Privacy and Respect

My friend France posted this and I asked permission to repost this because this needs to get out.

Privacy is defined by Dictionary.com as the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs: the right to privacy while Respect is defined as to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with: to respect a person's privacy.Those are two very basic words but heavy with meaning.

I just can't help but be disappointed with the way they acted. Let me share this story that just recently happened. A disclaimer though: the things that are put here are my own account and experience. This is more a ranting session.

Just this weekend our community held a crossroads retreat in one of the retreat places in Tagaytay. It so happened that a show in ABS-CBN, particularly The Correspondents, asked permission from us that if they can cover our event as part of their report. Our admin person mentioned this to our elder, and automatically our elder said no because it's a private activity. So the production team left. They came back the second time and again asked since they are there and that the other group in the retreat facility allowed them to take their group, they asked if they could do the same to us. Again, the answer is no and that our elder mentioned that "When we said no, you should respect our decision and our privacy. I hope you understand." Into which they said they do understand. So we thought it was the end of it.

But on my way to the Ladies' room, the staff from the Retreat House and Bernadette Sembrano came over and asked if they wanted to talk to the elder. Right there and then I told her no, you cannot simply take videos. Hear me out, Sembrano says. Okay, I told her. She mentioned that the other group are elederly people and that she wanted to take the video of the community since we are young professionals and that we also attend retreats during Lent not just going to the beach. I told her that even if that's the reason, we would still not allow it simply because it is a private activity and that even if you talk to our elder, she will still give you the same answer. Even on our own terms. I told her even if we have terms, it's still a no. She said okay, and then they left. I communicated it immediately to our elder.

But we got the surprise of our lives when Sembrano is very insistent on talking our elder. She approached her and told her the same account. My elder told her that it's a no and you have to understand that. Then she became arrogant, saying, you're a catholic community and yet your staff are very edgy (read: mataray daw ako). Our elder said, yes, my people are edgy simply because you don't respect our decision. They ended still not covering us though I am wary because they might be taking videos of us while we're having an activity outside the conference room. They came back 5 TIMES for some reason the word NO was a foreign concept

I may be bold in stating her name, yes, but my respect for her as a journalist or in that profession came down big time. I am a bit sad because they did not understand the meaning of NO. I wanted to ask though if they would allow us attending their own weddings, parties and affairs and take pictures of it even if they do not know us. Of course not! Then I think the same rule applies to us.

I guess we as individuals with no stellar status on our belts should not approve these people to step on us just to get a story. And they should draw the line. And our right to privacy should be respcted.

I would like to request you though: if you happen to watch correspondents and see us, do tell me immediately :)

Ganging Up For Nutrition

There’s more to food than what meets the taste buds.
In fact, health experts agree that taste is not equals to nutrition. Most of the time, the more flavorful the food, the more it is packed with traitorous food ingredients that masquerade behind tasty additives.

“Filipino households are trying to translate their hard-earned money into filling meals for huge families that’s why most people load up with cartloads of unhealthy items like chips and instant noodles,” says Prof. Luchie Callanta, a UP Senior Lecturer and resident nutritionist of Doña Elena Cuisinera Club.

Doña Elena Cuisinera Club is a group of concerned mothers, health practitioners and food enthusiasts who are pushing for a healthy eating lifestyle for Filipinos.
Despite this, Prof. Callanta encourages Filipinos not to be disheartened. "If we admit defeat, our family's lives will be endangered and we will just be another nameless addition to these statistics. But, if we stand up and fight, it's tantamount to giving our families a chance to live healthier, longer, and happier lives."


Prof. Callanta emphasizes that people do have a choice; and if they opt to champion their family's health, the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club is there to support them in their cause. Born as a creative response against the perils of unhealthy living, the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club has the aim of turning Filipinos into full-blown Cuisineras –people who champion healthy eating without compromising the taste and quality of the food they prepare.


Projects of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club includes the release of 21 Ways to a Healthier Life book, which contains a shortlist of tips to a healthier lifestyle as well as Filipino recipes given a healthier twist and monthly healthy cooking sessions for its members .


“At present, one of the club’s top priorities is substituting the use of olive oil for regular cooking oils in preparing everyday dishes. The olive oil’s positive health benefits, not to mention the richer flavor it provides, make it a good choice for cooking,” adds Prof. Callanta. “For example, they can substitute the regular cooking oil with olive oil when frying.”


Doña Elena Cuisinera Club is promoting this olive oil substitution as one of the easiest yet most effective means by which Filipinos can achieve a healthier lifestyle. In addition to lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, other benefits of olive oil include: reducing the risk of heart attack, inhibiting cancer, stabilizing blood sugar levels and controlling asthma and arthritis.


“Of course, the fact that recipes prepared using olive oil (compared to the traditional bland-tasting diet fare) are easy on the taste buds doesn’t hurt either,” adds Prof. Callanta.


And as illustrated by the use of food alternatives such as cooking oil, it’s clear that health is just as important as taste. As Prof. Callanta puts it: “Through The Doña Elena Cuisinera Club, we wish for Filipinos to realize that nutrition doesn’t always begin with how food tastes in our mouths—in this case, what matters is what we put in our dishes.”


If you have any suggestions or comments that will help advance our common cause of healthier eating, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact our Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Secretariat at 713-8144 and email info@cuisineracalub.com.

Photos of the event can be found here

A Healthy Prep for Your Beach Body

Crash diets, weight-loss pills, cosmetic surgery—health experts say that you can skip all that and still look good in your summer outfits.
The secret?

Go back to basics: eat healthy foods and take in fewer calories than you burn.
“It's easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing.,” says Prof. Luchie Callanta, Senior Lecturer of the University of the Philippines College of Home Economics. “The best food for weight loss in summer should be light, fibrous and refreshing.”

Also the resident nutritionist of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club, a group of concerned mothers, health practitioners and food enthusiasts who are pushing for a healthy eating lifestyle for Filipinos, Prof. Callanta further explains that the single easiest way to trim calories is to load up on nature’s bounty. This means people should consume fruits and vegetables that are low in calories but full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

But for people who cannot give up on their meat, Prof. Callanta suggests that they should just limit the meat intake and make sure that it’s been cooked healthy using olive oil instead of the ordinary cooking oil. Replacing the other low quality oils with olive oil is believed by health experts to be the first step towards healthy eating.

Only, the dilemma of most Filipino buyers lies on the high prices of olive oils, unlike the more affordable lesser quality oils. Luckily, consumers may find brands such as Doña Elena olive oil that can provide the same throng of health benefits—not to mention a rich and flavorful taste—without going over the budget.

Doña Elena olive oils makes health benefits like protection against coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes more accessible to the average Filipino’s table.
Olive oil increases HDL (good cholesterol) that helps clear clogged arteries and is rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants like chlorophyll, carotenoids, vitamin E., flavonoids, squalene and polyphenols which may help to protect against cancer. In fact, olive oil tops the list of healthy oils recommended by the American Heart Association for food preparation.

“So if you want to get that beautiful beach body, remember to exercise regularly and have a proper diet. After all, beauty isn’t skin deep—it starts from within,” ends Prof. Callanta.

If you have any suggestions or comments that will help advance our common cause of healthier eating, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact our Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Secretariat at 713-8144 and email info@cuisineraclub.com

Photos of the event can be found here

Sweet Success

When it was first sold in 1937, no one knew how wildly popular these sweet treats would be.

But doughnut lovers today, over 60 years since the first batch was sold, can’t get enough of the hottest, freshest confectionary indulgence.

Clearly, it’s no simple doughnut that would spur thousands to stand in line for hours. Krispy Kreme—made from a 72-year old secret recipe—is reportedly a favorite by President Clinton, beloved by NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and so loved by crooner Jimmy Buffet that he wrote a song about it. The pillowy pastry has been featured in nearly 80 movies and TV shows. Even A-listers Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman profess to be fans. And to cement its status, Krispy Kreme artifacts were inducted into the Smithson Institution’s National Museum of American History.

It is decidedly the celebrity of doughnuts and a phenomenon abroad—complete with devoted acolytes and a consistently growing following—so it was only a matter of time before the Philippines got their own little piece of the dough.

True enough, by 2006, when the first Krispy Kreme opened at Bonifacio High Street, the Philippines broke Asia’s records for the Longest Line, Most Doughnuts Sold and the Earliest Customer to Fall in Line. As soon as the conveyor belt that whisked the light, melts-in-your mouth doughnut started, and the Hotlight (“hot doughnuts now” red neon sign) flicked on, the shop swelled with eager customers. Krispy Kreme calls it the “Doughnut Theater”—and the sight and smell of one of their doughnut machines that can glaze a little over three thousand doughnuts an hour, was the reason behind the opening-day record breaking lines that caused pedestrian snarls.

Since then, they have opened ten stores across the metro, breaking new records (setting the one for the earliest drive-thru to line-up when the Mall of Asia Drive-Thru store opened) and continuously innovating to take sweet-tooth satisfaction to new heights.

Which is why, coming in the wake of their success, Krispy Kreme continues to push the envelope for sweet-tooths across the Philippines with the introduction of the Chocolate Karnival. After all, what else can trump already established cult favorites than the introduction of the Greatest Chocolate Show on Earth?

Launched recently, the infamous Hot Original Glazed gets itself a decidedly chocolate-y make-over with the addition of the Chocolate Glazed Doughnut to Krispy Kreme’s wide range of melt-in-your-mouth doughnut offerings.

For true sweet tooths and chocoholics, a single doughnut is the ultimate experience. Combining the pillowy perfection of Krispy Kreme doughnuts with the rich, decadent gloss of chocolate, it’s where one will find love at first bite. Be sure to hold off for other treats as well—variations of the Chocolate Glazed come in Chocolate Glazed Traditional Cake, Double Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Glazed Vanilla Cake, Chocolate Glazed Vanilla Cruller Cake, Chocolate Glazed with Sprinkles, Chocolate Glazed Strawberry Filled, Chocolate Glazed Raspberry Filled, Chocolate Glazed Custard Filled and the Chocolate Glazed Kreme Filled.

So go on, glaze yourself—but be warned, stop in for one and you may actually walk out with a dozen.

Glaze your friends! Visit Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Hot. Fresh. Now. For inquiries, please email customercare@krispykreme.com.ph or call (632)8126596.


Photos of the event can be found here

Proud Moment

Joshwa was given an award last Wednesday March 25. He was awarded Best In Computer!!Not just for the class but the whole SPED Department.



Having a child with Autism is not easy. Very difficult and challenging road.
I'm so proud of you Joshwa.



Daddy ,Mommy and Adee will always be here for you.

Women to Watch: Urban Time’s New Icons

Urban Time,one of the emerging fashion watch stores to hit Manila recently launched
their flagship store at the 3/F of The Annex in SM North EDSA

Urban Time, the country’s upcoming and hippest watch boutique, is introducing its brand ambassadors at the Annex of SM City North EDSA.

The Search for the Urban Time Icon was launched through an online campaign. They were voted online through www.urbantimeicon.com. Voting for Urban Time's Ambassadors started on February and ended on March 22. Participating schools are the Ateneo De Manila University, College of St. Benilde, De La Salle University and De La Salle International, Trinity University of Asia, University of Asia and the Pacific, and the University of the Philippines. Each school’s respective organization teamed up with Urban Time in conducting the voting on campus.

Five winners were selected to represent the young and chic audience of Urban Time. They are Miki Hahn from La Salle College International, Rachel Rustia and Stephanie Sol from University of Asia and the Pacific, Portia Silva from Ateneo De Manila University, and Anna Monica Villaverde from Trinity University of Asia.

“Urban Time's Brand Ambassadors represent the ideal youth of today. Besides being beautiful and smart, our ambassadors have a passion for life, excellence, and making a difference in everything they do. I’m honored to have them wear the latest collection of timepieces from Urban Time ”,says Linfred Yap, Marketing Manager for Urban Time.

Urban Time carries three of the most fashionable French watch brands for the young fashionista. These brands are MC Marie Claire, Cherie Paris and Lulu Castagnette.

Some of the photos of the event can be found here:

What: Women to Watch: Urban Time’s New Icons
Where:Urban Time SM Annex North Edsa
Time: 6 PM
Thanks to Iris for the Photos
Thanks to GMCI for the invites

Regine & Dawn Back to Back

It was what they promised us  twice the music experience. They totally delivered last March 13 as the Asia’s Songbird and the 80s premiere rock band perform simultaneously at Eastwood City, Libis. Regine Velasquez really serenaded the crowd at Eastwood Mall Open Park, as The Dawn launched  their latest album “The Later Haf of Day” the Eastwood Central Plaza. Both are free concerts. Two big acts, one exciting place.Just like what Eastwood is.I can't wait to go back and explore what Eastwood has to offer.

I am not familiar with the songs of The Dawn that's why I couldn't list any of their songs.The Dawn is like a great bottle of wine they get better with age.

I'm not a Regine fan but I have to admit that her songs are great and I love the way that she's mellowed with age.I also love the fact that she can laugh at herself.

Here are some of the songs that she sang during the concert:

I'm not sure of Title just send me a message and I'll correct it. thanks

 1) Clouds across the moon

 2) At Seventeen

 3)Of All The Things

 4) Ako'y Iyong Iyo

 5)Tell me that you love me(unsure ako dito)

 6) And I love you so

 7) Totoy Bato theme song

 8)I will Survive, Move with the Music, Last Dance (Medley)

Credits to: Ms. Tinay for Invites

              To: Iris for the Photos