Practical Tip: Sock It!

I have never been much of a socks fan. I only wore them in grade school and high school, when white socks are mandatory with black leather shoes; or had to wear rubber shoes or sneakers, which was rare. I prefer open-toed sandals because they made my feet feel free. (Whoa, lots of e's there!)

Weird trivia: back when parents gave socks to their kids that are 1 or 2 sizes too big, the normal way was to fold them under the feet. I always folded mine above the feet because I didn't like the bulky feeling of that 'extra' cloth.

Anyhoo, when I started working socks were non-existent in my wardrobe. For how can you wear socks with pumps, slingbacks and stilettos?! I'd wear flip flops while driving and then just slip on my high heels on my way to the office.

BUT! I had to change my routine when I started commuting. Since there's a lot of walking involved, I have to wear a pair of flat shoes most of the time. Now, wearing closed shoes without socks is a bit unhygienic because you sweat more and that can breed fungi. Wearing stockings was out of the question because they're too uncomfortable for our weather (although they say wearing stockings prevent developing varicose veins) and the ankle-length variety doesn't really look good. And so, my search for the best low cut socks began!

From the numerous brands I have tried, I will just feature the top 3 here:

1. Marks & Spencer

This one's my favorite because it has the lowest cut, which makes it perfect for ballet flats and mary janes. But even if the socks are super low cut, they won't slip out because of the adhesive-like stopper by the soles.

Material: Thick cotton, which is soft and comfy

Price: Php200+ Although it's the most expensive among the three, it's a very good buy because of the reasons mentioned above.

Colors: The socks are available in black and nude.

Top view

There's an adhesive-like stopper inside the soles

2. Muji

Toe coverage (I dunno how else I can describe it) is a bit wide for me, pretty much like the rest of the other brands. But the interesting here is that the Muji socks have a slingback design, which makes it 100% non-slip! So I think you can still wear these if you have slingback sandals.

Material: Airy, a bit net-like in texture

Price: Php140+

Colors: Black and Grey

Grey slingback socks

3. Biofresh

Their low cut variety is better than the standard size but I find that it's still not as low as I want my socks to be. Which is still fine, because if you're already okay with the standard size. Although it also has an in-sole stopper like Marks & Spencer's, it isn't really effective. After just a few minutes of walking, I can already feel the socks slipping.

Material: Light cotton

Price: Php125 for 3 pairs, which makes it the most budget-friendly brand

Color: Nude and Black

Three pairs in a pack

Top view

In-sole stopper

Happy sock hunting! 

Tara's Bone Marrow Transplant Fund

Hi everyone! I would like to ask your help for a dear friend Tara Enrile, who is one of the strongest and most courageous people I know. She's a loving mom to beautiful Kara, a great friend to many and an inspiration to all of us.

Please read more about her story here, and maybe share it to everyone that you know. Any amount would help her get that bone marrow transplant that she needs. 

P.S. I posted the Japanese text of her story in the another post.

For Tara

Please visit: http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/tara-s-bone-marrow-transplant-fund-save-two-lives-/76523

エンリレ•ターラさんは34歳で、カーラちゃんと言う元気で明るい3歳の娘を持つシングルマザーです。ターラさんはとても優秀な英語教師で、これまでに老若男女問わずたくさんの日本人に英語を教えてきました。 2012年1月、ターラさんは急性骨髄性白血病と診断されました。正常な白血球を造ることができなくなる、致命的な病です。ターラさんは辛い化学療法を4コース、何とか乗り越えて、2012年7月に無事退院することができました。彼女の場合は成功したわけですが、神様から与えられた、2度目の生きるチャンスであり、奇跡の贈り物と言えるでしょう。

ところが、数ヶ月後の2013年3月、ガン治療後、ようやくまた新たに生活を築き始めたばかりの時でした。白血病が再発したのです。彼女は化学療法を受けるため、4月から再度入院することとなりました。神様の恩恵により、ターラさんは日々、辛い副作用にも耐え、乗り切っています。彼女の信仰と娘への愛の証です。しかし、化学療法というのは、白血病細胞を破壊し、寛解(白血病細胞が見つからない状態。ただし、追加治療を行わなければ再発の可能性が高い。)を促す一時的な治療法でしかありません。担当医によれば、骨髄移植が何よりも最適な治療法だとのこと。(参照: 文末の統計情報) 破壊しても、また再発してしまうこのしつこいガン細胞を根絶するには、骨髄移植が必要なのです。

これほどまでに過酷な試練にも関わらず、ターラさんは教師としての熱意を持ち続け、化学療法の合間に体調とエネルギーの許す限りレッスンを受け持っています。全ては愛する娘のために。 それでもやはり、昨年発病した際にフルタイムでの勤務から退職を余儀無くされてしまったため、骨髄移植を受けるには、費用を募金活動によって支援する必要があります。 ネット上では、フェイスブックのユーザー数は11億1千万人にも上ると言われており、中にはおよそ5億人が使用していると言う人もいます。 ターラさんの骨髄移植費用は500万円(5万ドル)です。もし、11億1千万人のフェイスブックユーザーのうち、5万人が100円(1ドル)ずつ寄付をしたとしたら、移植を受けられることになります。彼女に二度目の人生を歩ませてあげられるのです。もし、100円(1ドル)よりも多くの寄付をして下さる方が見えるとしたら、目標額の500万円(5万ドル)に達するのも何倍にも早くなると言うわけです。 ターラさんは、現在7コース目の化学療法を受けているところです。目標は、9月には骨髄の適合者が現れ、その時までには募金も目標額にまで達していることです。彼女の体は、こんなにまで、長く厳しい化学療法と闘い、何とか乗り越えてきているのです。 私たちの日々の祈りが、彼女が頑張り抜く励みとなります。移植という選択肢がある彼女は恵まれています。 私たち、ターラの友人一同、皆様にどうかお祈りとご厚情を賜りますようお願い申し上げます。彼女が一刻も早く移植を受けられるよう、十分な資金を貯めることを目指しています。金額は問いません。彼女の力になって頂けるのであれば、心より感謝致します。どうかこのサイトを、ご家族、ご友人、同僚の方などとシェアして頂きたくお願い申し上げます。皆様のご厚意と資金援助により、必ずターラさんに奇跡がもたらされると信じています。 統計情報:

(2013年 アメリカ合衆国のみ) •新たに急性骨髄性白血病と診断された症例 14,590件。うち、大多数が成人。 •急性骨髄性白血病による死者 10,370人。ほぼ全員が成人。 •急性骨髄性白血病と診断された成人のうち25%が5年以上生存。•43％とされる生存率は、末梢血幹細胞移植または骨髄移植により、86％にまで上昇。 500万円(5万ドル)によって、ターラさんの尊い命を救う骨髄移植が可能となるのです。お金では買うことのできないものがあります。母親である彼女に、娘との未来を与えてあげて下さい。彼女の子供に、愛する実の母親によって育てられるチャンスを与えてあげて下さい。この親子の幸せは、とてもお金では買うことのできないものです。---Friends of Tara

Soundtrack Sunday: Titanium

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you feel defeated and totally shot down. Shake it out, stand proud and sing out loud:

I'm bulletproof, nothing to losefire away, fire awayricochet, you take your aimfire away, fire awayyou shoot me down, but I won't fallI am titaniumyou shoot me down, but I won't fallI am titanium

Movie Watch: The Holiday

I soooooo need something like this soon!

Soundtrack Sunday: Blurred Lines

Here's a new video for 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke. Hay naku, Robin, isa ka pa! *sigh* You had me at 'Lost Without You'!

Public Commute: Newport City

Ever since working back here in Manila, I've always been on the look out for cheaper but convenient means of commuting around the metro. I really hate spending on taxicabs and I'm always antsy when taking one to a place I'm not familiar with. So, when I needed to go to Resorts World from my office in Eastwood, I was so happy to have discovered the Citylink bus!

The Citylink bus route is from Eastwood City to Market! Market! and ends at Newport City via C5. From Eastwood to Newport, it only cost me Php39.00! Woohoo! It's very convenient especially for office people. You just have to find the Citylink queue outside Eastwood Mall, line up (there are even benches provided) and then wait for the bus to arrive. The bus is also very clean and has good air-conditioning, which makes it a waaay better option than taking a cab.

Citylink has the following schedule of departures and arrivals (taken from Wikipedia):

From Newport City to Eastwood City, trips are from Monday to Saturday, 6AM - 8AM, and from Monday-Friday, 4PM - 7PM. Every Saturday, only one unit will have a departure time at 4PM.

From Eastwood City to Newport City, trips are from Monday to Saturday, 6AM - 9AM, and from Monday-Friday, 5PM - 7:30PM. Every Saturday, only one unit will have a departure time at 5PM.

Try it and let me know how your experience went. =)

On Kindness

I'm sharing here what happened to this week, which was short of a miracle. I have already posted this on my Facebook account:

Last Tuesday night, I lost my wallet (yes friends, AGAIN) but I didn't realize this until the next morning. That wallet had all my government IDs, credit cards, ATM and cash. We couldn't find it anywhere in the house and it wasn't in my friend's car. I even called the last place we've been to and was told nothing was turned over to them. I wasn't even sure if I misplaced it or it wasstolen from me. I was really devastated because it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

When a day has passed without finding it, I was resigned to the fact that it was gone. I knew I had no one to blame but myself. It was hard but I kept thinking that it was just money and whoever had it might have needed it more than I did. My prayer that night was 'Lord, I don't know what's gonna happen but bahala ka na as always. You know what I need and I know You will help me. But if it's not too much, I am still asking for a miracle.'

So this morning, while checking my email, I got a message from a stranger thru LinkedIn: 'Please contact me in facebook. Look for xxx. I found your wallet.' Wow! I had goosebumps reading it! We got in touch, and this stranger turned out to be a neighbor! Since I didn't have contact numbers in my wallet, they had to Google my name and it led them to my LinkedIn profile. Needless to say, I got everything back.

I'm not the type who usually talks about things like this, but the last 2 days taught me a lot about kindness as I have experienced the kindness of strangers, of friends and of God. I've been told that I am very lucky. But I am not lucky, I am blessed. =)

What I wasn't able to share was the names of my good samaritans. To the couple, Reyg and Jomal Linao, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. I will forever be grateful for your kindness. May God bless you and your family a thousandfold! =)

Movie Watch: It Takes a Man and a Woman

It might be a surprise to some of my friends, but I am a HUGE Sarah Geronimo-John Lloyd Cruz love team fan! I've loved them since their first team up for a Maalaala Mo Kaya episode! Ok, I sound super baduy now but I don't care, haha! =)

Since I love their team-up, of course I have seen their two movies in the cinema: 'A Very Special Love' and 'It Takes a Man and a Woman'. Hindi dibidi 'yan ha!

So when they came up with the 3rd (and probably last) installment, I couldn't contain myself! It took them 4 years before coming out with 'It Takes a Man and a Woman' but it was definitely worth the wait. I really think it's their best one yet =)

Practical Tip: How to Get an NBI Clearance

Since I'm now moving to a new job, I had to fix my list of requirements and one of them's an NBI clearance. The last time I had to get one was 8 years ago, and I remember it not being a very pleasant experience. Despite being at the NBI office really early to line up, the entire process took me almost a half day. So naturally, I dreaded the thought of going through the same thing again.

Good thing somebody told me about NBI's e-clearance process! No more lining up and no more useless waiting time, hurray! Just follow these five easy steps:

1. Know Your Purpose. Check out the NBI website to determine the amount you need to pay as clearance fee. Fees differ depending on the purpose of application. Mine was for local employment so clearance fee is Php140.

2. Pay via Globe GCash. Go to any Globe office and fill out their GCash form, payee name is NBI and the contact number is 09175638053. Then proceed to the cashier and pay the clearance fee plus the additional transaction fee of Php20. Make sure to keep the receipt as you will be using the transaction reference number indicated when you login to the NBI website.

3. Go to NBI online. If you are a new user, you need to provide your email address, a password and the transaction reference number. An email confirmation will be sent to you and from there you'll be made to complete more information on the website. Warning: Make sure to check the information you type in because you will not be able to edit anything once you hit on the Confirmed button. Don't forget to print the confirmation message as you will be bringing this to the clearance center. 

4. Send an SMS. Afterwards, send a booking request via SMS (there's also a link on how to do this in the confirmation page). Here's the guide:

Your booking day could be on the same day you completed your online registration. No restriction here.

5. Show up. Proceed to the NBI center where you registered and go straight to the Step 3 counter where they take your picture and biometrics. Because you registered online, you're given priority based on your appointment time so it's ok to make singit. Afterwards go to the Step 4 counter for releasing, here they will give you the date on when you can claim your clearance.

That's it! I only had to stay in the NBI office for around 10 minutes! Unbelievable, huh? This definitely cuts the waiting time to like 1/10! I even think that for the entire 5 steps, you could be done in under 1 hour, as long as the Globe office, a business center (where you could print your confirmation message) and the NBI clearance center are all in the same mall.

The online process is such a big help but I do hope that they still improve the manual application process, though. Because from what I saw earlier, it was total chaos! There were no signs on what the steps are so people don't know where to go and what to do. And there were not enough officers (if any) to answer queries, we just had to make do with the mall security guards, who by the way can't really provide the answers. Besides, shouldn't their main job be to take care of security?

Anyway, I hope this bit of information helped you out, folks! =)

Bagasbas Beach

For the Holy Week, my parents, brother and I went home to my father's hometown in Talisay, Camarines Norte. Aside from catching up with family and relatives and following our usual religious tradition of going to Mass and participating in the Holy Week processions, going to the beach was at the top of our must-do list.

Bagasbas Beach is the main beach destination in the Camarines Norte province. The long stretch of fine grey sand faces the Pacific Ocean, so you can expect decent size waves here. Thus, it has gained a bit of popularity with local and international surfers. There are a few shops here now where you can get surfing lessons and also rent equipment for skim boarding and kite boarding.

Everyone else also thought of hitting the beach early in the morning!

Hmmm...

One of the best things about Bagasbas Beach is that it is very clean and waste-free despite its being a public beach. I even think it looks much cleaner and well-maintained than it did in the 80s/90s. Here, you see a number of people walking along the beach regularly picking up trash and cleaning. They have also provided a clean (of course) shower area now! Galing!

Very clean beach

We always bring packed lunch when going to Bagasbas and then just rent a cottage, since we usually come here in a very big group. Also, there are grills beside some cottages so you can cook your own food. But if preparing and cooking your food is not your thing, there are a lot of affordable food choices along their promenade. Some stores/eateries have been here since I was little but the strip has grown to have other restaurants as well.

Beach cottages for rent

Great day for kite flying

I will always have fond memories of Bagasbas Beach because it's part of my happy childhood. I'm glad that the people of Daet are very much active in keeping their beloved beach clean and safe for everyone!

Weekend Getaway: Virgin Beach Resort

If you're looking for a quick beach getaway, why not drive down to Laiya, San Juan, Batangas and check in to Virgin Beach Resort?

Location
From Manila, Laiya is just about two-three hours away. So if you don't have enough vacation time and badly need to escape from the city, this is the perfect choice. And once you get a glimpse of their white sand beach, you'll feel the stress melt away!

Customer Service
I give the staff of Virgin Beach Resort a solid 5-star vote for the excellent customer service! After checking in, you get a personal guide to your cabana. Then, when meal time nears, a staff member gives you a rundown of the menu and gets your order ahead of time. And all throughout the day, they check in on you (in a non-intrusive manner) from time to make sure you have everything you need. What a way to relax!

Pathway

Our home for the weekend

Facilities / accommodation

One of the bamboo cabanas

The resort is very clean and well-maintained as you see their staff regularly cleaning up the beach. Our bamboo cabana was also very tidy and I love love love their sheets and pillows! I even slept soundly through the night (Side story: a bird flew in our room in the middle of the night and I was the only one who didn't notice. To think I was sleeping right next to the window!) We didn't get an air-conditioned room but just as well because the room was airy and the sea breeze was enough ventilation, although an electric fan was provided too.

Other provisions: electric kettle, 3-in-1 coffee, towels, shampoo and soap. There was also regular supply of toilet paper =) Nice!

If you want to sleep nearer to the beach front, they also have canopied bamboo beds, which I think is perfect for afternoon naps and they also come with curtains for more privacy at night =)

Food
I was expecting a buffet but we were told that since there were less than 40 guests that time. then we'd only have a la carte. Food was good and servings were big enough but I can't recall right now a specific dish that stood out. Except for their turon! Yum yum!

Price
Price was reasonable enough especially for a big group like ours. We got a cabana good for 6, which costs Php6,000 per night so that's Php1,000 each. And since they require you to eat inside the resort, you have to pay an additional Php1,600 per person which is already good for lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day. If we had the buffet, then this is definitely sulit. However, if you are in a tight budget this could be a bit steep compared to buying food in the market and cooking your own meals. But as I've said, with the excellent customer service, our stay there was worth every penny.

Happy tanned faces!

Check out their website and start your summer getaway now!

Soundtrack Sunday: Suit & Tie

Oh my gosh! I don't know anyone sexier than Justin Timberlake! Good thing he's back to making music because I missed his moves sooooo much!

Watch this and go, 'Damn!'

Soundtrack Sunday: Pitbull

Pit Bull is one of my favorite artists for party music. From Hotel Room Service to I Know You Want Me to Back In Time, I have been such a fan!

Here's their latest dance music which I love love love!!! So catchy, you can't help but dance along =)

Happy 2013!

Like in the past years, before the clock struck midnight, I checked my notebook to see how I did on my list of goals for 2012. I got a dismal 3 out of 7: visit 10 new places in the Philippines, take a trip to the US and write 50 blog entries.

Because of this, I have decided to make a slight change to how I do it this year. Instead of writing my goals at the back of my notebook and opening it only at the end of the year, I'll take note of them on my phone and look at the list everyday for motivation. Hopefully I can get a perfect score before this time.

Here's to a healthier body, more travels, financial freedom, love and happier life in 2013! Cheers!