DREAMS ARE FOR PRE

I've putting off purchasing a new phone for the longest time. After all, with the back-to-back-to-back Pacquiao fights, I don't think I am ready just yet to give up my mobile TV-enabled phone.

While I am particualry averse to moving parts like sliding keyboards and would've wanted to enjoy the advantages of mobile gps, my heart simply skipped a beat upon seeing this...
The Palm Pre phone helps you navigate your life with a choice between a vivid touchscreen and full keyboard. Its intuitive Palm webOS platform (which I had dibs at via my old Palm Treo),allows one to run multiple apps, view websites and watch videos all at once. Isn't that just fab?!? And best of all, these features have been consolidated in one an elegant design that fits perfectly into one's hand.

Could this be the answer to my long-running search?

UNITED WE RUN

Well at least, THEY will.

I envy my friend, A, who was able to pre-register for the Run United for Wellness on March 7, especially after stumbling upon a photo of the race on the net (via finishline.ph)...
Packed with a nifty looking singlet, bib, and gift pack containing vitamins, supplements, a promising acne body wash that the Haligi has long been looking for, and other freebies, the Unilab race kit rocks!

The Unilab Run United for Wellness is a wellness event for the family with running as a core activity bundled with other fitness activities like interactive games, consultations, and many more. Hope to join this next year!

TALK DIRTY TO ME

We've been living in our town home for close to 6 months now but all my home projects remain unfinished. Eeeps! And now I am dreaming of completing another project even if all the others that I have started remain open-ended.

What project you might ask? Well, I thinking of weaving some magic at our laundry area-slash-dirty kitchen, doing some decluttering and installing the necessary laundry equipment complete with stainless steel tiles. Thanks to stacksandstacks.com for this wonderful inpiration...
This time, I hope to see this project through!

A SHOW WITH UNEXPECTED CHARMS

I recently discovered a great show worthy of hours and hours of viewing on the best home theater seating... If you are on the lookout for a lovable and entertaining show filled with some insights on the complicated ties of friends, family, desire and regret, then I dare say, this show is for you.

Life Unexpected, which airs while Gossip Girl is on season break, tells the story of Lux (Britt Robertson), a street-smart but still essentially innocent foster kid who seeks out her birth parents on the cusp of her 16th birthday to secure her emancipation. They turn out to be Cate Cassidy ( Shiri Appleby), relationship-phobic radio talent who has reluctantly become engaged to her handsome radio co-host, and Baze (Kristoffer Polaha), a standard-issue man-boy and booze hound living above the bar he owns.

Read more here.

Happy viewing!

PLEASE SPARE US

Our residents' association is alarmed at the recent string of burglaries in our village. Security rounds have been doubled, and tripled to make sure that no ground will be left uncovered.

This is very new to the Haligi and me since we've spent most of our married life living in a condo, not having to worry about security and other risks. Our adjustment and anxiety is compounded by the fact that Ice, our burly white truck is too big to fit into our car garage, leaving us with no choice but to park it outside of our fence.

So now, I have been assigned by the Haligi to work double time on sourcing the most comprehensive auto insurance quotes from insurancequotesus.com that will protect us from, God forbid, any security breach that may arise. I just hope it would never come to a point that we would have to make insurance claims especially as regards to auto theft.

YOUTUBE ON THE BOOBTUBE

I am really setting my sights on either a macbook with matching macbook memory or a mac desktop by yearend. But if in case things don't work out, this may prove to be a worthy alternative.

Filipino families in every corner of the country can now have Internet access with the help of the most ubiquitous home appliance -– the television set. This is now possible with the launch of Smart Bro SurfTV, a new, world-first service from SMART.

Smart Bro SurfTV comes in a boxed set complete with a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control, and a Smart Bro USB stick-type modem with a prepaid SIM, pre-loaded with PhP100 worth of load. The entire kit costs only PhP4,500, and Internet access costs only PhP10 for every 30 minutes. When plugged into the RCA port of a color TV set, Smart Bro SurfTV provides users a ready-to-run Internet experience, and users can surf, chat, and email –- through a multi-tasking TV -- at home.

Now browsing FB, youtube or any other site is as easy as 1,2,3.

CATHAY PACIFIC CNY PARADE FTW!

The Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade is one of the best-loved events of the entire New Year celebrations. It features elaborately decorated floats accompanied by spectacular international and local performing groups and marching bands.

Our family was fortunate enough to be part of this once in a lifetime event, made more special because the CNY coincided with Valentine's Day. We were lucky too to have choice grandstand seats which came bundled with a great lauriat dinner at one of HK's more prestigious seafood restaurants.

Highlights of the affair included a fun-filled street party and an amazing parade of lights, sounds, and impressive international performancces (the Haligilet loved the men in stilts and as expected the dancers in Nascar jackets) set against the stunning Victoria Harbour!

Best of all, the parade package (dinner+grandstand seats) came at a steal at just around P4,000 per head on top of our Cathay Pacific airfare! FTW!

BANANAS OVER THIS...

My Starbucks lovin' heart did a double turn when I saw the new Chocolate Hazelnut and Banana on Marble Loaf sandwich on their display. Why? Mainly because I knew I would be steps closer to dependence on fat burners. Hehehe!

Imagine this: grilled dual-colored bread dough, with dollops of hazelnut-chocolate smears paired with diagonally sliced bananas. Sweet, crispy, and chocolatey, it is the perfect alternative to another Starucks favorite, the Banofee Pie.

I HEART MRS. PARK

Nestled in the heart of BF Paranaque, right after the line of restaurants, car shacks, wet markets, drug stores, even outlets selling conjugated linoleic acids, is an unmarked establishment which is home to fashionable pieces from the biggest names in women's clothing. Vera Wang, Elle, Jones New York, Zara, Ann Taylor are just some of the names showcased by the collection owned by a jovial Korean lady who goes by the name Mrs. Park.

Do note that Mrs. Park's showroom is not out to impress. After all, it is just filled with racks and racks of clothing like so...But beneath the simple and straightforward arrangement are, to my mind, clothing treasures by every woman's book. The pieces, which go for as high as P500.00-1000.00 at Christmas tiangges, are all ripe for the picking at just P200.00 a piece. With just two thousand bucks in my purse, imagine my delight as I was able to score 11 blouses (got some at discounted prices). I will surely be back for more. PM me here for Mrs. Park's contact details. :D

I AM CHINOY

Our recent family reunion and recent trip to Hong Kong has led to our son's obsession to anything Chinese. I guess we couldn't blame him. After all, Chinese blood DOES run in his veins.

While consuming dimsum in Hong Kong, our five-year-old really wanted to use chopsticks like all of us - but couldn't quite get the hang of them. We bought a package of these and he was thrilled!Now I wouldn't have to fasttrack the use of wrinkle creams because honestly, instructing the little boy can be quite a test of patience.

Great quality, definitely dishwasher safe, and easy enough for a five-year-old to use! Only P169.75 at True Value.

SEEING LAING

For Ash Wednesday, I had this...
Meet my current favorite--Laing Pasta, which satisfied both my fiber (nope, no need for those hemorrhoid treatments) and Lenten requirements.

This interesting dish is one of the stars of the newly-opened The Terrace at 5th, which sits serenely on the Greenbelt 5 ground floor strip. The restaurant, with its shades of green and white, exude comfort, class and calm and is a welcome respite from the bustling and busy mall.

The cuisine is an eclectic mix from a delectable menu of the treasured family recipes of its owners – headed by its executive chef Cecille Ysmael with her six good friends and food connoisseurs Ching Cruz, Maricris Zobel, Menchu Soriano, Carol Garcia, and interior designers Ivy and Cynthia Almario (who is behind the simple yet beautifully designed interiors).

I was hoping I could post pictures of our meal but the dishes were gone before I could snap more photos. More on Terrace at the 5th, next time!

JACQUARD OF ALL TRADES

With the prevalence of fakes in the market (plus the fact that some of my "favorite people" have taken a FEELINGERA liking to it, I am seriously considering retiring my monograms.

And I am willing to trade some of them for this flexible tote I spotted at HK:Meet the Celine Jacquard Shopper. Thanks to Phoebe Philo's genius, the chic label has since been reinvented, creating more jobs (and cravings) in the bag-lovin' arena. This logo embossed shopper is simply divine--combining crisp elegance with uber city-girl coolness. Retails at USD745.20.

Sayang may "pulis" sa HK. Maybe on the next trip. :D

HEARTS BEFORE THE DAY OF HEARTS

Since our impromptu trip left me with no time to shop for a Valetine gift for the Haligi, I settled for this box of hearts which accompanied us on our trip to Hong Kong on the eve of Hearts Day.
Krispy Kreme’s heart-shaped confections with its trademark mouthwatering flavors-–New York Cheesecake, Hershey's Dark Chocolate, Hershey's Cookies & Cream, Peanut Butter & Kreme, Blueberry Cheesecake, Snickers Classic, Chocolate Custard Filled, Chocolate Kreme Filled, Sugar, Caramel Kreme Crunch and Chocolate Iced With Sprinkles are a steal for only P365.00 per dozen.

These delectable heart-shaped treats are available for a limited time only so feel free to indulge without having to worry about weight loss or acne solutions.

So go ahead and revel in the romance with Krispy Kreme this Heart Month!

BLASPHEMOUS

To a Longchamp loyalist such as myself, I shudder at the sight of these bastardized versions of the Le Pliage....
Just because you incorporate a Pinoy element to a completely knock-off concept, it doesn't erase the bitter truth--that it is, and will forever be just that--A KNOCK-OFF!!! Plus, haven't we had enough applications of the Philippine map already???

I say off with their heads! Rawrrr!!!

More "knock-offs" at: http://bagitobag.multiply.com

PEE IN PEACE

The scariest of all enemies are those invisible to the naked eye. For a parent like me, the most notorious of all enemies may be classified under one name--GERMS! Luckily, I discovered an affordable way to combat germs, even at one mini step at a time. Here's a handy dandy way to clean that toilet seat especially for those of you on colon cleanse detox...

Only P39.00 at all Watson's outlets.