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Today is International Women’s Day 2010

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

In my world, there are many women achievers that I see, some of whom I personally know — women of all ages who are moving in different spheres of influence trying to make this world better for others, women climbing the corporate ladder just as fast as their male counterparts, women making marks in the fields of arts, science, government, industry, medicine and in many more areas.

But today, I want to honor the women who are not as visible to the world as we know it. These are the women in many countries who continue to be discriminated against; abused by their own culture, family and husbands; tortured as political prisoners; forced into heavy labor under abject conditions; and many other women who suffer in silence despite domestic violence for the sake of their children.

I truly feel blessed to be born a free woman — free to grow up under the care of a loving family, free to be educated as much as i wish to, free to choose who I love and marry, free to travel, free to express myself in any form (within reasonable bounds), free to be recognized for my God-given talents in a society that treats men and women equally.

How sad it is to see that even in world that has gone through centuries witnessing slavery, discrimination, abuse and the like, these have not been totally eradicated till now despite the technological and educational advancement that people living in this century have access to.

I fervently hope that it will not be long before women are accorded the dignity, respect and equality that we have a right to as  human beings and children of a God that sees all men and women as equals. Equality not in the sense that men and women should have the same roles all the time (as women definitely have roles that are best served by our nurturing nature) but equality in the sense that a woman who chooses to stay home to take care of children should be accorded the same respect as one who chooses to pursue a career. After all, careers have office hours. Full-time mothers work 24/7.

I wish I live to see the day when societies with castes and social classes break these barriers down and afford women the same rights to dignity, education and work as men. I hope that I or my children will be able to witness a world where women are free to be the best they can be as citizens of this world with the same opportunity to make a contribution to mankind.

To all my women family and friends, here’s wishing ourselves a HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!

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Tikoy Takes a New Shape in 2010

Chinese New Year is always celebrated by the Chinese on the 7th day of the 7th month according to the Lunar Calendar. This year, 2010, that day falls on still another big event – Valentine’s Day.

To celebrate the New Year, Chinese families usually buy glutinous rice cake (locally called tikoy) to give out to friends, family and colleagues.

Tikoy in the Philippines has truly evolved. When I was small, all we had was the usual white tikoy.

What used to be just plain white tikoy evolved into a brown version some years ago as more people preferred to eat brown sugar over white.

Then a few years ago, we began to see flavors that can only be found in the Philippines as these use locally found ingredients. Yup, you can’t find these in places like Hong Kong!

Continue reading “Tikoy Takes a New Shape in 2010”

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Havaianas Contest: Be a Happy Sole & See Brazil!

What is it about us Filipinos that make us one of the happiest people in the world?

In study after study, it has been found that it is not wealth that makes people happy. In fact, many of the unhappiest people live in First World countries and surrounded by abundance. According to the New Economics Foundation, an independent global think tank, Filipinos are the happiest souls in Asia and 14th worldwide. This new record makes the Philippines the only Asian country to be ranked in the survey’s top 20 – with more developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom ranking 114 and 74, respectively.

New research by Richard Davidson, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin found that humans have more control over their happiness than previously believed. 79% of Filipinos polled said they were happy with their family, religion, friends, love life and health. Surprisingly, even those in the D income bracket were also found to be part of the happy crowd despite their lack of material wealth.

These results seem to confirm a growing theory that happiness is really not found from external factors but felt from within one’s self.

In line with these happy findings, Havaianas decided to launch its Happy Soles campaign. Its flip-flops have stood witness to a significant part of many Filipinos’ happy moments — in the beach, the mall, family gatherings, vacations, and many more. What better way to celebrate happiness then than to give a Filipino and 3 friends the chance to travel to Brazil via its “Happy Soles Will Travel to Brazil” creative competition.

Brazil??? Yes, yes, yes! The land of samba and Mardi Gras and places like this —

Here are the mechanics.

Continue reading “Havaianas Contest: Be a Happy Sole & See Brazil!”

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My GlamBox Day with Beauty Bloggers

A bevy of beauty bloggers came together one day in January to get a first glimpse at the latest innovation in makeup: airbrush cosmetics.

No, I’m not really a beauty blogger. But I must confess, being surrounded by all these friends who are into it has given me quite an education in the how-to’s of  ‘dagdag-bawas’ in the right places to highlight one’s personal facial features.

(L-R) Sophie, Mark (our photographer for the afternoon), Bambi, Lauren and her friend Nikki

(moi with Cher and Nikki)

(with Shen, Nikki and Sophie)

Also there was Phoebe but for some reason, I can’t find a pic of her among my pics of the day!

So, what is this airbrush makeup?

Think of car painting. Yup, car painting.

Did you ever wonder why car paint is not applied with a brush but with spray paint using an industrial compressor? To give the body an even, natural look, right? Well, this concept is now being applied to makeup!

This tiny compact GlamBox, which comes in a luscious pink (my favorite color)  & black combination, when used with its compressor and gun, sprays a very fine mist of liquid foundation on the skin. The effect is natural, evenly applied, flawless complexion.

Glambox is so versatile. It can be used to contour and highlight facial features and it can also be used to airbrush the body for coverage and for sunless tanning.

The procedure is easy, actually, according to Valerie Tan, who first showed us a demo of the whole procedure. Pour about 10 drops of the liquid foundation into the gun, choose any of 3 air pressure modes (1-for the eyes, 2-for the face and neck, and 3-for the rest of the body), hold the gun about 6 inches from the area, and spray away!

I gamely agreed to be the guinea pig. Why not? There were 3 makeup artists in my midst! When else can I get makeup done for free — and with GlamBox’s airbrush makeup pa? Here’s my dear friend, Bambi, with what I call her “weapons of mass beauty” making me over.

After it was sprayed on me, I hardly noticed the airsprayed foundation. Unlike the usual liquid foundation which can feel cake-y and heavy, the effect of using the Glambox gun and compressor was surprisingly almost NOT there! Bambi finished off the makeup session with eyeshadow, blush-on. I reapplied mascara and lipstick and ***drum roll*** — here’s what I look like after, with airbrush makeup — and clowning around with Bambi.

And another one with Hannah, who also got to try the airbrush makeup.

GlamBox kits come in two varieties: Starter Set and Deluxe Set.

Starter Set (P8,500)

Includes:
Compressor
Airbrush Gun (w/ accessories)
Gun holder
Adaptor
Airhose
CD
GlamBox carrying case

PLUS + Three Bottles
One – 30ml Foundation (of your choice)
One – 20ml Cheek Color (of your choice)
One – 30ml Cleaner and Thinner

Deluxe Set (11,800)

Includes:
Compressor
Airbrush Gun (w/ accessories)
Gun holder
Adaptor
Airhose
CD
GlamBox carrying case

PLUS + ALL COLORS++ (Total 10 Bottles)

FOUR – 30ml Foundation:
– Florence (light beige w/ yellow undertone)
– Cannes (natural beige w/ reddish undertone)
– Barcelona ( medium beige w/ reddish undertone)
– St. Tropez ( dark beige w/ yellow undertone)

TWO – 20ml Cheek Color:
– Malibu (light pink)
– Cancun (darker rose pink)

ONE – 20 ml Luminizer in Venice Gold (highlighter)
THREE – 30ml Cleaner and Thinner

Thanks to Sophie for inviting me to this fun & beautiful event. And thanks to Valerie for introducing me to Glambox.

Order online at www.glamboxairbrush.com / Available at the Suesh Showroom and Studio
For more information please contact Andrea Hontiveros
0922-8210172 / 02-985 4064 / glamboxcosmetics@yahoo.com

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College Entrance Tests: How To Prepare Your Kid for Possible Setbacks

It has began. The results of college entrance tests for schoolyear 2010-11 are being published beginning this month. De La Salle University’s (DLSU) college entrance test results started everything off by being the first to release their results last January 2. Over the next few months, high school seniors in different schools around the country will experience extreme highs and/or lows as each university publishes its admission results.

As a parent of two older children (in college now), I have rejoiced and likewise, been saddened as well as they got their exam results. I am just grateful that in the end, they did get into the school of their choice. Now, it’s the turn of our third child to go through the stress of waiting it out. Again, I sit it out with him, knowing he is sometimes stressed at the thought of whether he will make it or not. Once again, I ask myself: How can I support my child if the results do not turn out favorable for him?

I’m sure this thought has also crossed your mind if you are in the same situation I am in.

There is a philosophy that I have always tried to remember and adopt in disappointing situations:

When things do not go the way we want it to, it is not a sign of failure.

It is just God’s way of closing the door so that our eyes, which had been focused solely on that door, will veer away and see that He has opened a window.

We cannot shield our children from everything bad. We can’t stop them from bruising themselves. We can’t prevent mishaps. We cannot prevent their hearts from breaking due to rejection from friends or from a broken heart. And we surely cannot prevent them from a possible rejection by the school they most wished to go to.

So what can we do if our kids are not accepted by the school of their choice? Here are some things we can do:

Continue reading “College Entrance Tests: How To Prepare Your Kid for Possible Setbacks”

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New Year’s Eve Blue Moon

When people say “Once in a blue moon”, it’s not because the moon turns blue but because a blue moon is an uncommon site to see.

Wikipedia defines a blue moon as:

A blue moon is the “extra” full moon in years that have thirteen full moons. Most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days compared to the lunar year. The extra days accumulate, so every two or three years (7 times in the 19-year Metonic cycle), there is an extra full moon. The extra moon is called a “blue moon.”

Last Dec. 31, 2009, many of us in Manila, Philippines looked up at the clear skies and saw a blue moon.  A blue moon that falls on New Year’s Eve supposedly occurs only every 19 years.

I did not want to let the night pass without going out into the garden to see it and capture it with my trusty ol’ digicam. Here are two shots that I took:

The next blue moon that falls on a New Year’s Eve is expected in the year 2028.