Katy Perry in Manila

Katy Perry was in Manila again over the weekend for the California Dreams Tour. It was her second time to stage a concert in this city.

Even though the show started at 10pm (it was supposed to start at 8) due to some security issues, fans had so much fun during the concert. This is basing on my friends’ tweets and FB updates. The was a video presentation as a prelude tot he concert. Amidst the excitement, music from the band and vox ac30cc1, shouts from all the fans, Katy’s “Manila!” shout opened the concert with a bang.

She sang Teenage Dream, Humming Bird Hearbeat, Waking Up in Vegas, Ur So Gay, Peacock, I Kissed a Girl, and of course Fireworks & California Gurls among her many hit songs. The highlight of the night probably was when she asked for a guy volunteer from the audience and actually kissed him. Lucky guy!

It sounded like a pretty fun concert to watch. Next time she visits, I wish we could go.

Grand Baby Fair 2012

If there’s one event I want to go to this weekend, this would be it. But it turns out we have other plans and that shopping for Baby Boo is not yet the priority. So I will just share the information with you.

Here is the press release I got from Smart Parenting:

Baby Company, the Baby Specialist, invites you to the biggest, most exciting, and most-awaited mom and baby event of the year, the Baby Company Grand Baby Fair.

The Baby Company Grand Baby Fair Year 2 opened today at the Megatrade Halls 2 & 3 of SM Megamall. This 3-day event brings you the most trusted brands and specialists in maternity, parenting, and child care under one roof. Get up to 70% off on selected items and enjoy exclusive offers from over 100 exhibitors. Learn from the experts, meet and greet celebrities and win raffle prizes when you join fun learning activities. Get a Swag Bag with a P2,000 single-receipt purchase and enjoy exclusive perks for Mom Card members.

Here's the program schedule for Saturday and Sunday:
Day 2 - January 28, 2012, Saturday

10:00 AM – Fair opens
11:00 AM - 12:00 NN - Johnson's Baby: Skin Care Symposium with Lexi Schulze
1:00 - 2:00 PM - Chicco: Breastfeeding Women @ Work w/ Ms. Nona Andaya-Castillo and Shaan Bermudez Hizon
2:00 – 2:30 PM - Farlin: Bathing Do's and Don'ts with Dr. Rochelle Lee
2:30 - 3:30 PM - Kindermusik: Sing and Learn Activity
4:00- 5:00 PM - Avent: Pre Natal Care Symposiumwith Dr. Cristopher Soriano and Christine Jacob-Sandejas
5:30 - 6:30 PM - Gingersnaps, Ergo Baby & Safety First Fashion Show with Paolo Abrera
6:30 - 7:30PM - Yaya Symposium and Workshop with Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan
7:30 to - 8:30 PM - Canon: Workshop on Kids' Photography, Videography and Scrapbooking
--
Day 3 - January 29, 2012, Sunday
10:00 AM – Fair opens
11:00 AM - 12:00 NN - The Stork Studio: Talk on Taking pictures of Babies and Children by Sofia Genato
1:00 - 2:00 PM - Gymboree: Storytelling Activity & Parachute Activity
2:00 - 3:00 PM - Johnson's Baby: Skin Care Symposium with Chesca-Garcia Kramer
3:00- 3:30 PM - AINON: Maternity and Breastfeeding with Dr. Mylah Gonzales and Gladys Reyes
3:30- 4: 00 PM - AINON: Sing and Learn with Moppet Music, Mascot Appearance
4:00 -5:00 PM - Tender Luv: Infant Feeding Myths and Facts with Dr. Basco and Danica Sotto-Pingris
5: 00 - 6:00 PM - Chicco : Working Out with Strollers: Be fit and fab again! with Vince Hizon
6:00 - 7:00 PM - Avent: Toddler Feeding Cooking Demo with Chef Mitchie Sison, Toddler Coloring Contest and Games
7:00 - 7:30 PM - Pigeon: Post Natal Care with Ms. Abby Yabot
7:30 - 8:00 PM - Make Believe Productions: The Eric Carle Move and Groove: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
8:00 - 8:30 PM - Star Baby 2011 Awarding and Closing Ceremonies with Tessa Prieto-Valdes

Head to the biggest, most exciting, and most-awaited mom and baby event of the year! The Grand Baby Fair will run from January 27 to 29, 2012 and is open to the public.

Effective Communication between Doctors using Doximity

We were talking about Obstetricians this morning (my uncle’s wife was asking for referrals) and I remembered someone I know who had a falling out with her OB. She had to change doctors so near her EDD because her OB scheduled a trip around the time she was about to give birth. Her OB did not want to release her records so she could find another doctor. Maybe if Doximity was already available that time, the two doctors would have settled it between themselves?

What is Doximity? It is an application that is a private, secured and exclusive network between doctors. It is free available through the internet, iPhone and Android phones. Only Physicians are allowed to join and there is a 3-step credential verification process to make sure only doctors get into the network. Once a member, a doctor can just search for another doctor, say Binh Nguyen MD, then just send a private message and ask pertinent questions about the patient.

I  am sure the physicians will appreciate this application because it is easier plus real-time responses are possible.

Mind Museum

This is something that I would like to try:

It is said to be the first world-class science museum in the country. I am just not sure if K will already appreciate this kind of exhibit. Or maybe not yet because she is still too young? According to the website:

“The Mind Museum’s state of the art design will feature FIVE GALLERIES within its two levels:

1. The Story of the Universe: Its Beginning and Majesty
2. The Story of the Earth: Its Story Across the Breadth of Time
3. The Story of Life: The Exuberant Varieties of Life
4. The Story of the Atom: The Strange World of the Very Small
5. The Story of Technology: The Showcase of Human Ingenuity”

I will just share this information with friends whose kids are a little older. I am sure the kids will have a blast going around the 3,560 sqm indoor exhibit area!

In the Hospital

I just received text messages from my mom who is now at the hospital. No she is not confined (neither is she there to visit someone nor observe each hospital cart that passes in front of her, hehe). She is just there for some routine tests and random checks with our doctors. See, her birthday is coming up and she promised herself to see the doctors every year to make sure everything is okay. So far she’s been to my ENT (with a funny anecdote to share, not to be shared here though LOL) and she’s now waiting for her turn at her OB’s clinic. Here’s praying that everything is indeed okay.

Three Simple Rules in Life

Sometimes you find all sorts of things in the internet just at the right moment. Like this one I stumbled upon and share also to my IG friends:

1. Go after what you want. Chase your dreams because your dreams won’t chase you.

2. Always ask! Unless the person you need to ask favor from is a mind-reader, he/she will never figure out what it is that you want/need.

3. Again, if you do not move to do anything, you’ll never get anything done and be stagnant forever.

Cancer from taking Actos

Cancer is an ailment that everyone wish to not have. Sometimes, patients are treated and go on remission. Others are not too lucky when they detect it too late. But what is more frustrating than finding out you can get cancer from taking medications that are supposedly prescribed to treat another illness? Take this example of a diabetic patient I read about. He developed bladder cancer from actos. Actos has been manufactured and sold since 1999 for the treatment of Type II Diabetes and is believed to cause increased risk in bladder cancer which the manufacturer failed to disclose. Scary isn’t it? I believe it is always best to be aware of prescribed medications, ask your doctors about it, and read up information before taking it.

Kim Kardiashian vs The Gap?

If Kim Kardashian had the guts to sue The Gap, the latter is ready to fight back. It all started when clothing line Old Navy (a Gap brand) ran a commercial starring a Kim doppelganger named Melissa Molinaro, an actress. Kardashian is suing the brand for $20M "creating confusion in the marketplace and violating her rights to her name and likeness." The retail giant is said to have started investigation if the commercial indeed sullied Kim’s reputation. This case just might take a year to resolve and Kim just might need to take the stand.

Last Party for the Year

I am rushing some things as I need to get ready for our last party for the year. It will just be a casual party and Ane need not bring out his lapel pins to show off, LOL! We actually decided on wearing just jeans, but must be jazzed up. And the party will be at the Luis house, so it is really a pretty laid back get-together. I have no jeans that fit me anymore, so I am going to wear a maxi dress instead :)

I hear the husband calling me already so I need to go now. Will tell you more about it later :)

Cold Beach Trip

We kind of expected to have a very windy beach trip (there was a typhoon coming I think?) but not one of the boys remembered to bring at least one North Face jacket for the cold nights. The waves during the boat ride to and from the island scared the sh*t out of me. I was also looking forward to watching sunsets but the clouds only cooperated on our first day. It was also the afternoon we decided to just stay in the hotel and rest (doctor’s orders!)

But it was still an enjoyable trip and I would gladly do it again :)

We’re Back!

We got back from our six-day vacation last night. Our flight going back to Manila was a bit delayed. I was too tired to turn on my laptop and get back on track on my online responsibilities. First three nights were spent in the island of Boracay (our second trip there this year, woah!) then we went to Iloilo, by land, and spent 2 nights there. We do not have that many pictures to document this trip but the memories will surely stayed etched in our minds because it was one different Christmas celebration. It was so different we plan to do it every year!

Let me just compose my thoughts and I will blog more about this trip. I have got a lot of backlogs to do!

 

TTYL!

Merry Christmas!

This is a scheduled post because I am not sure if I will still be able to go online, or if I will have enough time to blog…

By the time this is posted, we’re probably enjoying paradise already :) And just because we will be on vacation does not mean my heart does not go out to those affected by the floods in Mindanao. Let us continue to pray for our fellow countrymen.

Have a meaningful Christmas, you all!

Hectic

Our hectic schedule has commenced. It has been one crazy weekend and we are just starting. But at least we are able to attend to all our commitments, and more. It will get even more crazy tomorrow when my BIL and nephew arrive for their vacation. Two days more and we are done with two major events. Then we are off to our family get-away. I can’t wait to relax and soak in a clawfoot tub. That will be soothing and awesome, I expect. :)

God bless the Philippines

Another calamity has hit the Philippines. This time, the country was struck down south. Typhoon Sendong’s wrath was felt in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Over the weekend, a friend tweeted that her pregnant sister, her husband and their dad had to leave their house and go to higher ground (bless the neighbor who let them stay in their house) because the house got suddenly flooded. They were not able to save anything except for a few articles of clothing :( And then we hear of hundreds of deaths and thousands missing people. They were all caught unaware of the flood, it all happened too fast and into the night.

The death toll is rising. People are getting hungry and sick. Clean water is running out. Every help counts.

God bless the Philippines.

Exporting Medical Wear

Since my BIL and nephew are arriving soon, my mom is thinking of exporting scrubs and medical uniforms to SJ. It is cheaper if someone is flying out instead of having the stuff shipped to the US. My sister said they have limited choices for these uniforms so we’re thinking of taking advantage of that. Problem is, we are running out of time and we have not found a good supplier or maker yet. Maybe we need to do better planning next time, huh?

Christmas is here!

About two weeks ago, I gave in and put up our Christmas tree:

I had no plans of putting it up because we won’t be here for Christmas anyway. But the little girl would ask me everyday about it so I just had to give in. I guess she is already at that age when she easily appreciates all the decorations. The neighbors have put up their decorations and K would exclaim in awe, every night she sees the lights on. She was happy to see our tree up. The effort is definitely worth it!

Still Flooded

My hometown is still flooded even after weeks since typhoon Pedring hit. Every time we go to our school, it is frustrating to see that the main street leading to our place is still flooded, even if it is not raining. The water is even already murky, a sign that it is not moving. Ack.

I heard a lot of dikes were destroyed during that typhoon and that would mean millions in budget to fix. I understand that it would take time to come up with such amount but can’t the local government at least offer some temporary solutions? Like invest in heavy-duty amt pumps to pump (obviously hehe) out the water?

Negligent

I am guilty of being negligent of my blogs. Our house angel left at the end of September then I found out a week after that I am pregnant (yes! More on that later, maybe in my main blog). So you can just imagine how hard it is for me to balance everything. We have new angels in the house now and I am almost done with my first trimester so I am easing back to the old routine. I am still having a hard time staying up late at night to work. But I am hoping soon I can shake that off already. I need all the energy for the coming holidays.

Eyelash Frustration

I have always wished my eyelashes are longer. I get frustrated with curlers and mascaras because I do not know how to use/apply them by myself. I also considered having extensions attached but haven’t got around to doing to so. Besides, extensions are just temporary which means I need to go to the salon every now and then to have it done, right? I read somewhere there are eyelash growth products already. Any reviews if they’re any good?

Doctors Needed

If there is one thing I regret, it is not studying for a more skilled profession back in college (Not that I am not happy getting degrees in Management and Psychology, huh). I just feel I could have done better if I chose to be a  lawyer, an engineer or a doctor. Especially the last one – I smile and wonder what could have happened to me if I am like some of my friends who are doctors already. I look at postings for Physician Jobs and see that the openings are many. The opportunities are wide, most especially for specialized fields like Obstetrics, Pediatrics and Dermatology.

Oh well, this is just me thinking aloud. I am happy where I am now :)