Life, Take 2

September 27, 2009

How You Can Help Victims of Tropical Storm Ketsana/Ondoy

UPDATE AS OF SEPT. 30: Due to rapid developments, I will no longer update this blog as there is now a centralized Google document (OndoyManila: List of Places to Donate). Pls. refer to that as it is updated on a real-time basis. I would like to thank all my readers who responded with generous hearts and donated/volunteered in whatever way. May God bless you abundantly.

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

As a public service for anyone who comes across my blog, I am posting below ways by which you can send money or goods in kind or volunteer to help in packing goods to assist the victims of the massive flooding that Tropical Storm Ketsana/Ondoy brought to residents of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces. This was my post on the flooding that took place yesterday, Sept. 26.

This post will be constantly updated on a day-to-day basis until the crisis passes. When some information needs verification, I will post this in RED while we look into it. While we will try to make the info as accurate as possible, pls bear with us if there are some logistics problems or wrong information as this is a list compiled from various sources. Feel free to post in the Comment Section any additional donation centers you may know of. Thanks!

MALLS AND COMMERCIAL OUTLETS

Aranaz Stores (Rockwell & Greenbelt) – accepting donations of any kind for Payatas communities

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (all branches) – canned goods, water, clothes, blankets, towels, medicine, and emergency supplies (no cash)

LUCA stores (Rockwell, Shangri-la, Eastwood, or GA Towers) – Send your old clothes & donations (no cash pls)

Mail & More, FedEx & Air21 outlets – now accepting donations. For locations, pls call +6328794789 or log to www.mailandmore.com.ph

McDonald’s (all branches in MM) – accepting donations as of Sept. 28, 12NN

MOONSHINE boutique (Rockwell) – accepting relief goods to help Ondoy victims in Marikina and Cainta.

Papemelroti stores (91 Roces Ave. / Ali Mall Cubao / SM City North EDSA / SM Fairview / SM Megamall / Glorietta 3 in Makati / SM Centerpoint / SM Southmall) – accepting relief goods (canned goods / milk / bottled water / clothes – NO CASH pls.)

PowerPlant Mall – accepting donations for ABS-CBN Foundation. Drop-off at Admin Office, P1 level.

7-Eleven (all branches) – serve as drop-off points for relief supplies such as ready-to-eat goods, mats, mosquito nets and water jugs.

Starbucks – accepting blankets, rice, instant noodles and bottled water. These items will be delivered to Ateneo de Manila University.

Team Manila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air and Rockwell shall be accepting relief goods (Canned Goods, Ready-to-drink Milk,Bottled Water and Clothes) for distribution by Veritas.

GOVERNMENT/RELIEF AGENCIES/ OTHERS

AKBAYAN – taking donations, call 433-69-33/433-68-31 to donate or volunteer.

BAYAN MUNA – bring donations to 45 K-7th St.. Bgy. West Kamias, QC. Tel 921-3473

Move for Chiz – asking for volunteers at Bay Park Tent, along Roxas Blvd., beside Max Restaurant and Diamond Hotel in Manila, or at Gilas Minipark at Unang Hakbang St., Gilas Q.C.

Worldvision Foundation – accepting donations/volunteers to pack relief goods in QC. For $ donations, BPI: USD acct #4254-0050-08

Philippine National Red Cross – visit their site HERE for various ways to donate.

Sen. Kiko Pangilinan is accepting donations @ AGS Bldg Annex, 446 EDSA Guadalupe Viejo. Contact Vina Vargas at +632917-8081247

WITHIN METRO MANILA

Cavite

NCST (Dasmarinas Cavite) – Volunteers/donations welcome. Call (046)416-6278 Ms. Angie

Makati

Assumption College (San Lorenzo Village) – Please drop donations off at the AC guardhouse.

Binalot (Greenbelt 1) – call Tetchie Bundalian at +632922-8573277

Whitespace (2314 Chino Roces Ave Ext) – Makati drop-off for relief goods

Mandaluyong/San Juan

CFC Center Ortigas (349 Ortigas Ave. Greenhills East, underneath EDSA-Ortigas flyover) – open for donations in cash or kind. Call +632-7270682 to 87 or text +632922-2542819

La Salle Greenhills – drop off your donations (clothes, food, etc) at Gate 2 on Monday, Sept. 28, or volunteer from 9am to receive, sort, repack the donations.

Xavier School – canned goods, bread, noodles. Please bring to Multipurpose Center (MPC). Accepted till Monday, Sept. 28.

Manila

Caritas Manila Office (Jesus St., Pandacan Manila near Nagtahan Bridge) – call +632-5639298, +632-5639308

CREST, 1235 Trece Agosto St., Paco, Manila -drop-off pt for donations

MINISTOP IBARRA (Espana cor. Blumentritt, Sampaloc Manila) – Food (non-perishable goods only) Clothing, Medicines, Beds, Pillows, Blankets, Emergency Supplies

Muntinlupa

Hillsborough Village Chapel – Water, blankets, shoes, and clothes. These will go to families whose houses were washed out in the nearby sitios.

Paranaque

Alabang Town Center Concierge – acts as drop-off point for donations

Operation Rainbow (Zac Faelnar Camara) at Ayala Alabang Village – needs Canned Goods, Ready-To-Eat Food, Bottled Water, Ready-To-Drink Milk/ Juice, Clothing, Blankets, contact (+632-4687991)

Playschool International (47 Ghana St., Better Living Subd., Paranaque) – open to receive donations (NO CASH, PLS) for relief goods. Please feel free to send your donations there. Teachers/staff will coordinate sending these to the centers.

Pasig

Miriam Quiambao – drop off point: One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood, or message http://www.twitter.com/miriamq for more details.

Relief Efforts for Pasig at Valle Verde 1 Village Park – contact +632916-4945000, +632917-5273616

RENAISSANCE FITNESS CENTER (2nd Floor, Bramante Building, Renaissance Towers Ortigas, Meralco Avenue) – Donations can be brought starting Monday, Sept. 28/9am – 7pm. Contact Person: Warren Habaluyas (+632929-8713488) or email at luzonrelief@gmail.com

RFM Gym (Pioneer) – donations are being requested by GAWAD KALINGA. Call/text +63917-8888109 /+63917-8888304

Quezon City

ABS-CBN through Banco de Oro account number 56300-20111; account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Incorporation (NOTE: This account # needs verification because on the ABS-CBN Foundation website, the account # is 5630060113)

Ateneo de Manila University – cooked or ready-to-eat food, clothes, medicine, blankets, water. Donations may be dropped off at the MVP, University Dorm, or Cervini lobbies.

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health – accepting donations of medicines. A center in Pasig has more than 1,000 evacuees, mostly kids suffering from colds and fever. Call Louie Montalbo: (0918) 936-2095.

Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Quezon Ave. corner EDSA, QC – drop-off center for donations

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC) – Relief goods for typhoon victims being accepted at 72-A Times St., West Triangle, QC. Tel (+632-9299820/22)

CONTEND-UP, UP Diliman Faculty Center -drop-off point for donations

Erica Paredes (Katipunan), +63917-4741930 – they need bread, packed juice, sandwich filling (tuna, chicken, anything) You can help her make them, deliver the sandwiches to her house, or help her distribute! Call for more details.

Kabataan Partylist, 118-B Scout Rallos, QC) – drop-off point for donations

KADAMAY (Urban Poor Group) – accepts donations of relief goods at 12-A Kasiyahan St, Bgy Holy Spirit, Commonwealth, QC Tel 427-4315

Manor Superclub (Eastwood City) – will accept goods and other emergency items starting Sunday, Sept. 27, at 10 am.

National City United Church, Times St., Q.C. -drop-off pt for donations

NoyMar Relief Operations – contact Clare Amador (+63928 520 5508) or Jana Vicente (+63928 520 5499). Drop-off for relief donations is at Balay Expo Center across Farmers Market Cubao. 8am – 9pm throughout the week until further notice. Donate drinking water, old medicines, clothing, blankets, canned goods, noodles. Volunteer to man stations and repack food.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish (12 F. Dela Rosa corner C. Salvador Sts., Loyola Heights, Quezon City) – call +632-4342397, +632-9290665

Philippine Army Gym (inside Fort Bonifacio) or GHQ Gym (Camp Aguinaldo) – now distributing donations for Ondoy Victims.

Radio Veritas (Veritas Tower West Ave. cor EDSA) – call +632-9257931 to 40

Tulong Bayan, Cubao – needs clothes, salt and cooking oil in sachets: 0908-6579998, 0939-3633436, 9137122

UP College of Arts and Letters (Diliman) – Hotline: 09296454102 (Prof. Roselle Pineda). Look for: Guard on Duty (in UP CAL). Operations: 24 hours until Wednesday, Sept. 30, tentatively. Donate medicines, clothes, blankets, food to be distributed by Citizens’ Disaster Response Center.

UP College of Law – Kindly drop off goods at Student Lounge or contact Dean’s Office

UPD- University Student Council, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Q.C. -drop-off pt for donations

Taguig

Enderun Colleges (The Fort) – needs volunteers to chop, cook and pack food. They are on 24-hour duty.

PROVINCIAL

Bacolod

CAFE BREIZH – drop off center for donations. Text 09193651101 for details.

ONLINE DONATIONS OR VIA MOBILE

Ayala Foundation USA – click on their DONATION PAGE. Look for the link “partners’ profile and projects“, look for “Browse Organizations” dropdown menu and choose PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RED CROSS.

MyAyala.com site for Jesuits (from Fr. Johnny Go) – You can use your CREDIT CARD and donate ONLINE. Go to www.myayala.com/sjph/. On the line “I would like to donate to:”, write “xs4ondoy“.

Red Cross Load Donations – Right now the easiest way to make donations from the seat of your chair is via mobile phone load. The Red Cross Rescue and Relief Operations. To donate, text RED<space><amount> and send to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart). You can donate 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 300 pesos. (Update as of 9/28/09: Globe has waived transaction fee for donations to Red Cross)

TxtPower – now accepts donations via SmartMoney 5577514418667103, GCash 09179751092 and Paypal.

Via www.philippineaid.com – some of the people behind this site are blogger friends. Donations are via Paypal or credit card. The ChipIn widget visible on the site tracks all donations.

Worldvision Foundation – For $ donations, BPI: USD acct #4254-0050-08

IN THE USA

New York

Ondoy New York Disaster Relief drop off center – @ Pandayan Center, 406 W 40th St. Between 9th and 10th Aves.

—————————————————————————————-

Sources of information above taken from:

1. Sour Politics

2. Ondoy Places to Donate Relief Goods

3. Plurk, Twitter and Facebook messages from contacts

4. adayinthelifeofrj.com

5. Citizens’ Disaster Response Center (CDRC)

September 27, 2009

Tropical Storm Ketsana/Ondoy Inundates Metro Manila

Tropical Storm Ketsana (locally called Ondoy) was not a very strong storm. It was gusting at about 65-75kph only. An average tropical storm in a country that has known typhoons with strengths more than double that. But what set Ondoy apart from most of the storms was its enormous rain bands. The amount of rain it dumped on Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. In just 6 hours, Ondoy dumped rains equivalent to one month.

Typhoon Ondoy

The entire Metro was caught unprepared for the deluge. In our case, the day started out rainy but my kids had places to go. Our youngest had spent the night with other teeners for a fellowship at Taguig, almost across The Fort. My 2 girls set out for school: for classes and for one of them, community service in Sta. Mesa. Our oldest boy also left for his school bringing different sets of clothes for his graduation pictorial. My hubby was on a business trip in Bangkok and was set to return in the late afternoon.

By midday, the rains were pouring like the heavens just opened its arms and released its entire contents. Our driver who had just dropped my girls off at Ateneo, texted me that he could not get to where our youngest was as the area around Tiendesitas Ortigas was too deep for the van to get through. I learned later that he was able to turn around but again had to stop at the Ortigas-C5 junction due to floods in the Libis area.

My brother who responded to my request to pick up our son at school failed even at that because Ermitano Creek near our house had overflowed and suddenly flooded the surrounding areas. Our barangay, which is considered one of the highest spots in San Juan, was underwater! Here are some pictures posted by people whose identities remain unknown to me but who I would like to thank for posting these online.

Another view of Gen. De Jesus with Xavier Gym in background

The afternoon was a stressful one. I kept calling my girls, my sons, the driver and several people trying to get everyone coordinated so they get home safe. It was a great relief to me when the girls were finally fetched by the driver in school after several hours of braving traffic and floods. They passed for our older son in school and got home by early evening. A kind family at our community also took our youngest son home. A couple of hours later, hubby called me. His plane had safely landed in NAIA but he had to spend a night at a hotel as the driver slated to pick them up was also stranded somewhere in the Pasay area.

Even now, the entire metro is reeling from the devastation wrought by Ondoy. Friends of mine have lost everything. Some are still staying at friends’ houses. My mom’s boarders on the first floor hardly saved anything as waters rushed into the house as the San Juan river overflowed. I was getting ready to evacuate my Mom, 2 siblings and the boarders last night as the water was just 2 steps short of reaching them on the 2nd floor. My sister and 2 of her kids were stranded in Makati and had to stay at a hotel while my BIL and another of their kids was somewhere in St. Scholastica area. No one has been spared rich, or poor.

The news say that this is the worst flood in 40 years. WOW!

While this seems like a major calamity on our hands, there are pockets of sunshine that always pop through in times of disaster. This is what Filipino bayanihan spirit is all about. Neighbors are helping each other. The internet is being widely used to act as a communication center for public service. Many bloggers on Twitter, Facebook, Plurk and other social networking media continue passing on telephone numbers of government agencies, reposting cries for rescue from families of bloggers, friends and strangers caught in places like Marikina and Cainta.

The relief and rescue operations are ongoing as I write this. In another post, I will put up as much info on donations (local and international) that I can find and I hope you, my readers, can respond to the wave of humanity in Metro Manila, Philippines needing a little of your compassion. We thank you in advance for any generosity and prayers.

September 25, 2009

Join Blog Action Day 2009

Blog Action Day 2009

Blog Action Day 2009 will happen on October 15, 2009.

What is Blog Action Day?

It is an annual event that unites all bloggers around the world on a central theme that makes all participants blog about on their own blogs. This action is meant to generate awareness about the issue at hand of global importance.

For 2009, the theme is CLIMATE CHANGE.

I urge you to join now and register your blog. There are several ways to do this:

1. Register your blog as a participant for Blog Action Day.

2. Promote Blog Action Day 2009 to other bloggers. You can do so on Twitter and Facebook.

3. Get a badge for your blog/s.

You can also follow recent developments leading up to Blog Action Day 2009 by visiting the BAD Blog.

Here’s a short YouTube clip about Blog Action Day:

September 12, 2009

My Journey towards Creativity and Self-Actualization

I am experiencing a rebirth of sorts.

In my 20s and 30s, I was too preoccupied with getting good grades, working on an MBA degree, and balancing a flourishing career with the duties of child-rearing. These activities were not bad in themselves. In fact, if we believe that there is a time and place for everything, then those years were years meant to instill certain values in me like discipline, focus, drive, hard work, teambuilding, passion, and the like.

But midlife brings with it certain realizations about what truly matter in life and my yoga encounters heightened my sensitivity to making the rest of my own life meaningful in a way that takes me on a different path altogether. Many people talk about freeing up the spirit, living in the moment, following one’s heart, and the like. That used to be mumbo-jumbo to me. But now, the achievements of the past are just that — factual achievements. For some reason, these are no longer that important for me. My family and friends are now more important — and I want to appreciate what they are to me and for me to be more to them than I ever was before.

Blogging and internet-based work have also become my daily fare. Nowhere in my formal education have I learned this and the truth is, most bloggers half my age know more than twice as much about these things as I do. But I know that for as long as I still have the willingness to learn, not be afraid to stumble along the way, and simply enjoy the experiences as they happen, I will be OK.

A book that I recently read by John Izzo, “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” listed down 5 secrets (they are not really secrets because many of us know this already but do not live it):

1. Be true to your self

2. Leave no regrets

3. Become love

4. Live in the moment

5. Give more than you take

This book is my ongoing inspiration. It makes me more keenly aware of each and every encounter, each day that passes, every person I meet, every event that crosses my path, every place I visit. One of my future plans is to attend a workshop being conducted by none other than Jim Paredes (of APO Hiking Society), Tapping the Creative Universe, in hopes that his creativity in many realms (music, writing, singing, etc) rubs off on me and opens up whatever creativity is still dormant.

I am on an adventure — a journey of sorts — to find everything that I am and everything I am capable of doing.

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the highest level is self-actualization.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Jim Paredes posted the item below on his Facebook and it came in the nick of time. I looked at the list and realized that I’m actually experiencing some of these already. It’s also a good reminder to keep working on the rest.

Here, very briefly, are the 19 Characteristics of Abraham Maslow’s Self-Actualizer:

1. Perception of Reality: These individuals tend to have a “superior relationship with reality” and are “generally unthreatened and unfrightened by the unknown.” In fact, “They accept it, are comfortable with it, and, often are even more attracted by it than by the known. They not only tolerate the ambiguous and unstructured–they like it.”

2. Acceptance: “Even the normal member of our culture feels unnecessarily guilty or ashamed about too many things and has anxiety in too many situations. Our healthy individuals find it possible to accept themselves and their own nature without chagrin or complaint or, for that matter, without even thinking about the matter that much.”

3. Spontaneity: The behavior of the self-actualizing individual is “marked by simplicity and naturalness, and by lack of artificiality or straining for effect.”

4. Problem Centering: Self-actualizers customarily have some “mission in life.”

5. Solitude: Self-actualizing individuals “positively like solitude and privacy to a definitely greater degree than the average person.”

6. Autonomy: “They have become strong enough to be independent of the good opinion of other people, or even of their affection. The honors, the status, the rewards, the popularity, the prestige, and the love they can bestow must have become less important than self-development and inner growth.”

7. Fresh Appreciation: “Self-actualizing people have the wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy, however stale these experiences may have become to others.”

8. Peak Experiences: It’s been called “flow” or “being in the zone.” Whatever you want to call it, self-actualizers tend to experience it more often than average.

9. Human Kinship: “Self-actualizing people have a deep feeling of identification, sympathy, and affection for human beings in general. They feel kinship and connection, as if all people were members of a single family.” “Self-actualizing individuals have a genuine desire to help the human race.”

10. Humility and Respect: All of Maslow’s subjects “may be said to be democratic people in the deepest sense…they can be friendly with anyone of suitable character, regardless of class, education, political belief, race or color. As a matter of fact it often seems as if they are not aware of these differences, which are for the average person so obvious and so important.”

11. Interpersonal Relationships: “Self-actualizing people have these especially deep ties with rather few individuals. Their circle of friends is rather small. The ones that they love profoundly are few in number.”

12. Ethics: “They do right and do not do wrong. Needless to say, their notions of right and wrong and of good and evil are often not the conventional ones.”

13. Means and Ends: “They are fixed on ends rather than on means, and means are quite definitely subordinated to these ends.”

14. Humor: “They do not consider funny what the average person considers to be funny. Thus they do not laugh at hostile humor (making people laugh by hurting someone) or superiority humor (laughing at someone else’s inferiority) or authority-rebellion humor (the unfunny, Oedipal, or smutty joke).”

15. Creativity: “This is a universal characteristic of all the people studied or observed. There is no exception.”

16. Resistance to Enculturation: “Of all of them it may be said that in a certain profound and meaningful sense they resist enculturation and maintain a certain inner detachment from the culture in which they are immersed.”

17. Imperfections: Actualizers “show many of the lesser human failings. They too are equipped with silly, wasteful, or thoughtless habits. They can be boring, stubborn, irritating. They are by no means free from a rather superficial vanity, pride, partiality to their own productions, family, friends, and children. Temper outbursts are not rare.”

18. Values: “A firm foundation for a value system is automatically furnished to self-actualizers by their philosophic acceptance of the nature of self, of human nature, of much of social life, and of nature and physical reality.”

19. Resolution of Dichotomies: “The dichotomy between selfishness and unselfishness disappears altogether in healthy people because in principle every act is both selfish and unselfish.”

My corporate friends may never understand why I am choosing to start anew on things that are so different from what I was brought up and trained for. Maybe someday, they will.

September 6, 2009

Picture the Ways of Spreading the Sweetness of Gratitude

“THANK YOU”

Two words. Two syllables. Too simple. Too often left unsaid.

My parents taught me to say thank you whenever possible. And — Thank You is not only reserved for people with authority over us or who are our friends and family. Even household help, office workers, drivers, security guards, salesladies in malls, janitors and the like deserve to hear our thanks when they do something for us.

I personally believe that Filipinos are a grateful people. Yes, busy-ness sometimes becomes a reason not to verbalize gratitude but I think this is not the majority of us. Just take a look at the recent wake and funeral of Pres. Corazon Aquino (Tita Cory). The sight of people from all walks of life braving the rains and wind then, patiently lining up for hours exposed to the elements just to glimpse her body for a few seconds, was a humbling sight of a grateful nation that wanted to physically express just what Tita Cory had done for the country. The world was witness to how we, as a nation, expressed our GRATITUDE to someone who loved our country and us.

Sometimes we don’t forget to thank others but we neglect to thank those closest to us — our families — thinking that there is no need to since they are, precisely, ‘family’. I believe that verbal expressions of thanks within the close family circle not only makes the family member concerned feel appreciated and needed but serves to strengthen the familial bonds.

My warm THANK YOU goes to the person who has become my partner in life and father to our 4 wonderful kids. All these years, his calm and prayerful disposition has always been a source of strength for us when difficult situations hit. I have seen him countless times reach important decisions only after deep prayer and discernment. He is not the perfect husband or father (neither am I the perfect wife or Mom) and many times, work occupies his time. But he is a devoted and loving husband/father who takes his role seriously, bonds with the kids whenever he can, and can always be counted on as an anchor and adviser not only within our extended family but even with friends and clients.

On hubby’s last birthday, we surprised him with a family dinner and a huge cake to express our love and thanks for our padre de familia.

img_3486-cropped

Now that aside, how many different ways do you think are there of expressing gratitude?

Flowers? Chocolates? Cards?

Oh, I am sure we Filipinos can do better than this! LET’S GET CREATIVE!

Toblerone, a popular international Swiss chocolate brand, is now on its 3rd year of sponsoring National Thank You Day in the Philippines.

In conjunction with their celebration, my blog is hosting a PHOTO CONTEST.

WHO CAN JOIN

The photo contest is open to all Filipinos of legal age living WITHIN THE GREATER MANILA AREA ONLY.

HOW TO JOIN (updated 9/7/09)

1. Take a photo (must be your original work) that shows a creative way of saying thank you or expressing gratitude. Yes, use your imagination, think beyond the ordinary, make it fun, crazy, romantic, cheesy, or as wacky as you wish.

2. Only 1 entry per person. Any persons featured in the submitted photos must have given permission to the entrant for him/her to be used. The use of minors in pictures must have the explicit approval of the parents/guardian.

3. Post this photo entry in your own website (blog, Multiply, Friendster, Facebook, etc) and link these photo entries to the gallery found in www.thankyoudayphilippines.com.

4. Also post the link from your entry to mine here as a comment so that it qualifies as an entry in my blog. Make sure that I can access/view your entry. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address when posting your link as this is how I will get back to the finalists chosen)

SELECTION PROCESS (updated 9/7/09)

1. From the entries, I will select five (5) finalists (the decision will be considered final).

2. Three (3) top winners among all shortlisted entries (other bloggers will submit their shortlists as well) will be selected by a panel composed of employees of the Sponsor and its PR agency, GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Inc.

3. The 3 top winners will be announced at the National Thank You Day Awards on Oct. 20, 2009 at Mall of Asia. Each one will receive a Toblerone gift pack (all shortlisted entries will also be given a thank you kit).

For more details on the contest mechanics, please visit www.thankyoudayphilippines.com.

CONTEST PERIOD

The photo contest begins Monday, Sept. 7, 2009 at 2PM and ends on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, 5 PM. I will close off the Comments section of this post once the deadline has passed.

And yes, a BIG THANK YOU in advance for joining the contest.

August 30, 2009

Globe Dared Us and Took Us for a Ride!

It all began with a very mysterious email. Do we dare RSVP for this blogger event at M Cafe, Ayala Museum, Makati?

Globe Tattoo

My curiosity tickled, I replied to confirm. Then, we were told to “dress to impress”. When I asked what that meant, I was just told to dress up as though we would go clubbing. Conversations online among my mommy blogger friends did not give us any better clue as to what was going on. This was how we looked when we met up.

While canapes were being served at M Cafe, we started wondering what was going on as 1 hour passed and nothing was happening. Finally after a long wait, we were asked to step out into the fountain area of Ayala Museum. There we saw several bikers in maong, leather gloves and shades with their Harley-Davidson bikes!

SANY0011-medres

Globe DARED us to ride on the Harleys. One of our girl bloggers, Cher, volunteered. I also wanted to ride on one of the bikes but they ran out of helmets! This was as far as I got.

So instead, my mommy blogger friends and I rode one of 5 coasters Globe readied for us and we went down Ayala Ave., through Buendia, till we reached Polaris St. where we ended up at our final destination — Handlebar, a bikers’ bar!

Finally, we were told what the event was all about. Globe Tattoo, which previously launched as a USB-based broadband service, will be launched this Aug. 30, 2009 via a Tattoo SIM which is already call-, text- and internet-enabled. With your Tattoo SIM you can do all 3 with just one single top-up.

In addition, they have a new, no-expiry text offer called ImmortalTXT. For only P10, you get 50 texts to Globe/TM and 10 texts to other networks that will never expire .

ImmortalTXT

Globe also announced its new Globe Tattoo website. What’s new about this site is that it is widget-based. Every application is a separate widget you can drag around and rearrange on your screen the way you want. Not all of its applications are live as of now but watch for these.

SANY0044-medres

Each of us came away with our very own Tattoo prepaid SIM card so we could try the all-in-one features.

The event’s highlight for the bloggers was a big D-A-R-E.

Anyone willing to get a REAL tattoo from a nearby tattoo place would be awarded a Dell Mini.

OK, I confess I was sorely tempted to raise my hand. Our son will be traveling abroad soon and he’ll need a netbook. But — a tattoo? A permanent one at that? GULP. I chickened out. Haha…

Well, several brave bloggers actually volunteered and when the organizers fished a name out of the bowl, it was LAUREN DADO! Brave girl! She ended up with a tattoo on her back (a barcode design) and went home with the netbook. Whoooo!

Thanks, Globe, for that innovative, fun, fun, fun blogger event. And finally, we have a text service where load does not expire.