyone wins!! Yipee!!
Swimming games
Tug Of War
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This year the family prepared a program for Lolo for his 93rd birthday! It was a major production obviously done with lots of love!! I asked permission from the family for me to share this here at Heart2Heart because I am so proud of my family and I just want to LET IT GO!!! LET IT GO!!! 🙂 All my emotions of love and happiness from what we experienced. I made a video, unfortunately my camera was not clear and then it eventually broke right before Lolo was going to blow his birthday cake. So please bear with the blur of the videos.
I love my family!!!! As I always say, it’s not always the program itself but what went through behind the scenes – the rehearsals which brought the family together on several occasions, the bonding, and all the fun and laughter that goes with it.
And to me, what’s most important and which I really felt this year was the fourth generation and how they expressed their love for Lolo. Aside from coming up with a beautiful program, they knew that they were doing all of this for their Lolo. It’s truly a blessing for them to witness and to spend time with their great grandfather who even knows them by their name at 93!!!
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We had a very nice theme this year!! Ohana!! My Lolo will never ever leave anyone behind! He always makes sure that everyone is included.

And this year he even brought with him his two brothers to join and celebrate with us
It was a three night celebration and each night had a theme! 🙂
Thanks to our planning committee composed of the third generation cousins


Each night our Chief of Chiefs has a special chair depending on the theme 🙂
and head dress which he really wore without complaints!
A video made by my cousin, Marie
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Presentation of our gifts
A gift from all of us – a hand carved family tree with all of our names each written one by one!
Complete with awards!! So much fun!!
I have seen tattoos of guys putting the names of their wives, but my cousin, Dino has a different kind of tattoo! He has three!!!
The first one is the name of his wife, Marivic which is not on his arm but in his back!
And this one is amazing, tattoos of his two kids! Wow!! 🙂
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At Heart2Heart, nothing is staged! Everything is real life – real life setting, real life people ( all good looking without having to put make up and all ) and real life fashion. We had a family get together in the beach and I spotted most of the guys wearing Villebrequin while playing volleyball by the beach! So I took photos and I made them into an ad 🙂
In the
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The simplest way to slice a bunch of cherry tomatoes is to sandwich them between two plastic lids and run a long knife through all of them at once!
Keep brown sugar by storing with a couple of marshmallows.
Far cheaper than having colored keys specially cut!
Install a regular coat rack low down the wall to store shoes safely of the floor.
Repurpose a cereal canister as trash can for the car.
Deodorize sponges in the microwave. Soak in water spiked white vinegar or lemon juice and put on fill power for one minute. Use tongs to remove as it will be hot.
Use magnetic strip to store bobby pins on inside of a cupboard.
…Or store them in an empty Tic-Tac dispenser!
Clean cat litter trays quickly by lining with a garbage bag.
Use a Post-It note when drilling to catch the dust.
Organize jewelry on cork board for easy viewing when deciding how to accessorize an outfit.
Repurpose an old picture frame as a serving tray.
Boil orange peel and cloves to get rid of unpleasant smells in the kitchen.
“File” clothes vertically in drawers so you can see your clothes at a glance.
Fill an old box with skewers to make an all purpose knife block.
Hang onions in cut-up tights or old stockings to make them last for months!
Create a thrifty watering can by puncturing holes in the top of a used milk bottle.
USe paper plate to prevent splatters when using an electric whisk.
Store cupcake and muffin cases in a mason jar.
Remove pet hair from furniture and carpets with a squeegee.
cover paint trays with aluminum foil to make cleaning up afterwards a breeze.
Place a layer of waxed paper on top of kitchen cupboards to prevent grease and dust from settling. Switch out every few months to keep them clean.
Flip a toaster on its side to make grill cheese.
Easily draw out a splinter for easy removal by applying a paste of baking soda and water.
Create a thrifty organizer for wrapping paper using cup hooks and painted dowel rods. This technique is also ideal for storing rolls of foil, kitchen roll and grease proof paper on the inside of pantry doors.
Water straight from tap becomes cloudy when frozen. To make ice cubes crystal clear, allow a kettle of boiled water to cool slightly and use this to fill your ice cube trays.
Use large muffin tin to cook stuffed peppers in the oven – it will help keep them upright.
Hang a bundle of chalk in the closet to keep everything fresh and dry. The chalk absorbs excess moisture – a thrifty alternative to an electric dehumidifier!
To prevent potatoes budding, add an apple in the bag.
Add half a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when hard-boiling eggs to make the shells incredibly easy to peel off.
Tie a sprig of eucalyptus to your shower head. The steam will help infuse your bathroom with an invigorating fragrance.
Use bread tags to label power cords.
Use non-stick cooking spray in votive holders to prevent wax from sticking to the sides.
WD40 can be used to remove crayon marks from n y surface!
Use a tension rod and shower hooks to store saucepans inside a cupboard.
Make a simple laundry bag using an old pillowcase and an embroidery hoop.
Use a lint roller to clean the bottom of your handbag.
To get rid of the musty smell on old towels, wash using 1 cup of white vinegar on a hot cycle, then repeat with 1/2 cup of bicarbonate of soda.
Use fork to press garlic when there isn’t a garlic crusher available.
When hanging a picture frame, put a dab of toothpaste on the frame where you need the nails to be. Then simply press against the wall to leave marks ( which can later be wiped ) as guides for hammering in.
Put a dry towel in with a wet load to reduce the drying time ( this really works, I’ve been doing it for years! ).
To tell if the eggs are fresh, immerse them in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs will lie on the bottom, while stale eggs will float to the surface.
Use hairspray on the end of your sewing thread to help it slide through the eye of your needle.
Sprinkle salt in the spaces between patio slabs and at the bottom of walls to get rid of pesky weeds ( but careful NOT to get salt near plants you want to keep as salt will kill them! ).
Repurpose an old CD spindle to make a pretty small cake/biscuit holder.
Clean patio with a solution of 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 water in a spray bottle. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse off ( soiled areas may require a little scrubbing ). Also helps get rid of weeds too!
To clean a wooden chopping board, sprinkle on a handful of Kosher salt and rub with a half lemon. Rinse with clean water and dry to ensure it is clean and germ free.
Use scrap paper to help hang an arrangement of picture frames easily. Cut templates for each frame, marking nail locations on the paper, then tack to the wall until you find the ideal arrangement. Then simply nail through the marks on the paper!
Use ice-cubes to lift out indentions made by furniture on your carpets.
Prevent soil from escaping through the holes in the base of flowerpots by lining with large muffin cases.
Place a length of masking tape along the edge of a spirit level and mark the location of nail holes for your picture frame. Then simply transfer the level to the wall to ensure you hang your pictures straight.
Use toothpick to prevent tape ends from sticking back to the roll.
To easily peel a potatoes, boil with the skins on them immerse in cold water for 5 seconds. Then twist the potatoes between your hands and the skin will peel right off!
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We had our annual get together last month!!! So so fun!!! Most of us do not work in Rustan’s anymore but we love seeing each other and reuniting with one thing in common, we all still love Rustan’s and have many fond memories. Last year was our first major get together and this year we turned over the baton to another group to plan. Thank you Meca, Petite, Pia and Ana for organising this year’s reunion!!
Pia manning the reception table making sure everyone pays their share! haha!!
Lifetime Achievement Award to Lulu Cuna and Rustanite of the Night for Susan Joven
Prizes from Rustan’s of course
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I collected these photos of different recyclable bins!! 🙂 It’s just so nice to see everyone making an effort!!
Previous entries: Recycle Waste April 22, 2009
At Dandelion Chocolate Valencia st, San Francisco
Colegio de San Agustin, Dasmarinas Village, Makati
International School Manila ( ISM ) , BGC, Makati
I forgot where this is already – must be Chinese? so HK or Japanese Japan
Bi Rite Creamery, San Francisco
Mile Hi, Camp John Hay, Baguio City
Nagoya Airport Food court
At the Borough Market, London
Oxbow Public Market, Napa Valley

ISM ( International School Manila ) Hallways
Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia
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