Love Bears: Cute Bridal Car Decorations

One of my close friends (Maics) just got married to her long-time boyfriend (John) last May 14 - on her birthday as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the said wedding ceremony because I'm out of the city. Despite of it, I was a witness on how they prepared for the wedding.

It was their special day, so they wanted their day to be unique and memorable. Instead of the usual flower decorations for the bridal car, they had 2 love bears dressed as groom and bride in front of their bridal car. I find them so cute, aren't they? =)

Cutey Kitty!

This picture will really tickle the child-like side of you; may you like Hello Kitty or not, I'm pretty sure you'll love this very cute Hello Kitty sewing machine. I find it super cute, isn't?

Straight from the heart of Mikey Bustos

Mikey Bustos (born June 23, 1981) is a Filipino-Canadian singer who appeared on the reality television show Canadian Idol. He placed seventh runner-up in the finals of Canadian Idol Season One in August 2003.

Mikey captivates audiences with his energy, lyrics, performance and passion. He touches the hearts of music lovers internationally with his passionate soulful vocals and emotionally charged song lyrics. Beyond the sheer of marvel of his voice, his brilliance as an artist, performer and song writer has placed him in an exceptional category that earned him a reputation for igniting the crowd with his mercurial vocalise and musicianship show after show.

For you to know what I'm talking about, I attached one of my favorite songs/videos from Mikey - I find it and Mikey super cute! He's indeed charming!

Special Siopao - WOW!

My lunch – Special Siopao with chili sauce (with lemon) to add spice and enhance its taste, only at Mandarin Oriental Restaurant.

Mandarin Oriental Restaurant in Cagayan de Oro City is one of the most sought after Chinese restaurants in the city. If you are a Chinese food lover - who is in the City of Golden Friendship, I highly recommend Mandarin Oriental Restaurant.

Stylist Wanna Be

I love to make new styles with my It Girl, a.k.a. online doll. These are just some of the styles I did. Hmm, I might change my career to being a stylist huh! well, who knows... why not?! wink!

Happy Yipee Yehey Birthday!!!

Today is the birthday of my niece, so I thought of sending her this e-present... =)

Holy Week: Eat but no meat

I’m a Roman Catholic Christian, and I usually observe the religious activities set by the church – especially on Holy Week. I’m not a super religious person, but I’m prayerful and I have a personal relationship with God. In fact, I was an active youth leader (Youth For Christ – YFC) when I was younger – both community and campus bases.

Today is Holy Friday, a lot of people ask if eating meat is really prohibited on this day. In my own opinion – especially in this modern time, I guess it’s okay to eat meat, but of minimal portion only. The main objective of Holy Week is to abstain – meaning to minimize the things you usually do or food you usually eat, like meat; these are so called little sacrifices. I guess it’s not really too much to ask, compared to the (physical, emotional and mental) pains that Jesus went through to save all mankind.

Actually, abstinence is not only done during Holy Week, but even before you take communion in mass; it’s advisable not too have food intake an hour before the mass. I know some people who wake up at dawn – around 2 or 3 am to pray, have 9 days novena or even travel to attend the feasts of Saints, because it has been a belief that if you pray with little sacrifices, what you have prayed for will be answered and granted.

So, it’s okay to eat meat, but just small cuts; but it’s also advisable not to.

Mall of Asia - MOA... WHOA!!! ; )

Mall of Asia (MOA) - a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 3rd largest shopping mall in Asia and the 4th[1] (Ref. Forbes' World's 10 Largest Shopping Malls) largest shopping mall in the world. It has a land area of 42 hectares and has a gross floor area of an approximate 390,193 m² (4.2 million square feet)[2] and 407,101 m² of total area. The mall is located in Bay City, Pasay City, Philippines near the SM Central Business Park, the Manila Bay and the southern end of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue). – (Wikipedia)
P.S. I looked haggard in these pictures for I traveled for hours... wink!

Shine Jesus Shine

Divine Mercy Shrine

El Salsador, Misamis Oriental

May of 2010 when I joined (with my aunts, grandmother and cousins) our annual family reunion – held at Iligan City. On our way home, we decided to visit the Divine Mercy Shrine, since it's located at El Salvador – which we can pass by on our way to Cagayan de Oro City.

At that time, the 50-feet Shrine was still under construction. Despite of it, devotees and visitors were still welcomed. The organizers of the shrine made clear that there are rules to be followed strictly when you are in the sanctuary. The place should be kept solemn; Cameras and bags are not allowed in going up to the altar. They also have skirts (for women) to be borrowed when entering the Shrine.

The rays of the Divine Mercy serve as the stairs in going to and from the heart of the statue of Christ. In the heart of Christ is a mini altar. The organizers of the shrine encourage people to pray while on their way to the altar, because everyone will only be given at least a minute to stay there, so that everyone will be given the chance to reach the altar.

Before you can go up to the altar at the heart of the statue of Christ, a short seminar (about the Shrine’s rules and the intentions of visiting the place) will be conducted. They strictly implement the “No Seminar, No Entry” policy – this is to have order in the Shrine. (With my grandma; the picture was taken before the seminar started.)

Simply Comfy!

Women (and a lot of men) have regular pedicures not just for personal hygiene, but for fashion as well. In connection, I'd like to share my pedicure of the week; nail polish color is Rainbow Tan. And of course, I have my Havaianas Sandals - especially this summer, to make myself always on the go.

Prayerful by Nature

St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral, Cagayan de Oro City

Night and Front View

Inside View

Prayer Room

I usually go to this room every time I feel the need to talk to God without distractions. I like the place because it's quiet, cold and solemn. There are chairs, carpets and foams provided for your comfort while praying. The room should be respected - there are dress codes to be followed before getting into the room. Silence should be kept; talking and singing inside are strictly prohibited. Also, phones should be turned off.

Palm Sunday is God's way...

Palm Sunday (the start of holy week) is the start of God's ways to save people from sins.

Christians celebrate Palm Sunday as the entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem – a week before His death on the cross and resurrection. Palm Sunday, also known as “Passion Sunday” is the first day or beginning of Holy Week.

You might ask why it was named as “Palm Sunday”; this was because when Jesus entered Jerusalem, people welcomed him by waving palm branches. From then on, the religious tradition has been handed from generation to generations – until at present time…

Every Palm Sunday, religious people (like Priests in Roman Catholic) bless the palms of believers with prayers and holy water, to recall Christ's sufferings, death and resurrection to save all mankind from sins.

Let there be light...

It has been a belief that to light candles with prayers will make miracles.

There are different colors of candles with their specific meanings.

For religious people, we believe that candles are sacred, because they seal our prayers to God. Each specific prayer can be sealed by lighting specific color of candles.

I lit these candles first hour of January 1, 2011 - New Year's Day, to welcome the new year with positive vibrations and prayers for good luck throughout the year.

Color and meaning:
Green - success, wealth, health, marriage and fertility.

Red - passion, love, emotional strength, warmth, attraction, magnetism and physical strength

White - The Balance of all colors: Spiritual enlightenment, cleansing, healing, purity, peace, truth and protection.

Certified IT GIRL fanatic!

One day, I was so bored to death at work, I logged in to my Facebook (FB) account (to read news feed) to at least ease the boredom I feel, but I got bored even more. I browsed some games while killing the time 'til my log-off-time from work. I came across of the game "It Girl" that really caught my attention until I was hooked for hours, days and months. Actually, I was the first one to play "It Girl" in the office, until I got everyone so addicted of the game. hehe

Playing "It Girl" is somewhat the same as having a Barbie doll - virtual doll that is. You can do a lot to your It girl - from changing her clothes and hair styles to attending parties to earn money for shopping from different fashion capitals like New York, Los Angeles, Paris and London. You can even buy a car for your It Girl and choose a boyfriend for her from the circles of dashing debonair gentlemen.

When I was young, I had dolls but they only had a few clothes. So I really didn't get the chance to do styling for them. The game "It Girl" tickles my creativity in styling; although I'm not a professional (yet), but I'm still taking baby steps, and who knows, I might take it professionally in the future. why not?! wink

And, I want to share some of the styles I made for my It Girl doll. I hope you like them; let me know what do you think... =)

Creativity is the Key

One of my balloon arrangements.

This was made to welcome New Year 2011. It has been a belief that the color red is a lucky color; so I chose the family of red colors for this arrangement to welcome the New Year with positive vibes and much luck.

I Zipped It; I Conquered My Fears!!

I conquered Asia’s longest dual zipline at Dahilayan Adventure Park, Manolo Fortich Bukidnon, last June 14, 2010. I experienced the extreme adrenaline with the following conditions: Weather - Cloudy; Temperature – 22 degrees Celsius and wind speed – 20 kph.

The Dahilayan Adventure was started with a long drive from my city to Bukidnon for more than 2 hours. The travel was worth it – the park was indeed something to look forward to, because there is so much in store for the visitors, and one is the zipline adventure. Zip Zone’s dual carrying cables – 840 meters long from one point to another; total length of cables is 2,460 meters.

After the tiring zips, dine at their very cosy picnic area (within the heart of the park) and enjoy the very nice views with pine trees and cold weather. Have fun taking pictures at their zoo area with life-size animal statues.

It was indeed an amazing adventure I won’t forget…