Gabay Guro’s 9th year continues to give tribute to our dear teachers

Teaching is a noble profession. Hearts, minds and character are formed by teachers.  Next to my parents, I owe a lot of who I am now to some of the best teachers I have had. They have not just taught their subject matter well but in encounters outside the classroom, they have shared their thoughts with me. Much of what I do now is inspired by their words.

To this day, we find inspiring stories of teachers who brave dangers, walk several kilometers each day, wade through rivers, and climb steep mountains just to get to their schools where children are eager to learn.

It is but fitting that we find ways to pay tribute to our unsung heroes who often stay unnamed. Nine years ago, a small group of PLDT executives met over coffee to discuss an advocacy for teachers that would become a catalyst for change in the lives of teachers. Gabay Guro was born and became the CSR arm under the PLDT-Smart Foundation. It continues to thrive on the spirit of volunteerism from its PLDT and Smart executives.

PLDT Gabay Guro executive volunteers Gary Dujali and Chaye Cabal-Revilla

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Watsons’ Kiss Aging Goodbye campaign helps women fight aging signs

Many beauty tips say that one should be conscious of “aging” not at 30 or 40 or 50 but as young as one’s 20s. So true!

Just think…..why do some young women already look old while some much older women do not look their age? One big factor is how their skin looks.

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, covering our entire skeletal system. The extent of care we give it will show up starting in our 40s but we can minimize those effects if we begin taking care of our skin much earlier. We can prolong the suppleness and elasticity of our skin, prevent very deep wrinkles, lessen those fine lines around the eyes and mouth, and even keep our pores closed much longer.

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New Starbucks cards feature Manila, Cebu and a special edition Siren card

In celebration of its 3rd anniversary in the Philippines, Starbucks is launching on August 8, 2016 two (2) beautiful Starbucks cards that will showcase the rich history of the Philippines plus a Special Edition Siren Starbucks Card.

The two Philippine-themed Starbucks cards are the Manila Starbucks Card (available only in Manila) and the Cebu Starbucks Card (available only in Cebu).

Manila Starbucks Card

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Plan your vacation with Singapore Airlines and MasterCard during their Midyear Travel Fair this July 2016

You can now see the world on ridiculously affordable prices as Singapore Airlines and MasterCard, together with SilkAir, the airline’s sister carrier, launch the largest nationwide Mid-Year Travel Fair from July 8-31, 2016. By availing of this promotional deal, you also get a chance to win a trip to Germany or South Africa. But I am getting ahead of myself….be sure to read till the end.

Masflex celebrates 25 years in the Philippines with a wide range of cookware and kitchenware

When a brand celebrates 25 years of existence in the Philippines, you know that not only are they here to stay but that they have grown and expanded throughout the years to provide even better options for their customers.

At a recent celebration of Masflex‘s 25 years of cookware and kitchenware innovation in the Philippines, I feasted on the wide variety of cookware that was laid out in a long table to showcase just how much Masflex cookware and kitchenware has already evolved since its humble beginnings in 1989 when it began with chrome organizers and nonstick fry pans with wooden handles.

That day, I arrived at the event quite early. Perfect! I had a lot of time to myself to check out the different cookware collections Masflex had developed over the years as well as personally meet Nancy Reyes-Lumen, Masflex’s brand ambassadress, whose name and face is very well known in the culinary industry and who, as we all know, comes from the famous Reyes clan that owns The Aristocrat restaurant. She actually approached me to say hi just before the event formally started (see why the early bird catches the worm?). 🙂

With THE Nancy Reyes-Lumen

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Experiencing the Watsons challenge to take the Switch Test

Question: If you could save up to 80% on body lotion, 60% on body scrub, and 55% on a hair iron, would you switch brand? 

I would likely consider it strongly. After all, as a mother with a large family and a limited budget, little savings here and there mean I can use the savings for other things or just keep it for a rainy day.

Watsons also aimed to answer this question as they conducted switch tests in major cities around the country with unbranded booths and making customers try out two products per category — a Watsons brand and a leading competitor. So we could experience the Switch Test ourselves, they also made us go through several brand tests at a recent event.

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June-July 2016 Starbucks Card Collectibles: Vivienne Tam and Scales

Two awesome, must-have Starbucks cards are available: one was released this June and another is coming in July.

Vivienne Tam Starbucks Card

The Vivienne Tam Starbucks Card
Available July 1, 2016 with initial consumable load of PhP 1,000

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My comfy, foldable Butterfly Twists were perfect for an artsy walking tour afternoon

A saying goes, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”.

Let me tweak that a bit and say, “The proof of truly wearable shoes is in the walking!”

And that’s exactly what the people behind Butterfly Twists made a group of us do one pretty humid afternoon at Bonifacio High Street (BHS) to launch their Spring/Summer 2016 Collection. They challenged us to do an artsy walking tour around BHS wearing our very own pairs of Butterfly Twists.

Butterfly Twists

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Awesome lighting solutions with Orbik

What kind of lights do you use at home?

Lighting experts now strongly recommend the shift to LED bulbs. These may be more expensive than the bulbs we have been used to but their life is so much longer than incandescent or fluorescent bulbs (up to 3x longer!). The standard also these days is no longer the number of watts but the lumens (the amount of light visible to the eye). LED bulbs may have a low number of watts and yet its emitted lumens is far brighter than incandescent bulbs.

Orbik is a new lighting brand that gives homeowners different lighting choices and designs for a wider choice of lighting effects throughout your home. Although it was the first time for me to hear about the brand, I found out by talking to the owners that it is already available in different hardware shops.

At the Orbik event, I got to go around to see the different ways their LED bulbs can be used.

Orbik lights
Even a 3-watt Orbik bulb emits as much as 230 lumens

 

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BlueWater Day Spa launches new brand ambassadors as well as their Balinese Four-Hand Massage

BlueWater Day Spa is that oasis in the city known for its unique spa treatments that come from different international origins. I was at a recent event of theirs to reintroduce their brand ambassadors, launch new ambassadors, as well as show us their latest massage treatment.
BlueWater Day Spa stage

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