Day 1, Part 2: #TeCasIlocosTour2015

(You can read Day 1, Part 1 of our tour here.)

After visiting Paoay Church, which is so beautiful, we went straight to the Paoay Sand Dunes. This part, I enjoyed way too much!

I asked our driver/tour guide from N.E.C. Tours if I could let Brianna ride the 4x4 but he said that small kids aren't allowed to experience the 4x4 ride through the sand dunes as a safety precaution. They are right, though. Those dunes are wild! For me, at least. Hihi.

We had to force my sister to ride with us - she's malulain - to cross another thing off her bucket list. Good thing she came with us because it was too much fun!

We rode this monster to the sand dunes:

I don't know why but I find its name funny.

And then we were off! All the slips and slides in the dunes felt like rollercoaster tracks but crazier. Maybe it's because we didn't really know where we were all going.

All the "tracks" look like this. Mej nakakastress nga.

We kept on teasing my sister, Jan (the one wearing glasses), by screaming even before the drops. It was so much fun because she kept on saying "Nasstress ako!" Yes, we love teasing her.

When we got to the spot where we'd sand board, the kuya manongs asked for our cameras and he took our photos on the sand:

Kuya Manong: O ayan, ma'am, sir! Mukha kayong nasa Dubai.

Mandatory jumpshot with the West Philippine Sea at the background. I don't know why we allowed for this to happen but to be honest, it was fun to shoot. Hihi.

One last photo before sand boarding.

After taking waaaaay too much photos - I think - we all gave sand boarding a try:

(Clockwise) My brother, Carlo, my sister, Jan, Tita Titat, and Jocas who were family friends.

I tried sand boarding down the Paoay Sand Dunes twice because...

I WIPED OUT (eh?) THE FIRST TIME I TRIED IT!

But on my second try,

I WAS SUCCESSFUL! WOOH!

After sand boarding, we went back to the parking area/admission area but not without passing by the famous Himala spot:

In fairness, may eye for photography si Kuya Manong.

Gusto ko 'tong i-post kasi emote na emote kami ng kinakapatid ko. Hehe.

Apparently, they shot some scenes of Nora Aunor's movie, Himala, in the actual spot where these letters are standing.

Lula pa more!

On our way back, we experienced the highest drop in the sand dunes but we made it back alive. A little rattled but alive nevertheless.

After the sand dunes, we went to what they called the Malacañang of the North.

The Malacañang of the North's facade.

Our group's photo - minus my mom - in front of the double doors that lead to the house's receiving area.

The Marcoses' backyard. So pretty.

This is where the Marcoses lived whenever they went home to Ilocos during Ferdinand Marcos' term as president. It is a huge piece of land and it also covers a part of the lake behind it. Our tour guide told us the name of the lake but I was too busy resting that I drifted off for a bit.

The house is now a museum and they tour everyone around the house. Brianna and I didn't join the tour because we were looking for food and water. They served empanadas there but Brianna didn't want that so we had to get back on the van to get food. When we came back, we took a look around on our own. I don't really enjoy house tours in general but these dolls really bothered the wits outta me:

These were the Marcos sisters' dolls. Too freaky, if you ask me.

After that, we went to Macy's Diner for late lunch (at 2 in the afternoon!) in Laoag after. The food was awe-some. They serve diner food: burgers, fries, milkshakes, etc. I love the whole vibe of the place. It felt like we were inside an Archie comic or the movie Hairspray, complete with the jukeboxes, neon lights, and black-and-white checkered floors. Too bad I don't have a photo of the place except for this one because I was way too hungry to take photos. We had to leave, too, right after lunch because we were running late. The sun might've set by the time we got to the Cape Bojeador Light House and the Bangui Wind Mills - which I will talk about in detail on my next Ilocos post - if we didn't leave right away.

BPOCareerHub Launches New Website; Debuts Country’s First Online Job Fair

(This is good news to mommies like me who rarely has time to go out of the house and scout for jobs!)

Manila, Philippines (January 14, 2014) – Online portal BPOCareerHub.com (BCH) is pleased to announce the re-launch of its website www.BPOCareerHub.com. The initiative to improve the site was meant to simplify the web user’s experience as well as help position BCH as a highly relevant online enabler for the Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry and more. There is still much to be done but BCH is very much on its way in helping more Pinoys find and get their dream jobs!

As one of its initial treat, BCH will be holding its 1st BCH Online Job Fair on February 16-28, 2015 (http://bpocareerhub.com/OnlineJobFair) - in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and with the Bureau of Labor and Employment – which will virtually connect and require “less prep time, less effort, and less resources” from jobseekers and recruiters alike. Go to http://bpocareerhub.com/faq to learn more about this new and exciting event.

To date, there are already 18 participating companies - and several more are expected to sign-up soon – that are looking for the top talents that will help boost their operations. Hundreds of jobseekers have already pre-registered and hundreds – if not thousands - more are anticipated to join the online job-hunting bandwagon soon.

Another ground-breaking Virtual Solution which BCH will be introducing in 2015 is the Virtual Interview service. The Recorded and Live versions intends to simplify and shorten the talent recruitment process further. Once invited by an employer to a Virtual Interview session, the jobseeker may do the interview in his most convenient time and virtually record his answers to the interview questions. The recruiter, on the other hand, will simply have to view and review the recordings and invite for further processing those candidates who made it through the initial screening.

BCH anticipates that the market will quickly take up on the Virtual Interview because of the employers’ need to make quick hiring decisions as well as the jobseekers’ desire to immediately have gainful employment.

Innovative products and solutions will be developed, introduced, and shared by BCH this year as it aims to become the primary online enabler of IT-BPM industry and more. Jobseekers, employers, partners, and other industry enablers and suppliers can expect more features and enhancements that will provide more convenience and business opportunities. For more information visit www.bpocareerhub.com.

Bazaar Find: Love. Hope. Faith.

My parents, my sister, Brianna, and I decided to visit the Manila Sundance Bazaar at the World Trade Center on their last day, January 25, which was last Sunday. It would've been a "normal" trip to a bazaar if it weren't for this one brand that caught my attention:

Love Hope Faith Group is not like any other charity groups. They sell watches, shirts, bags, and chocolates. Weird combination if you think about it, especially when you see chocolates in the mix, but when you REALLY think about it, it works. 50% of their proceeds go to fund the treatments of cancer patients and their beneficiaries.

Their watches come in two sizes: the bigger ones and the smaller ones. Personally, I'm leaning towards the bigger ones. Anyway, The watches cost Php200 each for both sizes. We got two watches last Sunday: one for my sister (the navy blue one) and one for Brianna (hot pink).

The face of the watch is made of hard plastic while the strap is made of rubber. Obviously, Brianna has smaller arms so we had to have more holes punched into the strap - which they do for free on-site - so it would fit her.

My dad bought a black shirt from them. They have 7 sizes available for the shirts: 2XS, XS, S, M, L, XL, and 2XL.

Photo from http://lovehopefaithgroup.com/244-2/.

The shirts have a really simple design but what's written on it is so powerful, you can't help but feel like you need to get into action when you read it. According to their website, it's Php300 per shirt but my dad got his for Php250.

Like I said, they also sell bags and chocolates. Their bags cost Php200 each and the chocolates cost Php50 for the 50-gram pack while the 200-gram pack costs Php150. I didn't get the chance to taste the chocolate even though they had a tray there which - I assume - is for free taste.

Right now, they have an on-going Facebook giveaway for those who have purchased the watches. I entered the giveaway myself even if the watch I was wearing wasn't mine. Hehe. Here's my entry:

Love Hope Faith Group currently doesn't have a physical shop although they have an office in Makati (Lower Ground Cityland 10 Tower 1, H.V. Dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City) where you can actually purchase their products. If you already sent in your orders via text (09178884516 and 09228740334), you can pick up your orders in the Love Hope Faith Group Makati office if you are in the area. They can ship your orders as well, if you prefer to have them shipped. They are usually in bazaars, too, so if you'd want to purchase your watch, you can visit them in bazaars. Their bazaar announcements are usually made on their Facebook page.

I really, sincerely hope you guys could check them out. The Love Hope Faith Group lives up to their name; they spread love, hope, and faith not only to their beneficiaries but to all of us as well. 

(This is not a sponsored post. I am just honestly a fan of their advocacy and their products.)

Day 1, Part 1: #TeCasIlocosTour2015

(Our tour of the beautiful province of Ilocos will be documented in a long series of blog entries, totalling of 8 posts. I'm so sorry. Ang ganda talaga, I want to relive it as much as I can.)

I've always wanted to visit Ilocos since I've read about it back in college. To be quite honest, though, I was surprised when this tour was brought up. My dad told us about the trip just a week before we had to leave. It felt like someone threw hot water at me - I am not used to not planning what I should be packing weeks before the trip - but at the same time, I was just sooooo excited.

While the whole Philippines flocked to Manila for Pope Francis' arrival, we went on an 8-hour roadtrip to the northern part of Luzon to visit the wonderful province of Ilocos.

My Little Pony Play Doh Cutie Mark Creators Review

Photo from http://www.mlpmerch.com/2014/10/mlp-play-doh-cutie-mark-creators-images.html

Another Christmas gift from me to Brianna is this My Little Pony Play Doh Cutie Mark Creators set. I found this at the very last minute and decided to buy it for my little girl.

The set comes with 4 small cans of Play Doh:

There are two shades of blue, a purple can, and what looks like a salmon pink colored dough. Like any other Play Doh...uh...doughs, they hardened easily. And just like the other cans we had, I didn't know how to soften them up.

There were two ponies in this set, the first one being Pinkie Pie.

You can mold clay onto her mane and her tail, just like what Brianna's doing in the photo below:

There's also a roller that comes with Pinkie Pie

which produces this:

Those are horseshoes and those with balloons have Pinkie Pie's cutie mark. A cutie mark is a tattoo of sorts that symbolizes the girls'/ponies' destinies. As for Pinkie Pie, she has balloons which apparently means that her destiny is to become a party planner.

The second mold is of Twilight Sparkle:

Like the Pinkie Pie figure, you can mold clay onto her mane, her tail, and her wings. There's also a mold under her hooves, instead of a roller:

and it produces this:

Those are molds of Twilight's cutie mark, the symbol inside her cutie mark, and her crown when she became a princess.

Brianna loves this set so much. She can't get enough of the two figures, she plays with them even without the dough. She also watched a review on YouTube for this and made herself her own video "reviewing" the My Little Pony Play Doh Cutie Mark Creators set. If your child loves My Little Pony, you have got to get her this.

Increase your WAHM potential with the WAHMderful Workshop Series

Being a WAHM (work-at-home mom) can be really challenging. On the one had, you get to spend your entire day with your kid but on the other hand, it can take its toll on your finances, especially for single parents like myself.

There are several ways to make your lives easier. Working online (which I have been doing for 5 years now), taking on freelance projects, and setting up a business are just some of them but, like in every job available, there are several tasks that you need to accomplish. If you're new to being a WAHM, it can get quite confusing: how do you start, where do you start, what do you want to accomplish. Good news is there are a lot of people who are willing to help us with this.

Manila Workshops is one of those organizations who are willing to lend a helping hand to those who seek to reach their full potentials. They've launched the WAHMderful Workshop Series to help both you and I with working from home:

The first workshop of the series is called Real Ways to Be a WAHM: Set Up Your Virtual Assistant Business for Success. Virtual Assistant coach and business owner Marge Aberasturi, "The Happy WAHM", will show you how easy it is to help you with your virtual assistant business. Her 8 years of experience of working in the industry will sure to enlighten you one what you must do to succeed in this field.

Real Ways to Be a WAHM: Set Up Your Virtual Assistant Business for Success will be held on Saturday, Feb 28, 2015 from 10AM to 5PM at the Ortigas Foundation Library, Meralco Avenue (building beside McDonalds). The regular rate's Php2500, while the early bird rate (until February 18, 2015) will be Php1800. Group registrations are also available: Php4500 for 3 people.

Register online at http://manilaworkshops.com/events/be-a-financially-fit-fulfilled-and-happy-work-at-home-mom-in-2015-with-our-wahmderful-workshops. Please use SMCWAHM2 in the referrer code.

Start a very fruitful WAHM experience, register now!

How To Deal: iPads

Technology is something that we all can't seem to get enough of nowadays. We see tons of people - if not all - engrossed with what's displayed on their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, what-have-yous everywhere we go. Not that it's a bad thing - at least for me - but sometimes it looks...wrong, especially if you see kids stare at the games they're playing on their iPads instead of running around with other kids.

My daughter is not much of a people-person, which is totally fine for me since I, myself, isn't one. Given that, she always ALWAYS have her (my) iPad with her. She can't even eat without it. I don't really have a problem with it; it's just that there are times when I feel kind of 'shy' having people see her like that when we're in restaurants so my question is this:

How do you deal with your children and their gadgets, in general?

Like, do you reprimand them for spending 70% of the time with their tablets or do you just let them do their own thing? I know a lot of parents have this problem and most, probably, have the same dilemma I have. We all need solutions for this, people!

Zalora online shopping...It never gets old.

We had an Ilocos trip planned last January 15-17 (which I will be talking about in great detail soon) and it was the perfect excuse for me to shop on Zalora once again.

I placed an order with Zalora at 2am, after I've finished packing, on the day we were to leave for Ilocos and of course, there's a confirmation e-mail after I've done it:

But what happened next, I didn't expect (I sound like a click bait Facebook post):

They sent me a text message confirming my order! It felt personal, really. I don't know about you but for me, that's great customer service. Before, they only sent e-mail confirmations which is standard in all online shops but the text message really caught me by surprise.

A few hours after, they sent another e-mail and text message telling me that my order's on the way:

Which literally shocked me because I was used to one-day delivery as opposed to same-day delivery. I've ordered from Zalora a couple of times before (read my experiences about them here and here) but I always got my order the day after.

Another first from Zalora for me was this:

The rider texted me, telling me he was on his way. What a very nice gesture from both Zalora and the rider. This assured me that the package will definitely arrive.

When I finally got it, I saw the difference in the packaging. This is how they pack them now:

I love that the package has my name on it. I found it so cute, I was supposed to get it and stick it on my scrapbook - yes, I still do scrapbooks - but I thought it's kind of weird so I didn't push through with it.

The package also has an envelop in it, telling me that I can return it for free in the next 30 days if there's a factory error:

Anyway, what I actually bought, I wore and brought to Ilocos so you'll be seeing a lot of them in the coming days.

I always love shopping in Zalora. They're efficient and they make your experience personal which will make you feel special.

The Doc McStuffins I Feel Better First Aid Kit Review

Now, my favorite among all of the prizes we got from the Doc McStuffins Hugs and Snugs Contest last year: The Doc McStuffins I Feel Better First Aid Kit!

Before anything else, I would just like to say that I am the most excited person to open this toy. Hihi.

Anyway, the box is made of hard plastic, like most organizers available in the market. It has Doc McStuffins stickers, of course. It's pink and purple, to complement the colors of Doc's clothes:

Of course, it came with some doctor stuff that are too adorable!

A. This is a bandaid holder...or whatever it is called. Hihi. It holds all the sticker bandaids in the set.
B. This thermometer doesn't work, obviously. It has smiley faces in different colors ranging from red to blue to "indicate" the patient's temperature.
C. These bangle-like things are "bandaids" for kids. You can actually wear them. One has a pink heart and the other has a purple heart.
D. I believe these are tweezers. It can actually pick-up small stuff like cotton balls, small toys, and stuff but it can't really pullout hair like the real ones.
E. The purple scissors also don't work, even with paper like those plastic scissors you get alongside stationery kits.
F. The last item in the kit is medicine, I have to guess. There's a glass in front of it but you can't take the cap off so there's no use for the glass, I think.

(I'm pretty sure they aren't really called bandaids because it's a brand but whatevs. We've been calling them that for the longest time, just like Pampers.)

Anyway, I only have one complaint on the I Feel Better First Aid Kit: It's so hard for my daughter to open the box. It's simple, yes, because you only press the circle thing right here:

but my daughter can't open it without my help. I think that whatever it is that needs to unlock when you press it doesn't click right away that's why it's pretty hard to open.

Right now, this Doc McStuffins I Feel Better First Aid Kit holds all her pretend doctor toys. She has 3 sets, including the ones that came with this, which is a lot so you have some kind of idea on how roomy it actually is.

In Toy Kingdom, this set retails for Php999. It costs too much, if you ask me, all things considered. That's the reason why I didn't buy it despite the fact that I really wanted it and Brianna wasn't really into it.

All in all, it's a great toy. It helps your kid with his/her pretend play and at the same time, everything in it is too cute for words!

The problem with still living with your my parents...

I am a single mom. I got pregnant by my then-boyfriend - who's 10 years older than me and who I was going out with for a total of 3 months when it happened - but in the end, I decided against marrying him. I broke it off 2 years ago because, for the most part, I just stayed in the relationship because I thought that's what's best for my daughter and only then did I realize that's not the case. Not in that relationship.

Anyway, fastforward to 2015. I'm 26 now and I'm still living with my parents. I have enough money from online rakets (eh?) to move out and support Brianna and I for a few months - I've done, like, countless of budget computations and such - but I've this weird thing about money that I will only spend it if I have extra money. Pag saktuhan lang sa budget, no deal...  Yes, I am a scaredy cat like that.

Going back, I am thankful for the freebies and all. I mean, there are a lot of things that we get to have for free like a roof over our heads and water and stuff but alongside all that is one huge problem - at least for me: I don't get to make a decision without hearing the "Di mo man lang naisip mararamdaman namin" speech.

I am a pretty sensitive gal. A lot of my decisions, actually, are made by taking other people's emotions into consideration. Where I eat, what I do with my hair, everything. From time to time, yes, I decide on something that I feel is good for me - and it's not that often - but whenever I do, that's when I get the extended dance studio remix of the same song. I mean, yes, I understand that they're just looking out for me my daughter and I am thankful for that but I always tell them - because it's the truth - I won't do anything that will harm my daughter physically, emotionally, psychologically, etc. I have a couple of things in my head that they might be thinking of as reasons for me to be on the receiving end of such a sermon but I can assure them now that that is not the case...if only they could actually stop pretending that I'm an up-to-no-good teenager on a rebellion phase.

I am sure I don't have the answers to everything and I am most especially sure that I am going to need a lot of help in the coming years but I am also sure that I am capable of doing great things, if given the chance and that I am old enough to make decisions on my own, for me and my daughter, without ANYONE making me feel about them. I mean, she is MY daughter.

<End of Rant>

(I am so sorry for the run-on sentence right there but I want for you to read it that way because that's the way I would say it out loud.)

I don't know why I want to publish this here instead of in my personal blog. I guess I'd like to hear what other people has to say about the situation I am in. I know there aren't any details in here which will make it seem like I am just acting up - and maybe I am - but whatevs. I am just at the point in my life where I want to actually take control of my life, the way that it's meant to be.

Doc McStuffins' Big Book of Boo Boos

This Big Book of Boo Boos stationery set is part of the prizes we won in Disney Junior's Doc McStuffins Hugs and Snugs Contest last October (I think). I wrapped this alongside one more Doc McStuffins prize and put them under the tree, which she opened during the holidays.

The cardboard covers are colored purple and its pink ring is made of plastic. As opposed to the cover we have, there are no bandages on it. Brianna was just too excited to use it, she put a couple of stickers on the cover.

There were several pages in the Doc McStuffins Big Book of Boo Boos and they all look like this:

To tell you the truth, I'd prefer for it to have more pages than it actually has. Brianna could easily finish all the pages in one sitting...which she almost did had I not stopped her from doing so. Yes, I'm kind of controlling like that.

The book comes with these crayons:

The one on the right is a pink crayon while the other one is apparently violet. I had to test it to actually know what color it is:

Before writing that, I thought it was black. I might be color blind. What do you think?

This is quite a useful 'toy', which is what I normally look for in toys. After Brianna uses up all the pages, she can use the crayons to color her homework and stuff.

Christmas Gifts Review Part 2: My Little Pony Equestria Girls Dolls

Brianna got 3 My Little Pony: Equestria Girls dolls last Christmas and two of them were from me. She loves My Little Pony so much, as we've all established here, so I thought that getting her the Equestria Girls dolls would freak her out - in a good way - and it did! She can't stop carrying them everywhere we go.

To be quite honest, I found these dolls cute so when she requested for these, I didn't flinch one bit. Hehe.

Pinkie Pie

The dolls are a lot smaller than Barbie and a lot thinner. I think they're made of hard plastic like those mean girls in the greatest chick flick ever made. Their skins are the same colors of their pony counterparts and they have pony ears on top of their heads so they kinda look weird in a way. They also have their cutie marks tattooed on their faces. All of them have lapel microphones on their heads which you can remove and put on the other dolls.

Rarity

The first two dolls right here have rubber tops and shiny skirts while the last doll has one huge puffy dress:

Twilight Sparkle

All of them have lapel mics and shoes made of the same material as the tops. Best of all, you can mix and match the parts - which is Brianna's favorite part:

Here are what the dolls look like wearing clothes different from their own:

I love Pinkie Pie wearing Twilight Sparkle's dress! Okay, I might be biased because I love the Pinkie Pie doll itself.

Brianna has 3 dolls now and she's requesting to get the 3 remaining dolls - Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash - on her birthday...which is in February. Haha! Gusto talaga niya kumpletuhin.

All in all, I love these dolls. They're so much lighter than Barbie dolls so carrying all of them in my purse is not a big deal and this is probably better than the mix and match thing. At the rate Brianna's going, I might have to carry all 6 dolls all the time once she completes them.