What's new with Cathy?

Another batch of super nice evening purses. But I'm buying the Carrie-ish one. Can you tell which one?

One Proud Momma

My nearly three-year old Krissy is now ready for pre-school.

This is according to Krissy's pedia, Dr. Tippy Tanchanco, who specializes in development pediatrics.

She made Krissy follow some instructions like draw a standing line, a sitting line and a circle. Krissy was able to make all three! (Though the circle wasn't really perfect and besides, she was truthful enough to say that the first try is not really a circle.)

Krissy did not show fear and did not also cry when she was given her typhoid shot. In fact, she was very calm. I guess programming her to the routine really helps. What's even cuter (at least in my perspective) is that Krissy thanked Dr. Tippy after. She said that it's her first time to be thanked for injecting needles!

I also observed that Krissy's social skills have improved. She was kind of trying to play with the bigger kids who were also waiting for their scheds. She was also very amiable with Ms. Rose and Dr. Tippy. She'd say "yes, opo" to yes or no questions. She even peeked inside the clinic to say "bye" after I settled the payment. She also gave Dr. Tippy a big hug!

I took her to Trinoma after where we had late lunch. Didn't take her to shopping and play anymore as the mall is really super crowded.

For now, I'd have to administer more exercises to develop Krissy's motor and cognitive skills. Clays will be great daw. Abstract learning is advisable so I have to check if there's any school in our area which offers Kinderhaus-like classes--music and art-based. (Yesterday she showed interest in lolo's oil painting.) Continue reading and coloring pa. Then by next year, super ready na my big girl to go to school!

When I told her this, her response was: buy me bag, shoes and socks!

Yay, where did she get that?!?

SALE @ MANGO

Hurry! Visit the nearest Mango na. :)

Ransom by noon

The government and its mediators have been given until noon to pay P15 million as ransom for ABS-CBN jounralist Ces Drilon, cameraman Jimmy Encarnacio and MSU Prof. Octavio Dinampo.

The latest news is that the deadline is extended to 2 pm.

Boy, the Abu Sayyaf is really in need of money. This must be very scary for the hostages and their families. And again, the question of whether to pay the ransom or not plays in the heads of everyone. While the government may adhere to its "no ransom policy" (or did they just okay P500k each per hostage?), will not the families and supporters of the hostages secretly give in?

We'll never know. It's easy to think of greater good when you're from the outside looking in. But what about those who will be left behind? Can there be any chance that a common good will be reached?

But heck, why do I wish these bad guys good?

Feast your eyes on B's favorite headbands

Years before Gossip Girl popularized the use of chic headbands, I've always been crazy about Evita Peroni and purchasing similar styles from Landmark and Eastwood tiangges.

Now, we all know the creators of B's headbands: Jennifer Behr, Malene Birger, Stacey Lapidus and Jennifer Ouellete. So let me post my favorites in their recent collections.








Jennifer Behr is my favorite but any Pinoy will be surprised by the prices of her pieces. For example, the patent orchid on skinny headband in the first picture (the one which Blair wore during the wedding) is $198!

Anyway, you may visit their sites by clicking their names below:

Jennifer Behr
Malene Birger
Stacey Lapidus
Jennifer Ouellete

It's downtime for Ces and Hillary

What could have been a good Monday for many Filipinos was bugged by one big question: where is Ces Drilon?

People then were buzzing with the question as Ces Drilon, a celebrated Filipino journalist, together with two cameramen and a history researcher, were allegedly missing. Nobody can confirm the news until ABS-CBN released their statement on Monday evening. They have indeed launched a news blackout and is trying to contain the situation by not causing national panic and sensationalism. The news about Ces was even reported at the latter portion of TV Patrol and kept at a very short and objective level.

Again, unverified sources of information (as I missed the news during the past 2 days) say that the ransom is around P10 to P30 million--an amount that Ces, ABS-CBN and their supporters can easily raise. While the release of one cameraman has caused more speculations and violent reactions, still we're faced with another moral ambiguity: should ransom be paid to get the three remaining hostages safe and free or should we just follow GMA's no-ransom mandate?

It's easy to choose the latter option. Why would we support the Abu Sayyaf and encourage precedence? The government cannot just initiate making an industry out of kidnapping, right?

But if you put yourself in the shoes of the hostages and their families, you may just think otherwise. Your concern will always be their safety. (Omg, this reminds me of Gracia Burnham's story...)

The abduction of Ces and her companions is another indication of how maimed our freedom of press is. Ces, being a nationally-acclaimed journalist, was taken as a hostage by the Abu Sayyaf on the week of Independence Day! This must explain why nobody wants to celebrate Independence Day.

I'm just thinking how bad Ces' fate must be. I remember Ces being one of the journalists who witnessed the siege initiated by Sen. Trillanes. She eventually got detained and was suspected to have a link, or at least know beforehand, Trillanes' plot. I applaud her for her very sassy answer: "If I knew then I wouldn't have worn heels."

There you go, fashionista. I hope and pray that you'll be out soon without anyone having to shed millions or blood.

* * *


Likewise, last week (or last, last week--pardon my lost sense of time) was a downtime for Hillary Clinton. I am not really a big fan of Hillary's but the thing is, I kind of felt that my hope for a woman to finally become a US president was extinguished. Well, slightly at least.

Oh well... But she was gracious enough to have accepted defeat. She was mighty brave as well to have not given up the fight.

(Looking back, I admire this woman for her strong spirit. I would have lost face and grace if the world has known that my husband was cheating on me under our very own roof.)

Anyway, she may not have succeeded the race for the Democrats' presidential candidate. But Hillary Rodham Clinton has raised hopes for countless women. Yes, I do hope that I'll be able to witness the oath-taking of the first woman US citizen while I'm still alive and senile. :)

Good news to all who are just so mad about their lashes!

Forget about having to book yourself for an eyelash re-touch every month or so. You may as well stop gluing and peeling your lashes on night outs or better yet, ditch your mascara forever.

Brace yourselves girls--the wonders of science has made it possible for you to have real long, sweeping lashes!

Ladies and gentlemen: the all-new eyelash transplant surgery.

Yes, it's the same procedure being used by hair transplant surgeons. And what's even more amazing about it is that since they are made of human hair, the lashes will grow just like any human lashes.

According to Michele Cheplic, "The procedure is fairly simple in that surgeons are only required to make a small incision at the back of the scalp to remove 30 or 40 hair follicles, which are carefully sewn one by one onto the patient's eyelids. Doctors say the procedure requires just light sedation and local anesthetics. And the cost for the eyelash makeover? About $3,000 an eye."

Phew! That's mighty expensive!

But what I have heard from the local grapevine is that, cosmetic surgeons such as Belo are already doing it for P50,000. This is not yet confirmed. But anyhoo, foreigners just might keep on coming here!

So if you have enough moolah to afford the procedure, then you won't have to worry about getting racoon eyes from running mascara or falling lashes in the middle of making googoo eyes with your date.

Six Degrees of Separation: A Group Exhibit

Start:	Jun 16, '08 5:00p
End:	Jul 5, '08 5:00p
Location:	Le Souffle G/F Amorsolo Tower, Amorsolo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City

A Group art exhibit by 6 artists of varied painting styles: Wilfredo Offemaria Jr, Gonzalo Uy, Jucar Raquepo, Daniel Aligaen, Anthony Fermin, and Jomike Tejido

Exhibit opens on Monday, June 16 2008 at 5pm and shall run until July 5 2008
You may call 450-2993 for details.

Independence Day Thoughts

Nobody celebrates Indepence Day anymore.

Well, at least no one within third degree of consanguinity with me.

Why would anyone do so--when majority of the Filipinos are being deprived of their own freedoms?

We can start with all the big, much hyped about proofs: police brutalities, political killings, journalists being threatened, killed and kidnapped, civilian brutalities, political seizure of properties and so on.

But you know, we can escape this for once and think of all the basic, everyday proofs that all of us can relate to. I say that we look at those which fall within the framework described by Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen.

Last year, we have faced one major economic ambiguity: the government claiming that our economy is on its boom (with enough information to back it up like GDPs, employment statistics, tax collection, etc.) while people are claiming that more and more Filipinos are getting hungrier by the day. Later on, we face worsening problems on inflation and rice shortage.

So who is saying the truth, we ask ourselves.

I say it's both.

You see, while our economy is growing and our government is earning more taxes from its people and its investors, the problem is that the wealth acquired during the process does not trickle down to the grassroots.

The gap between the rich and the poor have worsened. And are companies to be blamed? Well, not those who observe good governance and social responsibility. But probably those who are new and exploitative by nature. There may be hundreds of thousands of jobs created in the past years but what is really the quality of these jobs? Do they really free more Filipinos such that they will be able to afford good education, healthcare and other welfare services? Are not these taxes being mismanaged and somehow lost among red tape and SOPs?

You see, freedom is more than just being freed from the hands of a dictator or a conqueror. Freedom is more of people being independent; people being made to stand on their own.

You know, I reprimand myself whenever I feel pity towards a blue-collared employee. I tell myself thatI should not pity them because they have decent jobs and they live decent lives. They have decent employers who give them what is right and due. BUT. They do not have access to good education, healthcare, housing, etc. simply because the government cannot give it to them.

It's not that I am expecting first world welfare system for the Filipinos. I am realistic enough to know that even if we remove all the corruption in our government, the country will still be so far away from the G8 in terms of national wealth. But the thing is, it could be so much better if the billions that go to the pockets of officials will instead go to hospitals, schools, etc.

Ayayayay...

Anyway, there's one more thing I'd like to write about. It's about the OFWs being called as the country's new heroes (bagong bayani). I think we have to be careful about who we call our heroes.

Heroes are supposedly those who have clear intentions of wanting to help the country more than their families.

But why is that I hear so many OFWs complain about the appreciating value of Peso against the US dollar and rejoice when the peso drops?

Yes, I know why and it's clearly not because of a national cause.

So why should we call them all bagong bayanis? While some may be exceptions, still, I think that the same argument being raised by the "anti"-Lapu-Lapu group applies to this.

Anyway, let's still thank them all for keeping the economy afloat regardless of their intentions. And yes, I am still mighty proud of them for working and living decently for the sake of their own families.

Mabuhay ang mga mabubuting Pinoy!

Mabuhay ang kalayaan!

Mamatay ang mga magnanakaw ng kalayaan! (hehe)

Clothes WE love from Gossip Girl's Season Finale

Episode 1.18: Much "I Do" About Nothing

I am so kilig about the whole C and B thing. Though I am secretly hoping to still see the bad C somehow. It might be for the chase. But for certain, it ain't Chuck Bass without the arrogance, partying and womanizing. Oops, well, maybe we can delete the last one.

Anyway, I loved what S and B wore on Lily's wedding. And also, what B wore on her trip to France. So here are the stills I managed to copy from blairandchuck.com. I suggest you go visit it if you're a big B and C fan. (After hearing Chuck's lines on the reception dancefloor, I am now over that phase hoping it was NATE and not Chuck.)

Again, anyway, the stills:

Check out Blair's cocktail dress
Take note of the details, the shoes and the headband
She's so cute!







Serena as the maid of honor
I love yellow and black.



Blair's going-to France outfit
She's the Jackie O of our time :)


Can't wait to watch Season 2 on September...

XOXO

Monique Lhuillier 2008

These beautiful ML pieces are a source of inspiration for women in ways more than one.

ML Resort 2008

ML Spring 2008

Click here to visit Monique Lhuillier.

Krissy as Dora the Explorer

My little Dora and I went to the Dora Meet & Greet Activity at the SM Activity Center. She was so happy. So priceless :)

Getting CARRIEd Away

Ironically, it took one phrase that started with "sex" to break a self-inflicted abstinence. (On movies, that is. You dirty minds! :p) With two girls and bunches of tears and laughter, it was aALL worth it.

I so, so loOove SATC, the girls, the clothes, the SHOES and the purses! Sigh...

Anyway, Saturday was a date with two of my great girl friends.

Dinner and cocktails at Jack's Loft

More cocktails at Cafe Adriatico