Summer Hair is Dry Hair? Nah!

Summer hair reprieve, here comes Pura d’or Shampoo. I know you may not be familiar with the different sounding name. May be a new name on a shelf of shampoos but looked up the shampoo and was impressed about positive reviews. Pura d’or Argan Oil Organic Shampoo Hair Loss Prevention may be from the US but is now available in the Philippines.

I do not know about you but it is a common picture for me to have strings of hair on my brush right after combing. After shampoo experience requires me to clean up the bathroom drain because of hairfall. Whether or not it is just hairfall or hair loss you want to fix, give Pura d’or Argan Oil Organic Shampoo Hair Loss Prevention  a try.

What I am liking about Pura d’or Argan Oil Organic Shampoo Hair Loss Prevention

Prevents Hair Loss

Strengthens Hair

Adds Volume

All Natural and Organic

Vitamins for Hair Growth

NO Paraben, NO SLS and Gluten Free

12 DHT Blockers

Saying goodbye to hair loss has just become easy.

Join the Pura d’or Shampoo 

Worldwide Giveaway!

Enter the giveaway here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:This is a sponsored post on behalf of Pink Heart String. The participating bloggers advertising this giveaway are not responsible for prize fulfillment. One winner will be randomly selected using the Rafflecopter random selector and notified via email by the hosts of this giveaway, Pink Heart String. The prize will be provided by Pura d’or who will ship the same to the winners. Once notified, the winner will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Pink Heart String will send the contact details of the winner to Pura d’or and they will be responsible in sending the prize to the winners. Winners will get either of the two products in the photo. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest or Google. Void where prohibited. Open Worldwide.

“Qik or It Didn’t Happen!”

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day just around the corner, what better way to send message than through video messaging? It is always inspiring and personal to send a message quickest way. With Skype Qik, mobile video messaging will never be the same.

Remembering how my son and myself would spend time watching Pentatonix music videos one after another, now it is easier for me to bring quick cheer to him anytime of the day via a video message on Skype Qik. Interesting finds of the day does not have to be still images anymore. Now I always have the option to show hubby how my kids funnily put up a tent right outside the house to beat the summer heat.

Relatives from overseas also can now be updated and will never miss a celebration back home with it. Download it on any device and you can connect and invite anyone regardless of the distance. Record away and ground send all you like.

Skype Qik is a quick video messaging/communication app that allows you to exchange instant and quick video messages for free. It enables you to capture videos that are up to 40 seconds long, and and send them to group of friends. Skype Qik is available on iPhone, Android, and Windows phones. More about Skype Qik here:http://www.skype.com/en/qik/

Cyma : OpenRice.Com Review

Remembering my previous work days when I used to be part of Training and Development. My Trainer-Journey took me to different places and allowed me to work with differently interesting and amazing group of people. It was because of Training that I got stuck in a TV network’s building while Ondoy hits Manila and I was unknowingly running a training session from their building’s 17^th floor. It was because of Training that I got to tour around the Bicol region while I ran three-day workshop for Tiwi District 6 public school teachers. Today is no different as I go back to my first love : Training. What better way to do it than to do it with my husband/pastor and run a workshop on Purpose for a leading corp recruitment group in Eastwood.

We always come out the ones learning everytime I teach with my husband. To cap off the night, we (my husband, myself and our wedding inaanak, yes we have several at our age!) thought we just need to celebrate what we have learned off tonight’s workshop. We needed somewhere special and quiet : Cyma Eastwood. Upto this day, I am not sure if Greek is the same as your Persian or your Mediterranean dishes (me and my non-connoisseur self). Whether there is a difference or none, the food did not fail to satisfy my taste buds. Greek Osso Bucco Beef shank certainly looks like your regular birthday spaghetti fare but it is made Greeky special with Greek tomato sauce and bucatini pasta. Serving was so huge I had to share some with my husband. Their greens salad was both yummy and healthy with their Roca Salata which came complete with lettuce, arugula (roka), tomatoes and walnuts. Skolatina (molten chocolate cake served with a scoop of flavoured ice cream) capped the night for us. It was a double date worth remembering.

Madrid Fusion Manila 2015 at SM Supermalls

Manila, Philippines- SM, the host to the first Madrid Fusion Manila, held a cuisine demonstration at Sarsa Kitchen + Bar, Mall of Asia last April 16, 2015. Chef Bruce Ricketts, Chef Rob Pengson and Chef Claude Tayag, the Philippines’ finest representatives to the Madrid Fusion Manila Congress showcased their mastery in cooking, with a special participation of Chef JP Anglo. Madrid Fusion Manila is happening on April 24-26, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

SM, in partnership with Department of Tourism and Madrid Fusion Manila, provides a platform to expand ideas and experiences in strengthening culinary innovation. SM has the vital tasks of bringing the richness of our culinary heritage to a global audience in Madrid Fusion Manila and to share this great celebration to our fellow Filipinos through festive activities in SM Malls nationwide.

Chef Bruce Ricketts

Known to be one of the youngest chefs in Manila, Chef Bruce used his experiences from famous restaurants in California to prove that age has nothing to do with success.

Chef Bruce studied Culinary Management at the Art Institute of San Diego. It was his mentor Jason Knibb who made him understand ingredients and changed the way he

Chef Rob Pengson

Rob Pengson is a rebel of sorts. And this fact is apparent in the food he serves at The Goose Station, the restaurant he has built together with his wife Sunshine. The restaurant, regarded as the first tasting menu focused establishment in the metro, is known for its inventive, thought-provoking, even groundbreaking cuisine that challenges traditional cuisine by ignoring dogma and infusing culture and heritage into cooking.

Chef Claude Tayag

Self-taught culinary savant, Claude Tayag is known to have uplifted Pampango/Kapampangan cuisine through Bale Dutung (Wooden House), his abode turned into a by-reservation-only restaurant serving traditional Pampango cuisine. Spicing up Chef Claude’s culinary career is his passion to preserve the diversity of the Filipino cuisines which he showcased at the Peabody Hotel’s Chez Philippe Restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, when he was invited to serve his special selection of Filipino cuisine at the Memphis in May Festival 2012.

Highlighting the best in food, art and culture of the Philippines, these chefs shared to the guests the delectable dishes that are proudly Filipino. With their artful skill in creating wonderful meals, it is such a delight to know that the Philippines has so much excellence to offer in the culinary world.

Madrid Fusion Manila is the first culinary festival with Spain and Asia’s legendary chefs Andoni Luis Aduriz, Elena Arzak, Quique Dacosta, Ramón Freixa, Francis Paniego, Paco Roncero, Mario Sandoval, Paco Torreblanca, André Chiang, and Alvin Leung. Presenting the Philippines’ own diverse and imaginative epicurean traditions are chefs Fernando Aracama, Margarita Forés, J Gamboa, José Luis “Chele” Gonzalez, Pepe Lopez, Rob Pengson, Bruce Ricketts, Myrna Dizon, Claude Tayag, and Juan Carlos de

SM Gourmet Weekend Market

A feast of everything delectably Filipino-Spanish shall delight foodies at the Gourmet Weekend Market from April 24 to 26 at SM Mall of Asia. A premium selection of cheese, tapas, wine, ingredients, local finds and special bundles shall be made available in partnership with SM Markets (SM Supermarket and Hypermarket).

SM Spanish Food Specials

New food concepts that reflect culinary innovation and technique will be available only this April at select SM Mall of Asia restaurants where special dishes with Spanish influence or cooked with the finest local produce, ingredients and flavors are sure to bring out your inner foodie. On April 24 to 26, irresistible dining deals await all food lovers at SM Megamall’s flagship and first-in-the-country dining destinations and the newly-opened Mega Food Hall.

For the complete schedule of events at SM malls, visit SM Supermalls on Facebook or @smsupermalls on Instagram. For more information on how to register for Madrid

Fusion Manila 2015, visit http://www.madridfusionmanila.com.

Auditions are officially open for SM Little Stars 2015. Is your child the next big star?

SM Little Stars is a nationwide kiddie talent competition and performance platform spearheaded by SM Supermalls to find the brightest, shining and aspiring little kids that we may dubbed as our “Little Stars”. Winners receive a one year TV contract, a trip to China, college scholarship and 200,000 worth of cash and GC.

Open to all talented kids ages 4 to 7 years old during the Preliminary Screening schedule

Requirements:

• Application Form
• Contestant’s Birth Certificate (original & photocopy)
• Two (2) copies of 4R size photo taken with light make-up only: one (1) close up shot and one (1) whole body shot

Application Forms:
Available at the Mall Admin Office (Marketing Department) at any SM mall branches
Download from www.smlittlestars.com.ph

 

Viber joins Asia Digital Marketing Expo 2015 #AdMe

Kristian Melquiades, the General Manager of Viber will be one of the panelist/speakers to the upcoming Asia Digital Marketing Expo 2015 #AdMe on July 26, 2015 at SMX Convention Center at BGC Taguig, Philippines.

Kristian will be sharing latest insights as to how Viber transformed the call and messaging landscape in the Philippines. He will also discuss how fun and creative stickers have become the new form of messaging.

At Asia Digital Marketing Expo 2015, different top executives will join together to share the future of Online Marketing in the Philippines and in Asia Pacific region with the following points:

• The digital economy of the Philippines
• Positioning the Philippines as a gateway from East to West and West to East
• Is the Philippines ready to be a cashless society?
• Disrupting tradition and embracing innovation
• Technology and Entrepreneurship driving inclusive growth
• Micro – multinationals E-commerce connecting SMEs to ASEAN and beyond

Partial list of speakers are as follows;

Constantin Roberts – Managing Director, Zalora Philippines

Kristian Melquiades- General Manager, Viber Philippines

Richard Upton- President, John Robert Powers Asia

Donald Lim- Chief Digital Officer, ABS CBN

Janette Toral- E Commerce Advocate, Digital Club Filipino

Robert Yupangco- President, Yupangco Group of Companies

Chinkee Tan- Best Selling Author, Motivational Speaker, Radio Host and Wealth & Wellness Coach

Rebecca Bustamante Mills- CEO, Chalre Associates & President, Asia CEO Awards

Mikel Yaw- CEO, Elabram Systems Group

Carlos Celdran- Brand Ambassador, Tour Guide

Maria Camille Montejo- CEO, NWSteel Technologies & Tree Top Adventure Inc.

Pocholo Gonzales- CEO, Creative Voices Productions

Tanya Llana- Marketing & Sales Director, Victoria Court & General Manager, Hotel La Corona De Lipa

James Jimenez- Director, Commission On Elections

Lloyd Luna- CEO, Lloyd Luna Corporation

For more information, you may visit http://www.asiadigitalmarketing.ph. For partnership and sponsorship, you may contact TAG Media & PR at 09166299381 or at grace@asiadigitalmarketing.ph

Summer with Diksyonaryo Atbp’s 2015 Summer Reading Camp

My childhood has always been full of memories of teacher-teacher-an, book & comic reading and memorizing songs. Reading has been part of anything enjoyable I had to do every summer. It is not surprising that I developed into going for reading dates with hubby (where both of you show up wherever quiet, read up and then take the time to share) and into considering curling up with a book as me-time.

This May 2015, Ms. Lia Mañalac del Castillo’s Diksyonaryo Atbp. will stage a reading and literacy activity called Summer Reading Camp.

Ready for another camping kind of day in the city, reading and listening to stories?

On its second year this summer, DIKSYONARYOATBP, a non-profit non-stock non-government organization will stage  SUMMER READING CAMP in Manila (May 23) and Quezon City (May 30)!

There will be teepees set-up for the reading camp where kids can participate in any or all of the following:

• READING CORNER–read all the books they want from DiksyonaryoAtbp’s mobile library
• ART CORNER – unleash their inner artist by engaging in art activities related to stories read to them
• STORYTELLING CORNER – listen as children’s stories come alive via The Storytelling Project team

Aside from participating in these events, parents/ children can also avail of books from National Bookstore on site, which they can donate for DiksyonaryoAtbp’s future projects or take home for themselves.

This event aims to rekindle and encourage a genuine love for reading in Filipino children, by spending one whole day doing reading related activities, ALL FOR FREE.

To register your child, please click HERE or click http://projectdiksyonaryo.com/camp-registration/.

The event is in partnership with The Storytelling Project, Pottly and Tubby, CanvasPH, National Bookstore and Mcdonalds.

For more inquiries, text us at 0917-5361783 or tweet us @diksyonaryoatbp.

Let’s meet and greet on May 30 (Saturday) at Fern Garden, Q.C.  I am one of the volunteer readers there.  See you!!!

“To Work or Not to Work?”, Is there One Mom Type Better? SAHM-WAHM-WFTM

All media and social network channels are flooded with advertisements catering to moms. The “mommy network” is such a big commercial industry that most of the advertisers and product owners would do everything to get moms’ buy-ins. Let us admit the fact that all of these try to have a say on what type of mom one should be. However, considering that there are just too many mom types now, you have your stay-at-home moms (SAHM), your work-from-home moms (WAHM) and your working-full-time-moms (WFTM), it is so easy to get lost in the myth that one type is better than the other. And too many moms are also prone to committing the easy mistake of asserting (whether through conscious or non-conscious language) that she is playing the best mom-type. Case in point: see two myth busters below.

Truth#1: There is nothing wrong about being a working mom. This is particularly true especially if you know your correct list of priorities: God, marriage, kids, extended family, work, ministry and all the rest. Allow me to acknowledge as well that there is nothing wrong about being a SAHM or a WAHM, not discounting the fact that I was raised by my mom who has played all roles in her lifetime, worked fulltime, worked from home, now a stay at home mom. It is probably society or present culture that dictates and expects moms to be perfect, raising disciplined children who are models of well-behaved kids, be the number 1 cheerleader of their husbands and most fervent prayer advocate and show up pretty on all events with the most delicious kitchen concoction on hand. For most, it is just ain’t perfect if the moms who have got it all together happen to be working. I do not know about you but I know of countless working moms or mom entrepreneurs who are able to raise responsible, God-loving and successful kids. So if you are a working mom, clarify your reason, your view and your real heart for work. It is possible to regard work as a blessing (and not a burden). It will not make you weird if you find joy from working while finding joy in balancing it with mom-tasks of managing the house and parenting. And ultimately, it doesn’t make your husband less of a leader at home when you work. Decide to work or not to work because you know that your choice around it will never add or remove your right standing with God. Personally, I work because I know it is a season for me to do so. I am not in it to feed a lavish lifestyle or because I love money more than my family or because I do not have faith to believe God for more. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise. But it is a choice I make because God has given me limitless grace to do so with ultimate joy. Like all working moms or mom entrepreneurs, one day, God may call me or may never call me to be a stay-at-home mom, but I do not need to fret or sulk because I know what God can do over my marriage, my kids and my future.

Truth#2: SAHMs, WAHMs and WFTMs are not different from each other.  The same set of questions run around their heads and the measure of love they feel towards their family is one and the same. A mom who is not happy being a Working full time Mom (WFTM) will most likely, not be a happy stay at home mom (SAHM) or an unhappy Work from home mom (WAHM). It is my prayer that your happiness or fulfilment as a mom does not come from what you do but from knowing who God is and from trusting what He can do over whatever role you play. How to do a correct mindset check? Answer the question: Considering the status of your marriage, parenting, house management and family relationships, do you see that your role to ______ (work, stay at home, work from home) is certainly what God is telling you to do? If you easily answered yes to this question, then you may be on the right track. If you are being led by God to do things differently, pray and God will grant wisdom and clarity around how to transition. Discuss it with your husband with the perspective that it is God who provides and who does not add any trouble to blessings. Do not make decisions or maintain decisions out of fear. Never discuss it around how other people are expecting you to function or how my husband’s boss would want us to do it. Remember that your calling is ‘personal’ and never patterned from anyone else’s. If you find it similar with most people you are surrounded with, it doesn’t mean that your type is better than the other. Never make the mistake of looking at other mom types differently or less effective. Your goal in life does not include convincing everyone to be the same mom-type you are but to be a blessing to any mom-type without setting yourself apart with biased languages, actions or preferences. Pretty much as how Jesus has done it, He has never regarded Himself better than the others but found to be interacting, healing and blessing people of all sizes and shapes.

At the end of the day, whatever mom type you are now, your provision will never come from your single-income or your double-income. Most of our big blessings did not really come from my pay envelope but from other channels of blessings that God has used in the past. Your decision about what lifestyle to keep for your children is a decision you have to make with your spouse and will come with different set of responsibilities. As long as your mom role does not take you away from your real priorities, do not entertain any form of guilt about not delivering enough. After all, the key is trusting God for your ability to mother. Count on His infinite grace to make your God-given mom-role work for you.

Read Up : Quick Help Here

Have you ever had instances when you needed to tell any of your kids: “Just a minute, I’ll just finish this off.” Or another version that tries to buy more time such as “Hang on, sweetie, I will be right there”. I am guilty of the same error when I choose to focus on trivial things such as checking mail, removing your shoes, taking a bath over looking over what your kids have created from school, watching the kiddos sing the latest song they have learned, helping your child get that toy on the upper shelf he can’t reach, or answering your child asking what the acronym OFW means. It is during these instances when daily helpers come in handy. It leaves you with fewer items on your head and gives you more bandwidth to focus on things that need your attention real time.

QuickHelp#1 – Internet on your Mobile Phone  Now that summer is here, kids have more time on their hands, this can only mean, more questions to answer, more activities to prepare to keep them from staring at the TV or video games at home, or more attention from them as soon as you get home from work. With internet at home, I no longer need to step out of the house just to check office hours of the nearest payment center.  Checking what movie is playing this weekend no longer means physically going to the cinema to check it out. Of course, while you decide to take a 15-minute breather before you join kids for dinner, hand them your phone and have them play Four Pics and One Word game.

QuickHelp#2 – Booking a Cab Online   There are working moms who prefer to drive themselves to and from work, it is easier for them to run errands right after work or head quickly to drop off or pick up the kids. And then there are working moms who prefer to commute because they get to squeeze in more sleep time when they do. And then there are working moms like myself who would prefer to book cabs with a mobile app. It takes away cost you will have to shoulder for daily parking fees, takes care of waiting time you will have to spend in queue at the cab lane. Other than the additional minimal amount for using the service, you just pay for whatever shows up on the meter, and even ask for receipt if you need to reimburse transpo expenses.

QuickHelp#3 – Bookstore Trips with Kids   If you would ever need to run on quick errands while with the kids, a quick dash to the bookstores will give you your relief. I am so thankful that my kids always have to ask when the next bookstore trip would be. They have evolved from knowing when the movie trip is (which can be expensive) or when the next toy store trip is (which is even more expensive). Activity books and story books range cheaper than any decent educational toy or a movie ticket but then you get more value out of developing your kids’ habit to read. Before I queue up to pay the bills or before I go buy that additional ingredient for tomorrow’s meals, I put my eldest son in charge as my kids (and ever reliable ‘ate’) troop to the bookstore, browse endlessly in time for you to return and pay for the books they are getting. Just make sure your kids have fully mastered the basics of not talking to strangers and ‘ate’ has developed mastery over ensuring small kids do not stray away.

QuickHelp#4 – Public Holidays   Work can be real challenging and energy-draining if done without rest. So add if you must, other than your scheduled weekly two days off work, decide to take the holidays once in a while. Never neglect to arrange coverage when you do and keep the sensitivity to know if it is time to take the holiday or if it is time to stay for coverage. After all, you wouldn’t want to become the one whom everyone has to cover for.

Feel free to add to my list. Leave your quick help tips that work for you whether you are a working mom, stay at home mom or a work from home mom.  Enjoy your summer!

Summer is On! Beat the Heat Swimming Ideas!

Of course you have read about our Ilocos-La Union-Pagudpod adventure, the Philippines has a long list of other options you can choose from for summer. Giving you a quick rundown of where you can spend your free summer days with kids, with extended families, with friends, or with just about anyone who shares the same love for water, sun and fun! Stories in pictures below.

Do not think you have already been to all parts of Pansol because there is an area in Pansol, which none of the resort guides along the street will be able to point you to. There is certainly more than one that gives you a mountaintop view of Laguna Bay while allowing you to have privacy from other nearby resorts.

Just make sure you have sturdy car tires to endure all of the steep roads and sharp turns. And since it is in Laguna, fun starts on the road when you agree to convoy with others.

Travel at night, enjoy the overlooking lights of Laguna and stop at the highway gas station for dinner to give you enough strength for night swimming and videoke night.

Old church ruins Camiguin will show you what remained from old churches made out of shells. It is seated right next to the shoreline so you can enjoy both the breeze from the sea, the view, the shades of big, old trees and the historical beauty of the island

Katibawasan Falls in Camiguin is the iconic film setting of countless local and international movies. It boasts of clean water and a mini-hike trail to and from the falls

Bura Soda Water park is where you can see pools numbered not with depth but with temperature. It is a cold spring pool that will make your body shiver even when right under the sun. It is weird and fun to realize how cold the water is despite the glaring afternoon sun

A visit to Puerto Princesa Palawan is never complete without taking the Underground river boat ride. It is an almost-an-hour underground adventure you take on the boat, with a “bangkero” giving you a complete low-down of each minute part of the cave, including cave structures formed hundreds of years ago. You will have to ensure perfect weather before your boat leaves the port of Palawan as waves can get really strong along the way.

Mt. Famy, a string of three mountain slopes, base is off Siniloan where after climbing, you can get the water surprise of your life with three falls waiting, Buruwisan Falls, Batya Batya Falls and Sampaloc Falls. Trail is mostly steep and can be leg-breaking so train and walk around first if you decide to go

Buruwisan Falls

Hundred Islands, where you can spend days and days of exploring each island for swimming, hiking, jumping off to water and island hopping. Tried counting all the big islands, came up to 30+ but never got to finish all hundred that gave the name its place

10 meter jump from the side ridges. Must try adventure and leap of faith (literally!) Trick is do not take too long waiting for your turn, it will give you too much time to start worrying about the jump, you will never get to jump. So take the spot, have everyone count 1 to 3 then jump. Make sure you fold your hands to your body and ensure you land feet first.

Three hours white water rafting in Cagayan De Oro. With the Bugsay main man giving you instructions how to row appropriate for each rapid. It boasts of 14 big rapids with the last one you take without the raft. Instructions to just lay still on the white foamy water, until rapid subsides was nerve-wracking and heart-thumping. It was the longest 3 minutes of my life to be bobbing on and under white water. After the rapid, all had a laugh and we had to sing: Still (Hillsong)

Anicycle at Kampo Juan in Bukidnon. After swimming in CDO, head to Bukidnon and never miss the side trip to complete this. Two suspended bicycles while you ride them on harness. No matter how scary it gets to cross the 120 meter distance, do not stop pedalling, otherwise, you will find yourself in the middle of an 80meter-high (altitude) bike ride.

Caramoan Islands Highlights: see where they film Survivor (your time of visit will determine which Survivor show is filming, Back when we did, it was Survivor Sweden filming). However, since the Survivor islands are off limits to tourists, there are a lot more islands you can choose from. In fact, we had 5 islands to visit including Gota beach with small caves to explore and Sabitang Laya

Polillo Island, there are two ways to get there, off Real Quezon port or through Infanta Quezon. The two hour roro ride from Quezon island will take you to Polillo. Take another 45 minute boat ride to the ocean and you will be able to see pockets of islands right in the middle of the ocean, which only appear during low tide. They seem like pools with algae floor and countless coral hills everywhere