June 17: Daddy's Day Off

June 17 is Father's day. Though it's not a real holiday and dads wouldn't really admit that they care, believe me, they do. For Dads with young kids, basically it would also be the wife's duty as well; so double the effort on your part as you'll have 2 dads on this day.

So, to make this day special for him, 1st suggestion is to make sure that everyone is present on this date.  Coordinate with your moms and siblings on the plans so no effort will be duplicated.  For the gifts, you all can chip in for a one time big time thing so it will have a big impact; don't forget your mom's contribution as well :)  Here are some suggestions to bring out the smile on your daddy's face:
1) If your dad/husband loves watching movies or tv series, a Mede8er movie player will be perfect! www.mede8er.com It costs around 5-9K plus the cost of the hard drive that stores the HD movies. 2TB would cost around 5K more. Fill it up with movies and series that you know he'll love and he'll definitely enjoy your gift. Ehome in Annapolis Greenhills sells this... Just tell them to pre-load it and it will be ready in a week.  There's also a special Mede8er that turns your TV into a SMART/Internet TV, the MED500X2, your dad will surely love this as he can stream the latest shows as well.

2) Surprise Out of Town Trip with all the things prepared already!  Remember, anticipate all that he'll worry about and fix it prior to the trip, he'll definitely feel that this day is his. Dads love beaches but the rains may start to pour in June so be mindful of this.  The local airlines have special fares starting June so solicit everyone's thought and start booking. Don't forget the hotel!

3) Organize a party with all your dad's "daddy" friends.  For this one, you may want the help of your moms.  Menu: lots of grilled food, beer, whiskey and music. Throw in some poker chips while you're at it. Location: preferably not your dad's house.

4) Have his car 'Detailed'. Look for a place where they can finish it in 12 hours so your dad won't worry about his car (internal and external detailing without removing the carpet as this takes another 12 hours).

5) A lazy boy just for him. A bit pricey but Blims sell these at 12-months, zero percent interest. Don't get the expensive massage chairs, they'll use it for a time but would want to discard it after a while.

6) A Watch.  A Casio Gshock; it's not pricey yet men still wear them.  Get the model that will suit your dad. Nobody's stopping you to buy that Panerai or AP but if you're on a budget, get a Gshock or at least a watch from a company that creates watches (not those that designs shirts that decided to have watches on their lines as well aka designer watches).

7) Men in general, don't buy wallets. They will use them even if they are old and deformed. Get them a classic style with a place for a family picture and one that can hold lots of cards. Get a wide one that will fit all the stuff (money, receipts, calling cards, discount cards etc) he loves to shove in there but not the ones with hard edges that can put holes in their back pockets.

8) A Lacoste Shirt, you'll never go wrong with this one. Go with the maroon, dark green, blue or black classic solid color two button slim fit. Ralph Lauren Polo shirts can be an alternative as well.

9)  Golf Dad: am not sure if they have this locally, but your dad and his golf buddies will love it! Golf Club Drink Dispenser - fill it up with his favorite drink: a whole bottle of Jack!  :)

10) Ampao, 'nuff said.












Things to avoid: necktie, ballpen even the expensive ones, a half baked thing like a plane ticket without hotel, lessons like golf, gym, tennis or those that require lots of effort, concert tickets unless it's U2, Gift Certificates, picture frames, shoes, jeans and long sleeve shirts unless you really know what he likes, his style and size, jewelry and books.


I remember a scene from Moneyball where the daughter sang a song for his Dad and he was so moved.  So if you or your siblings or your daughters have this talent, make them sing during dinner or make a home recording of the song and believe me, he'll appreciate it more than the ones listed above added together :)

Billionaires Don't so why Do you?

All people, even if they say they don't, want to have more money.  It may not be in the 10-digit figure but it's definitely not just on the seven.

Here's a list of things that Billionaires don't do so be sure to avoid it as well:

1) Thinks that all profitable ideas have been thought of and exhausted already.
2) There's only one way to do it.
3) It can all be done without the help and knowledge of others.
4) Always going for the safe side.
5) Accepts that it's okay to fail.
6) Needs to be an expert
7) There's an age requirement
8) You can't copy or imitate
9) You need to have lots of money to start
10) Thinks that you need have lots of connections or to be Chinese to get rich.

I can go on and on and site examples and explain further all the items listed above but I think you get the gist.

A kindergarten has summed it all up and told me the secret to getting rich in one statement: "Daddy, we need to buy or create something and sell it at a higher price!".  It's that simple.  She's correct. If you do this as many times as you can and let the wheel turn bigger and bigger and hopefully faster and faster, you'll end up a millionaire or a billionaire someday. 

The real challenge is identifying what to sell. My daughter suggested for me and her to create lemonade and sell it outside. We'll probably try this soon. For other ideas, you can visit Alibaba.com and see what items you can import or acquire or innovate and sell.

Hope we'll end up like Edgar Sia II and be able to cash in and sell our business to Jollibee or better yet, Tony Tan Caktiong and have all the money to buy the next Mang Inasal. Hmm, part of number 10 may be correct after all.

Quitter

 I can't say that I've tried all the ways to quit smoking., actually, if I come to think of it, I only tried  two types: medication, once when my dad brought home some from abroad and cold turkey, this one for numerous times.  The medications, for me, didn't work at all.  Though it made cigarettes taste like cardboard it didn't really remove the urge to smoke.  


For the cold turkey, I would say it's effective - as long as you do it properly.  I remember all the New Year’s eves that I would have my ceremonial last stick before the stroke of 12 and would only be able to quit for a week. I also tried quitting before my 1st child was born, but after a few days in the hospital, I would finally go with one of our friends who are visiting to smoke at the back of MMC.  I even tried getting in to some physical activities so my lungs would give in because of the shorter breaths I'd have., but instead of quitting, I began to realize how satisfying it is to take a puff after a good jog... eventually, I stopped running.

So what worked?  Amazingly, it's the same thing that got me hooked to smoking in the first place: peer pressure.  I started smoking when I was in high school.  Nobody really forced me to but having friends that do made me curious about it.  A few tries in the school's comfort room led to doing it in parties and soirees while pairing it up with alcohol. Then I was doing it while walking outside, after eating, taking a crap, basically, doing it by yourself (without my peers).  It's part of my system already.  A few months and I'm hooked.  It's that easy to start but a 100 times harder to stop.

How To Quit -> check this site

 

• Making the decision to quit

What pushed me to eventually quit is when I realized that more and more of my friends are no longer smoking. It used to be that most of the group is outside while only a few are left inside drinking or eating, now it's the other way around. Now you'll only be the one excusing yourself to quickly smoke outside so you can get back in and not miss anything that the other peer is talking about.  Again, peer pressure but in a positive way.


Besides this, the event that really gave me a push or a slap on the back is this one instance when my daughter and her new friend saw me smoking after a meal, her friend asked her, "Oh, your Dad smokes?" and with an embarrassed face my daughter shamefully answered, "Yeah..." It is only during these moments that you would realize that you’re not only hurting yourself but your little ones as well. 

• Picking a Quit Day and making a plan

Eve of my daughter's birthday and a month before my second daughter is born.  I would suggest get a date that has a meaning to you personally; it will make it more special and would definitely make you feel guilty. On making a plan, I really didn't have one, just cold turkey and I stuck with it...

• Dealing with withdrawal

The first few days without it are really the hardest… I felt the complete opposite of what I've supposed to feel, like there are headaches, instance when it's harder to breathe while walking or even resting, you won't be able to sleep well, taste buds felt numb, and there's this thirst that no amount of water can quench and i feel like I want to vomit.  This is the withdrawal stage, admittedly the hardest to surpass.  Remember, this is more than 15 years of having this in my system 8 times a day; my body will surely look for it.  But i tell you, once you get over this stage which lasts to about 2 weeks, you'll be half way there.  Really!  After this, you would regret and feel bad if you take a puff because you'll tell yourself that you've been without it for 2 weeks now and it's not worth to waste the effort...

• Staying quit (maintenance)

Then it's day by day by day, similar to eating an elephant, piece by piece by piece.  Eventually, your body will no longer look for it... there will come a time that you'll even ask yourself why you smoked in the first place: It doesn't really taste that good, it makes you weak; it gives you bad breath and yellow teeth.  But there will be times when you get really tempted and like me, give in. But hopefully and you'll surprise yourself on this, it will not be that easy for you to get hooked again. But it will be best not to challenge yourself on this just to be safe.

Fashion? Nah, there's really nothing fashionable about smoking.  You may think that you'll look good when you're smoking but in reality, you don't.

    

Finest Share the Club has to Offer

There was a time when friendships were not only created in schools and neighborhoods but in country clubs as well.  Those were the days when parents still have the extra cash to make their kids "dependents" and let them sign all they can as long as it's within the club's premises.  Now those days are starting to disappear... As we are already getting older, we should start thinking of buying our own shares so our kids would also enjoy the benefit we had.

The table below is derived from the website http://www.ggaclubshares.com/

As you can see, don't frown if Kongkong or Lolo or Grandpapa left you with Manila Golf shares instead of a condo, the brokers above have a buyer that offers 30M (each) for those shares...

Which made me think, how did Manila Polo Club and Manila Golf and Country Club reject Pacman to become a member?  Why not just buy the shares sold below?


Article:
Manny Pacquiao not ‘sosi’ enough for Manila Golf and Polo Club?

Selling / Buying Rates  Club Shares Quotes as of 05/11/2012
			Seller	Buyer
Alabang Country Club (A)			1.95M	1.7M
Alabang Country Club (B)				1.85M
Anvaya Cove Golf & Sports Club (B)			1.3M
Anvaya Cove Golf & Sports Club (C)			2.05M
Baguio Country Club				700K
Calatagan Golf Club, Inc. (A)			30K
Camp John Hay Golf Club			100K	80K
Canlubang Golf & Country Club, Inc.			550K	400K
Canyon Woods Resort Club			85K
Capitol Hills Golf & Country Club			50K	40K
Cebu Country Club				2.97M
Celebrity Club			90K	70K
Club Filipino				115K
Club Punta Fuego			250K	200K
Eagle Ridge Golf & Country Club (A)			70K
Eagle Ridge Golf & Country Club (B)			200K
Eagle Ridge Golf & Country Club (C)			200K
Eastridge Golf Club (A)				60K
Eastridge Golf Club (B)				150K
Fairways And Blue Water (A)			200K
Fontana Resort And Country Club (A)			120K
Fontana Resort And Country Club (B)			200K
Fontana Resort And Country Club (C)			120K
Fontana Resort And Country Club (D)			80K	50K
Forest Hills Golf And Country Club (A)			80K
Forest Hills Golf And Country Club (B)			120K
Forest Hills Golf And Country Club (C)			170K
Luisita Golf & Country Club			150K
Makati Sports Club (A)			250K	220K
Makati Sports Club (B)			300K
Manila Golf & Country Club (CORP)				31M
Manila Golf & Country Club (IND)				30M
Manila Polo				7.4M
Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club (A)			370K	330K
Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club (B)			450K
Manila Yacht Club				120K
Metroclub (A)			170K
Metroclub (B)			190K
Mimosa Golf & Country Club (CORP)			440K
Mimosa Golf & Country Club (IND)			150K
Montemar Beach Club, Inc. (CORP)				40K
Montemar Beach Club, Inc. (IND)			60K	40K
Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club (GOLD-A)			110K
Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club (GOLD-B)			200K
Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club (GOLD-C)			220K
Orchard Golf & Country Club (A)			100K	90K
Orchard Golf & Country Club (B)			120K
Orchard Golf & Country Club (C)			210K
Philippine Columbian			30K
Quezon City Sports Club (A)				310K
Riviera Golf Club (A)			40K
Riviera Golf Club (B)			80K
Riviera Golf Club (C)			125K
Rockwell Club			340K	300K
Royale Tagaytay Country Club (A)			50K
Royale Tagaytay Country Club (B)			100K
Sherwood Hills Golf And Country Club (A)			40K
Sherwood Hills Golf And Country Club (B)			80K
Sherwood Hills Golf And Country Club (C)				120K
Spa & Lodge At Tagaytay Highlands			650K
Splendido Taal Residential Golf & Country Club			90K
Sta. Elena Golf Club (A)			3.1M	2.7M
Sta. Elena Golf Club (B)			3.5M
Subic Bay Yacht Club (CORP)			220K
Subic Bay Yacht Club (IND)			200K
Tagaytay Country Club			280K	220K
Tagaytay Highlands International Golf Club, Inc.			550K	530K
Tagaytay Midlands			550K	500K
Valle Verde Country Club (CORP)			120K
Valle Verde Country Club (IND)			115K	100K
Valley Golf & Country Club, Inc.			200K	180K
Wack Wack Golf & Country Club			12.5M	11.5M

Who ordered Cat?!

May 12, 2012, Choi Garden, a top-choice Chinese restaurant among the Filipino-Chinese community especially those around the Greenhills area, had a surprise for one of their customers who was happily having dinner. A History professor from a Top University and a well known Chinese Family was rushed to Cardinal Santos Medical Centre after she suffered from some lacerations caused by an angry cat inside Choi Garden!

On an inside interview, the cat said that it didn't know that there will be some people inside the restaurant since it uses this as a safe house when it's not on a mission from the Chinese Gov't. “......我不知道會有建設上當日”  So as not to blow its cover, it said that it needed to look for a new place to crash that night. On its way out, special cat agents from San Juan came out of nowhere and started to chase after it.    

Rushing back inside the restaurant while ducking bullets and hair balls,  it run for its life, maneuvering through all the chairs and tables. With all the bases covered and nowhere to go, the cat started to jump over the chairs and onto the table. Aware that there may still still be danger, the Cat knew it needed to be prepared.  With no more bullets to fire, it had its claws out and ready to scratch. The cat rushed on the dining table where She was having dinner. Without thinking too much, the Cat jumped at the first person it saw and scratched away.  Unluckily, its paws landed on Her shoulder, neck and lower jaw causing some painful injury and a big commotion which it needed to escape.  The cat realized that it just attacked a civilian; though it wanted to go back to help the injured lady, it hesitated as it saw some of the agents mobilizing across the room. It ran for its life thinking collateral damage... it had to be done...  “附帶損害......它必須完成”

Choi Garden's marketing manager offered to put Betadine on the scratches and replace the food but he refused to issue an incident report. WTF! This is a live animal scratch we're talking about and who cares about the food! If a cat can come in and attack customers, what more can it do inside the kitchen when no one's looking?! How did a dirty, stray cat enter the restaurant without the guard or the crew noticing?  Unless its a secret agent or a Cat assassin! When She became ballistic, the real Chinese Manager came out and agreed to bring her to the ER.

She needed to get anti-tetanus and anti-rabies shots in both the arms and thighs.  If you're like me who's afraid of even the sight of needles, this will be a traumatic experience.  Nine (9) shots total for all the meds plus antibiotics costing more than P40,000 that Choi Garden paid for. For the scars on the flawless white skin, hmm, we're not sure if they'll cover Dra. Vicki Belo's PF?!  What if this happened to a kid or a baby even?! Those scratches would be very critical and I could not imagine how the parents' will react to that.

So, next time you're in Choi Garden, be extra careful with open windows or exhausts, you'll never know, the whole zoo might be having a secret meeting upstairs and the rhino might be the next one dropping on your plate and giving you the horn..  因此，下一次你在彩虹花園，要格外小心打開窗戶或廢氣，你永遠不會知道，整個動物園有可能在秘密會晤樓上的犀牛可能是下一個，你的盤子上下降，並給予你的號角......

 

 

Choi Garden Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant

12 Annapolis St. cor. Purdue St.

San Juan, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 727-6042 - call to inquire if there are Cats around

Cardinal Santos Medical Centre 
10 Wilson St. Greenhills West San Juan City, 
Metro Manila 1502 (Across Greenhills Shopping Center and near Choi Garden!)
contact number, the Manager from Choi Garden should know this by now!

Get Away Glamour

Woke up earlier than my usual Saturday and went across the street to where Mosaic is... Very curious and a bit excited to see the latest Richie Ortega creation in person. I heard that this is the first of two parts for 2012, summer and holiday(?!) collection.

I really liked the store's window display since (1) they changed their mannequins to a more pleasant looking ones and (2) the pieces featured there captured the three looks, that for me, showcase Richie's style: minimalist for the solid colored dress, bohemian for the printed Caftan and my favorite, the classy, sophisticated reversible easy to wear jersey maxi dress! Yes, you heard me right, reversible so it's like buying two dresses in one! It's shown as orange in the window but blue in the catalog below.. (It's a bit heavy though as it has two textiles on top of each other..)  For those romantic nights or afternoon summer parties in Boracay or Balesin, I see the green caftan dress to stand out among others (Sad news though, this limited edition dress is almost out of stock., they said that there will be more coming but will be on a different print...)

The mini lookbook available on the store's coffee table also shows the other summer themed dresses, some still by Richie (in front) with others (at the back) from the store's in-house designers.

  

Mosaic, 2F Powerplant Mall, Rockwell and GF Glorietta 3

Mosaic featuring Richie Ortega

photo courtesy of www.mismash.com

Richie Ortega-Torres started her interests in fashion way back in high school.  She then studied Fine Arts - Visual Communication in UP and pursed a degree in Fashion from the prestigious Parsons School of Design in NYC. She has represented various designers and brands in the US before moving back to Manila in 2000 to start her own line of fashion business.   

She is the owner of Worldbox Trading, her garment factory specializing on high-level beadwork, embroidery and hand embellishment for evening wears and Souk Gallery, her fashion boutique carrying very hip Filipino and foreign labels.  She is also a partner in When I was Five, a luxe collection of hand embellished women's designer clothing sold famous stores abroad including Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford, Loveless and Maxfield. 

Of course, she is very well known as the owner and designer of her own collection of Bridal and Formal Evening Wears, which have been sought after by women and brides-to-be here and abroad.

Her designs vary from classy, feminine and romantic especially for her wedding and formal evening pieces to hippie, chic and bohemian for her in-store collection.  These, in addition to her personal style of being minimalist and simple yet sophisticated and free spirited, makes Ritchie’s designs unique and whimsical.

         This month, in celebration of her contribution to the fashion industry, Richie Ortega-Torres and her summer collection are featured in Mosaic.

Mosaic is located at Level 2, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell and
G/L Glorietta 3, Ayala Malls, Makati City

Mosaic Facebook Page 

S.O.S

Do you remember the bag that carried Rapunzel's crown when it was stolen by Flynn Ryder? The brown, leather bag?  Satchel.

We've came across a site that sells, locally manufactured Satchels made from genuine cow leather, S.O.S - School of Satchel.

                                                    http://theschoolofsatchel.multiply.com

What we love about this company:

1) They support the local leather industry

2) Their Prices are competitive, ranges from 3k to 6k, they even have Red Tag items that are below 3k.

3) They help the community through their projects and CSR programs

What we love about their bags:

1) Designs are great and classical

2) Colors are very expressive

3) Genuine Leather in 11", 13" and 15" sizes (will fit any laptop available)

Shipping is free within Metro Manila and is subsidized for other locations.

Remember about the Corporate Social Responsibility Program they have for the local community? They are currently selling Personalized Leather Bag Tags for P500 only.. Good news is that, until May 31, all of the proceeds will go to the KaEskwela Fans Club which pledges to provide public schools with Ceiling Fans. How Cool is that!

Personalized Bag Tag -> KaEskwela Fans Club 

ZALORA

Zalora started selling locally last March 1, 2012. With an office atmosphere that looks more like a college scene during a school-wide lunch break, the Zalora staff creatively identifies the next hot thing to sell.

In a span of just a little over 2 months, it is still gaining momentum selling local and foreign brands online ranging from shoes, bags, clothes, accessories, home & living, for women, men and kids. You can pay via various methods as well from credit cards, to Paypal, to Gcash and the best thing is that shipping is free nationwide. You can also return items up to 30 days.


Check out their SALE happening this week until May 18, you may be able to pick-up something for your Moms, or better yet, have them delivered to their doorsteps :)

www.zalora.com.ph

**If you have something to sell, why not consign your items with them.. It definitely beats creating your own site, but do expect some depleted margins and slight increase in your inventories tied to your capital.  Not to worry though, if you're reading this, you probably have that eye for fashion :) 

Foundation of an Effective Marriage

A few years ago, sometime in 2003, I attended a public speaking workshop facilitated by Toastmasters. As part of their final exam, they asked us to present a speech to the class while being filmed.  Purpose is so you'll know what areas you can improve on as seen in the video.

With the majority of the audience being young and single and to capture their attention, I opted to create a speech on Marriage.  In my research on what to say, I came across an essay that provided me lots of insights about the topic. It had a prologue that caught my attention and made me want to read the article more:  

"Eduardo Calasanz was a student at the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, where he had Father Ferriols as professor. Father Ferriols, meanwhile at that time, was the Philosophy department head. Currently he still teaches Philosophy for graduating college students in Ateneo. Father Ferriols has been very popular for his mind-opening and enriching classes but was also notorious for the grades he gives. Still people took his classes for the learning and deep insight they take home with them every day (if only they could do something about the grades….. )

Anyway, come grade giving time, (Ateneo has letter grading systems, the highest being an A, lowest at D, with F for flunk), Fr Ferriols had this long discussion with the registrar people because he wanted to give Calasanz an A+. Either that or he doesn’t teach at all… Calasanz got his A+."

Makes you want to read it right? After 9 years, I wanted to read it again so I searched it in the net.  I found it in another blog where Eduardo Calasanz commented:

I did not write that piece. I received it sometime in 1997 and liked it so much that I forwarded it to many people. The article carried no by-line. After a few months, I got some messages congratulating me for having written it. Obviously, it was now going around the internet with my name on it as the author. I wish I could have written it, but the simple truth is that I didn’t. Nobody, as far as I knew, claimed authorship. When I was still in France a few years ago, a short bio sketch (pure urban legend!) was appended to the piece. And so it went. Even a former girlfriend of mine had gotten wind of it!
C’est la vie. The long and short of it.

Some years ago, a friend of a former student of mine gave an indication concerning the source of “Partners and Marriage”. Just to set the record straight the article is in fact a chapter from a book entitled Letters to My Son, A Father’s Wisdom on Manhood, Women, Life, and Love written by Kent Nerburn. It was published in New York by the New World Library in 1994, but seems to have gone out of print for a while. Chapter 26 is entitled “Partners and Marriage”. The book has been back in print since. I would appreciate it if you could share this rectification with others who may be inquiring.

Very truly yours, EDUARDO JOSE E. CALASANZ                                             Asst. Professor of Philosophy, School of Humanities,                                 Ateneo de Manila University P.O. Box 154 Manila Philippines

You can try to find the book in your leading bookstores or in Amazon: Letters to My Son..

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