Welcoming the New Year!

Around the world New Year's Eve is celebrated with different rituals, for good luck and prosperity. Each country has its own New Year's superstitions custom and traditions, especially prepared food, special clothes and decorating habits for house. Most people around the world adhere to these special New Year's Eve rituals, believing that it will bring them happiness and prosperity in the next year.


Because January 1 is the first day of the new year, we have drawn a connection between what we do on that day and  our fate throughout the rest of the year. Here are some customs and traditions to ensure that the new year being welcomed will be a prosperous one. 

1. Make as much noise as you can to scare away evil spirits. 

2. Turn on all lights so that the coming year is bright. 

3. Open all doors, windows, cabinets and drawers to let good fortune in. 

4. Debts must be paid off. Fill your wallet with fresh peso bills. (Filipinos believe that whatever your financial state is in at the stroke of midnight, so it will be in the new year.)

5. Clean everything. 

6. Wear polka-dots. Anything round signifies prosperity. 

7. Scatter coins around the house, on tabletops.... inside drawers... 

8. Prepare 12 round fruits, one for each month of the coming new year. 

9. Eat a native delicacy made from sticky rice to make good fortune stick in the new year. 

10. Eat long noodles (pansit) for long life.

11. Jump twelve times at midnight to increase your height. (Observed by Filipino children.)

12. Don't clean anything! You might sweep away the good fortune that came in on New Year's Eve. 

13. Don't spend money at all. Your thriftiness on the first day of the year will foretell your money management in the coming year. 

Spend the day on December 31st by taking some time to be quiet and reflect on the year that is drawing to a close. Think about the people that mattered most to you, your greatest accomplishment, challenging difficulties and the lessons you learned.

Have a Happy, Prosperous and Safe New Year Everyone!!!

Reach out and Share your Blessings (Typhoon Sendong)

Christmas is just a round the corner and there is no doubt that we will be enjoying it with our family and friends. But our brothers and sisters in Cagayan, Dumaguete and Iligan have just lost everything during this awaited season. Their Christmas is now filled will despair. But, we can make it easier and better for them, a simple donation can go a long way to still make this time as Merry as it can be.

LBC, the largest courier company in the Philippines which has branches worldwide, through LBC foundation, has announced that it will accept donations in kind for the typhoon victims and will ship them for free to the most needy in Mindanao. You can visit their Facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/pages/LBC-Foundation/255449267840802



"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends."
Gospel of John 15:12-13

Letters to Santa

You better watch out, you better not cry. Better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town......He's making a list and checking it twice; gonna find out who's naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town...... He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake! 


We've all been there. Every Christmas, we're supposed to write a letter to Santa, revealing our heart's most secret desire. So, I asked a couple of kids (their moms actually) to write away their wishes. What's yours?

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is a blue ball and a red bike. I also wish my mom can get rid of her asthma so she can bake me a cake again.

Love,

Jake Arevalo

5 yrs. old

sweet, smart and his family's pride and joy

Ello Santa :)

My wish for this year is a scooter. I want a bike but I heard my Mama will buy that for me, so I am wishing a scooter from you :)  My mama also said not to wish for clothes, shoes and toys because my uncle from Canada sent a boxfull of them. And so we are giving some of my clothes to people who lost their clothes in the flood. I wish that you send them food because we can only give them old clothes and some things. Thank you :)

P.S. Can I ride Rudolph?

From:

Loiz

8 yrs. old

loves running, biking and jumping

Dear Santa,

I wish to have good results of my 3rd quarter test. I want to make my parents happy. Can you give me cash instead of gifts? I want to buy something for them this Christmas. I want to buy my brother a new battery for his PSP. I want to buy dad an e-cigarette so he would quit smoking and my mom an air conditioner for her kitchen. Send them through my bank account. Thank you!

Love,

Jian Arevalo

12 yrs. old

sweet, smart and also her family's pride and joy

Lewis Raphael

9 yrs. old

sweet and loving son, loves to eat and definitely a WWE fan.

Mikhaela (my baby girl)

8 yrs. old

loves singing and dancing. cute and sweet. brings so much joy into our lives each and every single day.

And my wish? A BETTER WORLD!

I dream that one day our songs in some way

will bring a bright tomorrow

full of love full of hope, full of joy

Simbang Gabi...... Simula ng Pasko

Simbang Gabi is one of the longest and most popular of the Filipino traditions. December 16 marks the beginning of the Christmas novena, or Simbang Gabi, in Tagalog.  For Filipino Catholics the nine-day celebration before Christmas is a tradition with deep roots in the country's religious culture. Literally, simbang gabi means ``night worship.'' The name comes from the Catholic custom of gathering for the celebration of the Eucharist in the pre-dawn hours on each of the nine days before Christmas. This tradition was introduced by the Spanish friars to allow the farmers to hear mass before going to the fields early in the morning. Hence, this celebration is also known by its popular Spanish name as the misa de gallo. Catholic churches throughout the country will be ringing their bells around 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning long before the roosters crow.

Today, the tradition of Simbang Gabi continues whether you live in the city or in the province, although it is celebrated in new ways. Most churches are decorated with colourful lights and beautiful parol lanterns to welcome the church goers. The Belen is displayed in preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It shows Baby Jesus in a manger with Mother Mary and St. Joseph, the shepherds and farm animals. It also includes the three wise men carrying their gifts to Infant Jesus and the star of Bethlehem that guided them in their journey.

St. Andrew's Cathedral
Quirino Avenue, La Huerta Paranaque

San Dionisio Chapel
San Dionisio, Paranaque

After the mass, the church goers can enjoy traditional delicacies that are sold in stalls right outside the church. Favourites like bibingka, puto , puto bumbong, suman are usually served with tea, tsokolate or coffee.

Puto Bumbong, Bibingka and Kalamay

Hot Pandesal

Simbang Gabi is the spiritual preparation for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also seen as a way of requesting blessings from the Lord,as most of us believe that if one completes the whole series of nine dawn masses, wishes will be granted.

So, let the bells of the Misa de Gallo break the pre-dawn silence of the whole land. The bells offer a message of hope in God and of hope for peace on earth.

Weekends eats: Feta Cheese Ball, Homestyle Meatloaf and Baked Ham

We only have nine days to go before Christmas, are you done with your Christmas menu? Give yourself a nice timeline so that on the day itself, you and your dishes look effortless. Make sure you do not cram on your grocery shopping. Shop for non-perishables weeks before the main event. The best way is to plan the Noche Buena menu with the family so that everyone's happy.


These recipes I'm going to share with you was again from my good friend Elaine Santos- Arevalo.  These recipes has been with their family for the longest time. Though busy taking care of the family, she still manages to prepare delicious dishes for the much awaited Noche Buena.

Feta Cheese Ball

Home-style Meatloaf

Baked Ham

ingredients:

2- 2 1/2 kilos whole pigue 

1 cup sliced onions

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

4 sprigs parsley 

6 whole cloves

3 whole black pepper

1 pint beer

glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

whole cloves

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 325F. Place ham fat side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Place onion and bay leaves on ham, sprinkle with sugar, parsley, cloves and pepper. Pour beer into pan around ham. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake, basting every 30 minutes with beer in pan, using a baster, about 3 hours. 

2. Remove ham from oven; take off foil, baste.

3. Make glaze. When ham is done, remove it from roasting pan and pour off all fat and drippings. Reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings (not fat); combine with brown sugar and honey. Return ham to roasting pan.

4. Increase oven temperature to 400F. With a sharp knife , carefully remove any skin. To score: make diagonal cuts in fat (be careful not to cut into meat).

5. Stud each center of each diamond shape with a clove. To glaze ham: brush the surface with half of the honey glaze; return to oven and bake for 30 minutes longer, basting every 10 minutes with more glaze. 

A fusion of comfort food and elaborate delights, that's what the Arevalo's Noche Buena is all about. Indeed, happiness is homemade!

Usapang Pulitika

Sampung araw na lang at Pasko na......... Pero bakit parang hindi ko yata nararamdaman ito? Andyan ang traffic...oo, nakabili na ako ng mga pangregalo... oo (pero hindi pa kumpleto at tamad na tamad akong balutin ito), may Christmas lights na dito sa bahay... oo, marami na akong naririnig na Christmas carols... oo. Pero bakit nga ba hindi ko pa ramdam ang Pasko?


Dahil ang hinahanap ko ay ang Pasko na walang bangayan, ang mga tao lahat nagmamahalan. Pero sa mga pangyayari ngayon dito sa bansa natin, lalo na sa usaping pulitika, puro bangayan at siraan ang naririnig ko. Hindi ako mahilig makisawsaw sa mga ganitong usapin dahil sa totoo lang AYOKONG AYOKO ng Pulitika. Dahil para sakin ang pulitika ay madumi! Nakakasira ng pagkakaibigan, ng pamilya at ng pagkatao.


Sa nangyayari ngayon, saludo ako sa ginawa ng Gobyernong Aquino kay Gng. Arroyo. Alam naman natin lahat ang mga katiwalian, kasinungalingan at panloloko na ginawa ni Gng. Arroyo sa taong bayan nung siya ay nanunungkulan pa bilang Presidente ng Pilipinas. Meron lamang sana akong hiling sa Gobyernong Aquino, sana asikasuhin din niya ang Ekonomiya ng bansa lalo na ang taong bayan (na sinasabi niyang BOSS niya), huwag lang sanang puro "personal vendetta" ang gawin niya. Madami sa atin ang natutuwa dahil para tayong nanonood ng teleserye (ika nga ng mister ko), ang drama sa airport ng hindi pinayagan lumabas ng bansa ang mag asawang Arroyo, ang pagsasampa ng kaso at pagbigay ng warrant of arrest kay Gng. Arroyo. Hindi ba parang teleserye lang? Ang dating mga nasa kapangyarihan, babagsak at maghihirap? Parang magandang gawan ng script to para sa isang teleserye o pelikula.


Sa impeachment kay CJ Corona, malamang kasama din ito sa istorya. Pati na din ang pagbigay ng warrant of arrest kay Abalos at kung kanino pa man na sangkot sa sinasabi nilang "Electoral Sabotage". Hindi ako abogado at wala akong masyadong alam sa law. Ang tanong ko lang, sa isang oras na pag present ng mga kongresista sa impeachment complaint laban kay Corona (sa pamamagitan ng powerpoint presentation), naintindihan kaya ng lahat ng pumirma ang presentasyon na ito? Naintindihan kaya nila ang nilalaman ng complaint kahit kakaunti lamang sa kanila ang nakabasa at nagkaroon ng hard copy? Walang akong kinakampihan sa usaping ito, pero hindi ko din naman maiaalis sa isip ko ang motibo ng impeachment na ito.  Ang alam ko "midnight appointee" ni Gng. Arroyo si CJ Corona, siguro isa ito sa mga dahilan. Isa din siguro sa dahilan ay nang tuligsain ng SC ang desisyon ng Malacanang na huwag palabasin ng bansa si Gng. Arroyo. Malamang din naman isa din sa dahilan ay ang desisyon ng SC laban sa Hacienda Luisita (huwag nang magpakaplastik pa!).


Kay Presidente Noynoy, sana lang kung gaano kabilis ninyong napalabas ang warrant of arrest kay Gng. Arroyo at gaano kabilis naihain ang impeachment kay CJ Corona, sana ganito din kabilis ang usad ng iba pang mga kaso sa bansa. Sana ganito din kabilis ang pag usad ng kaso ng Maguindanao Massacre, na hanggang ngayon nagdudusa pa ang pamilya ng mga namatayan. Sana ganito din ang pagkilos ng Gobyernong Aquino sa iba pang isyu ng bansa, ang walang pakundangang pagtaas ng gasolina (na parang nagpapalit lang ng sapatos kung magtaas), ang pagtaas ng mga singil sa tubig at kuryente, syempre pa kaakibat na dyan ang pagtaas ng mga bilihin. Simula ng umupo si Presidente Noynoy, puro pagtaas na lang ang nararamdaman ng mga tao. Pwera lamang ang pagtaas ng SAHOD! Sana po sa laki ng ibinabayad na tax ng mga tao, may maramdaman man lamang kami sa tax na halos umuubos sa aming sweldo! Puro tax na nga, eto meron pang balita na gusto pang lagyan ng tax ang SSS at Pag-ibig contributions. Aba naman, saan ba napupunta ang mga tax na ibinabayad ng mga tao? 


Ang sinasabi ko lang naman, sana kung gaano kabilis kumilos ang Gobyernong Aquino sa issue ni Gng. Arroyo ay sana ganun din kabilis ang pagkilos niya sa iba pang isyu ng bansa. Alam ko na tuwang tuwa na ang Gobyernong Aquino dahil napakulong na nila si Gng. Arroyo, na sa totoo lamang ay lagi niyang sinasabi na ipapakulong niya ang mga may kasalanan. Huwag mo din sanang kalimutan ang taong bayan mahal na presidente, dahil sa mga nangyayari sa bansa, TAONG BAYAN lang naman po ang laging apektado.


Wala akong kinakampihan, gusto ko lamang masabi ang mga gumugulo sa isip ko. Ang gusto ko lamang ay isang maayos na bansa, magandang ekonomiya upang hindi na kailangan pang magtrabaho sa ibang bansa ang mga kababayan natin para lamang matustusan ang kani kanilang pamilya. Gusto ko lang ng magandang buhay para sa aking mga anak, magandang kinabukasan sa sarili nating bayan. Hanggang kelan kaya magtitiis ang taong bayan sa sitwasyon natin ngayon? Sabi mo Presidente Noynoy na kami ang BOSS mo, pero bakit parang hindi ko nararamdaman at nakikita iyon? Panahon naman siguro na taong bayan naman ang bigyan mo ng pansin. Patuloy ko pa din na ipinagdadasal ang bansa natin, alam ko na may pagkakataon pa na makabangon ang Pilipinas. Patuloy ko din na ipinagdadasal ang mga Pulitiko, sana naman wag lamang sarili ninyo lagi ang iniisip nyo. Sana naman ay huwag puro pangungurakot ang gawin ninyo. 


Katulad ng sinabi ko, wala akong kinakampihan. Ang gusto ko lamang ang kapakanan ng taong bayan. Sa lahat ng mga nangyayari at mangyayari pa, taong bayan ang higit na apektado. Sabi nga ng aking bayaw........ 


"TRO sa Hold Departure Order. Arrest Warrant for GMA. Redistribution of Hacienda Luisita Ordered by SC. Ganito pala maglaro ng chess ang elite. Sino kaya machecheckmate ? I hope hindi taumbayan".

Internet Connection Finally Restored!

Maybe a lot of you where wondering why I hadn't post anything since Wednesday, the culprit? Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. Imagine, no internet connection since Wednesday night? Are you freaking kidding me? 


It started when they offered us a promo of their TELPAD, it is a touch-screen tablet just like the usual tablets in the market nowadays. Customers only need to add as low as P500/month to upgrade to the TelPad plans. As a bonus, you will get a free myphone MS 28 slide.  What's ironic is that, we upgraded our plan just to get this kind of service? Never did they mentioned anything about internet connection problems if we avail of this TelPad plan. Thank God that the customer service i talked to the other day was nice and kind enough to apologize, that made me calm down and be nice too. So after 4 looooooong days and maybe 3-4 phone follow ups, our connection was restored last night! But as I am using it right now, I can say that the speed is kinda not what I expected from an upgrade. I hope this improves on the coming days.


I just hope that PLDT would improve their services, specially to customers who are loyal to them and pays on time. We've been a subscriber for more than a decade now, and I think with what we are paying every month, we really deserve something better than this kind of crap.  I've heard a lot of complaints from subscribers specially with the internet connection.  I also hope that they improve their customer service, maybe add more people. It's really annoying (and it pisses me off) to wait on the phone for a minimum of 30 minutes before someone would actually answer your call (and won't even give you the answer you want to hear). They got a million subscribers, so why not add more people to handle customer support?  In the spirit of Christmas, we forgive you and we will give you a chance to improve your services. And to show you that I don't hate you that much, I will inform my readers about your Telpad promo.

The PLDT TelPad service starts at Plan 1849 with 1-megabit-per-second (Mbps) broadband connection and landline service. The PLDT TelPad unit comes bundled with the plan. Existing PLDT myDSL customers only need to add as low as P500/month to upgrade to the TelPad plans.

The other PLDT TelPad plans are Plan 2099 at 1.5 Mbps (P2,099 per month), Plan 3095 at 2.5 Mbps, and Plan 4100 at 3.5 Mbps. All these are inclusive of the landline phone and myDSL broadband service.

for specs you can go to http://www.pldttelpad.com/s7slim-specs.html

Our review:  The tablet is ok, it looks more like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. With it's price (Php 5,500), it's quite okay. But I was thinking, why not give the unit for free since we are going to pay an additional Php 500 per month for 2 years? Yes, there is a lock in period of 2 years, just like getting a postpaid line at Globe or Smart. FYI, it runs on Android Froyo 2.2.

You might want to consider this offer, but make sure that they inform you about the"upgrade processing" which means not having internet connection for a few days I think (wink!).

Happy Monday Everyone!

Swensen's Ice Cream on a Rainy Monday

I know it's kinda weird to have ice cream on a cold and rainy day, but for us (hubby, daughter and me)...... it's not! When it's cold and rainy, most of us usually have coffee, tea or hot chocolate to make us warm. But for us ice cream lovers, we have our ice cream anytime and any day we want.


We went to Mall of Asia last Monday afternoon to buy a dress and shoes for my daughter, she tried out around 7-8 dresses and around 3-4 shoes (strutting like a model in front of the mirror inside the fitting room). I think we spent around 2 hours looking for the perfect dress and shoes for her, unluckily, we were only able to find the dress not the shoes. We were kinda tired when my hubby just blurted out "I want to eat ice cream", for days he was telling me about this ice cream shoppe called Swensen's.


Swensen's is an international franchise/ice cream shop born in San Francisco, CA. Since the opening of it's first shop in 1948, there are now over 300 Swensen's ice cream shops worldwide, including Asia, the Middle East, USA and South America. Swensen's has created more than 180 flavors of ice cream that are enjoyed by both young and old. We are lucky that after 63 years,we can now taste Swensen's of San Francisco's mouth-watering ice cream at their first branch in SM Mall of Asia.

The Menu

Our Visit

Happy Kiddo

The Chocolate Temptation
8 scoops of ice cream and rich toppings: hot fudge, Oreo, brownies and almonds

just can't wait

This is the Ultimate Sundae Experience for the kids and the kids at heart!

Swensen's Ice Cream & Sundaes
SM Mall of Asia (Ground Floor South Wing-Near SM Department Store)
Tel. +632 804-0046
Email: swensens_moa@yahoo.com
Facebook: Swensen's Philippines

Store Hours: Mon.- Sun. 10am- 10pm

Designer Handbags

Designer handbags have always conquered women's hearts and the new handbag designs featured for the upcoming season demonstrate clearly the power these accessories have over fashion and style. Pick your favorite shape and shade to make the impression you were lusting after. Bright tones will inject a cheerful vibe into your ensembles whereas neutral colored bags have the power to add 'grown-up' feminine glamour to your appearance. Let your intuition and accessorizing skills lead you through the selection of the hottest bags for your new season wardrobe. 


Give yourself a break from the boring working days and indulge in a breath-taking style fantasy with these amazing Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 and Coach 2011-2012 handbag collection.

Coach Bags 2011-2012

Embrace urbane chic couture with these practical and high street Coach handbags. Explore the new designs of your favorite Madison, Poppy or Kristin bags and incorporate them into your fashionista closet. Go glam by arming up your apparel with a sexy and suit-all accessory piece. The color palette for the end of the year and the beginning of the upcoming warm season ranges from the daring brights as blue and pink to the classy sandy tones and beige. Flaunt your refined taste for luxe staples by purchasing some of these dainty top handle pouches and Hobo shoulder bags. 

Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 Handbags

The upcoming spring 2012 handbag collection signed Marc Jacobs underlines the importance of diversity with a myriad of stylish classic and modern designs which are featured to cover various outfit styles. From gorgeous clutches to adorable and practical totes, the collection brings soft, classic lines refreshed through the use of color, prints as well as fringes.  The deluxe, high end style of the collection is made visible from first glimpse, not only through the perfect details and lines the bags feature, but through the high quality fabrics used for every design. 

From cool snakeskin print fabric to leather and suede, the fabrics ooze elegance, and this detail alone makes these new handbags a must have!