Wednesday, June 9, 2010

What will you do if you will win $100?

This is my entry to the contest http://livinglifetodfullest.blogspot.com/2010/06/our-thanksgiving-contest-will-start.html


Yes, what will I do with the $100 if I win it?  Well, there are so many things to pay.  I will pay my bills like for the Internet service provider, my phone bills.  














After paying the bills, I'll try to buy things that my kids will need.  Or if that isn't enough, maybe I could buy the cell phone model that I need.  And it's just right below. 





If the money isn't enough, I'll save some more so I can get that cell phone model that I need.  My cellphones are all outmoded, well, there are just two of them, actually.  I want something that can take photos and I can listen to music at the same time. 

Or if I can still save that $100, I will buy this dream camera of mine.  I saved it in my pictures folder so I could take a look at it every day. 























Well, those are my dream things at the moment.  I do wish I could win that $100 and there's nothing wrong in dreaming and wishing.  For one day, I know my dream has come true if I keep dreaming about them non-stop.   

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I hope this is correct.  I am joining because I also want to help.  Join in too!

Power Kids Run by Tiffany Chocolate

I was invited to the Power Kids Run by a PR guy-friend of mine from way back in 2002. Bloggers were part of the media who would cover events like these.


I got to be part of this momentous event and experienced food-tasting and sampling, checking out new products that will come out in the market or is already out in the market. The event was pretty much a success because it was something that the whole family could enjoy.

The organizers, Tiffany Chocolate, held their first-ever fun run in McKinley Hill just recently. It's only now that I got to blog about it. I have photos of it and I will post them in a while.





There you go. That’s just one of the photos that I took while the event was taking place. It was really crowded because the whole family was part of the affair.



I took photos of the booths that were there while the fun run was happening because most of the people were in the sidelines, watching the race that’s why the booths were empty at this time.












Then there were kids playing old school-type of games like the one below. Just looking at them made one feel, “Oh, shocks, we used to play that game a long time ago!”



This was the soccer game.



It's the Tender Juicy Hotdog mascot. He was entertaining the children and everyone else watching him.



This was a booth that would always be full of people because of their food sampling or drink sampling. But this time, it wasn’t swarmed with people - yet.  But people were starting to approach them already.















Another game that was a bestseller for the kids was the inflatable basketball ring by Purefoods.















Here’s something that I really like. The biggest plastic of pan de sal by Gardenia.



And then, a photo of my little E.J. with the mascot of a laundry service in Makati, Panda Cleaners.



I saw also this cute booth of Kinder Golf. Check it out, there’s the mascot of the Tender Juicy Hotdog.



The next booth is the Panda Cleaners.  As I have said, they're located in Makati.











The Pampanga’s Best booth while the staff was waiting for people to come to their stall after the race.










Now, here’s everybody’s favorite. McDonald’s. This booth was swarmed with people when the host, Suzie Entrata announced that they were giving away free toys for everyone who joined the fun run.



This is the Clara Ole Booth, which was right next to our Evian booth.















This was where the race was held, this was the starting and finish line.



This structure was so beautiful that I couldn’t resist taking a photo of it. Just don’t mind the inflatable can of Pocari Sweat, I think.



My two lovely daughters, Yuwii and E.J., joking around because I brought them to this event.



Of course, my blogger friends who were invited to this event. From left, Nica, Karen and Josie.



Nica with my daughter, E.J. Don’t they look alike?
















Here’s another photo of them. Actually, E.J. didn’t want Nica to let go of her.



Nica and her daughter, Gabby, after her number was called and won some bag of goodies.















We didn’t go home early because the event was until early evening and people were eager to find out the winners and to claim their prizes.





































The winners. Father and daughter or the mother and son tandem.






























But all in all, it was a great event. I’m sure everyone went home with a lot of things in their hands. There were leaflets, flyers, brochures and other giveaways for the whole family.   And the picture shows all the participating companies of the fun run. 



















And due to the success of this Fun Run, Tiffany will hold another Fun Run, this time with longer running distances. Not just up to 3K, these will be 5K, 10K and 16K that’s why it’s called POWER RUN. It will be held on October 10, 2010 and it will coincide with Tiffany’s Great Adventure grand raffle.

For more details, call 364.6201 & 0917.392.8343 or visit www.adevents.com.ph for event updates.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Nurture Spa: A Spa Lover's Hideaway






I didn't expect to experience such a treatment from such a nice place which was very close to nature.  No, sir!  But it happened.  When I saw an announcement in the wall post of Mr. Paolo Florenda, I immediately grabbed the opportunity to join because, my, after 41 years, this will be my first time to go to a spa.  Yup, you heard it right, it was a spa. 

This place is Nurture Spa Village, where one can get that relaxation, rejuvenation, de-stressing that one needs if one is so fed up with city life.  I knew I had to take this trip.  And this blog has long been overdue. 

Actually, since my kids knew how my life is here in the city, they even encouraged me to go and said, "Yes, Ma, you need it, badly."  They knew very well the reasons and that's another blog altogether. 

But going back to Nurture Spa, it was such an adventure for me because I know there are a lot of spas around the metro but going out of town every once in a while is always a great idea for me.  I love nature and this place is teeming with green grass, fresh air and cool breeze to soothe your stressed body. 

When the bloggers grouped together and stayed in the dorm, we were in for a surprise.  I say 'we' because I wasn't the only one who was treated like a queen.  There were several of us who stayed overnight for a more in-depth look at what Nurture Spa has to offer. 

Okay, so we get down to business.  Once we got there, we were greeted with the courteous staff and even showered us with rose petals as we entered the place.  I have proof.  Look at the picture below. 


We were led to the Salo Pavilion and had some cocktails first.  The cocktails, which really filled my hungry tummy, were the chicken avocado fingerfood and the shrimp dipped in avocado sauce, which was my favorite since it was so delicious!  I just didn't get to take a photo of it, awww, shocks.  And the welcome drink they served us was the lemongrass tea.  It was also soothing. 

After the cocktails, we were told to put our things in our dorm, since there were like 6 of us and after settling down, our tour guide, one of their well-trained staff gave us a tour of Nurture Spa Village, where all their services were offered. 



Okay, so what you're seeing is one of their Ifugao Huts where couples can relax and enjoy and be taken to a whole new world of rejuvenation they need. 


   

That's what's inside the Ifugao Hut, they call "Ulog."  It looks relaxing and refreshing to stay in it, right?  Whooh, I'd love to sleep in one of those next time! 





Here's what you can find under the bedroom of the hut.  Then the next picture shows that a client is having her foot massaged. 




In the next photo, you'll see the room so immaculately clean and arranged for the next guest to occupy and get a dose of Nurture Spa's treatments. 



















And look at the shower!  it looks so marvellous, doesn't it?  Its door is just the capiz shells to cover you while taking a bath in that white bath tub. 
















Here's what the room looks like from another angle.  You can see it's a four-poster bed and a table at the foot of the bed. 




Now, we go to the Institute of Natural Healing and Wellness Center.  Well, it's a village so there are a lot of places to go and the next few photos will show that these are the services that clients like to avail of when they're here in Nurture Spa. 















































The next photo shows that some of us experienced walking on this stone path and it's called Lakad Kalinga (Healing Path) wherein one should walk barefoot to enjoy its healing effects through reflexology, as it says on the poster and it's great for the soles of the feet. 

















It's a circular path that one has to walk on until the person reaches the end point. 
















Also, we went to their Hardin Panggagamot (Herb Garden) where the lemongrass were planted and their source for this specialty of theirs. 
















After this, we saw a portion of the sprawling garden which has this enclosed section.  It's the Bahay Paru-Paro (Butterfly Haven) where butterflies hang out.  It was cool.  There was one interesting butterfly that was perched on the bench in the Bahay Paru-Paro.  I took a video clip of it as my digicam could not capture a photo of it. 
















So Nurture Spa didn't just have those massage rooms, they also had these sanctuaries that one could go in and take a look at the beauty of nature.  The garden was also a breather for me as I like wide spaces with lots of room.  It makes me feel relaxed.  The pictures speak of what I mean. 



















And of course, for those who are celebrating their wedding anniversary or those who want to enjoy a natural setting to make that much-awaited proposal, here's a nice spot for you to sit and talk and make her say, "I do." 


There's a pool in the middle of the garden, in the upper right side before you get to the main garden.  I took a photo of it but just don't mind the background, okay?  I got it in a hurry because we were already supposed to stay together for the program that was going to be held at dinner time.

But afterwards, we went back to the pavilion and grouped together with the other guests and we got the chance to talk with Ms. Cathy Turvill, one of the co-owners of Nurture Spa and she was explaining to us the computerized Digital Meridian Scan (DMS) (P1400) that could identify what are the forthcoming potential problems of the body based on a scan of the different key organs of the body.  It's non-invasive, nothing scary.  There are probes that are connected to the Meridian points of the body, energy points of the body.  I have a photo of her while doing this.  I also have a video of her which I will upload also in my YouTube account later and will connect it to the blog here. 


After a few minutes, Dr. Samuel P. Dizon, whom Ms. Cathy introduced to us, joined in the discussion about the Institute of Natural Healing (INH) which he and Nurture Spa have partnered with to provide individualized program of holistic healing for those who have cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease. 


After this interview, we were told that there will be a program that will be held in the garden.  So we went there and the host introduced Ms. Cathy and Mike Turvill, the Undersecretary of the Department of Tourism - Ms. Cynthia Carreon, an interpretative dance by Ms. Marge Enriquez entitled "Binhi," which was the highlight of the program. 

This was followed by a sumptuous dinner prepared by their caterer, Josiah's Catering.  Guests were given the choice to eat Japanese, Korean, Italian or American food.  I chose to eat spaghetti first by getting the ingredients and choosing the noodles and the sauce to go with it and handed it over to the lady who was going to serve it to me and everything was heated in a frying pan in front of me and everyone else as we all lined up to taste what they had prepared for us.  I had pasta first, okay. 

But I still had space left in my tummy so I went for the barbecue or steak buffet table.  There was this table for those meatlovers and most of the guests lined up for this so I just had to wait for the people to get what they wanted and be seated and finally got to choose the food I wanted to have a taste of.  My, I didn't regret going to the meat section of the buffet because the meat was sooo tender and yummy and so nice to eat.  Hah!  My diet gone down the drain.  But never fear, I'm still on it.  

During dinner, Cathy was making rounds and talking to the guests.  At a certain point, she and some bloggers talked about something they probably wanted to clarify with Cathy.   


After dinner, some of us tried having a free massage, the DMS, or just went back to our room and freshened up for we were going to wake up early the next day. 




That's the view from our dorm.  Someone was already asleep, Ria was already checking her email and Ms. Josie was just staring at the ceiling.  




As you can see above, that's where we were going to do our Qi Gong exercises led by our instructor, Jerry.  After this, we had breakfast in the Tanglad Bistro and this is what I had for breakfast.  Don't you think it's so mmmm... tempting? 

I definitely had to take a photo of it before I chomped it all down so I could put it in my blog, my first picture of a breakfast that was served to me.  Isn't this just terrific? 

This is the interior of Tanglad Bistro but not the whole interior, though.  I just wanted to capture a spot that was interesting and attractive that's why I took this picture of the dining table with the spoons and forks laid out properly for fine dining. 

A portion of their menu.  As you can see, the choices are for people who want healthy options. 


Just playing around with the place mat, spoon and fork before the breakfast was served. 


Their Amu'in products near the lobby, as you enter the premises.  This was the time we were about to check out after our 1 hour body massage.  That was the highlight of our stay there.  Of course, it was my first time, as I have mentioned at the start. 

More Amu'in products on display. 

Just a photo of a white gumamela within Nurture Spa.  I miss photography, that's why I'm practicing it using my point-and-shoot digicam. 



Now, this is interesting.  Herbs or plants placed in this pot with the explanation of what these are used for.  It's just something interesting for me.  

 
Rose petals soaked in liquid.  I'm just not sure if the liquid is just water or it's mixed with herbs in it.  I took this photo because of its beauty. 

It's been a long blog and I guess I would have to end it here.  All in all, it was not only a de-stressing experience, it was also educational as a whole.  I even got to meet other people like the other bloggers who do blogging for a living or just a hobby.  It is definitely something I will never forget.

If you want to avail of Nurture Spa's services like the massages, the wellness programs, the venue for weddings or other special occasions, you may contact them through telephone numbers 632 - 584 4228 or 6346 483 0804/05 or through mobile number - 0918 8888SPA or 0929 950 5724.  Website:  http://www.nurture.com.ph/ or you can email them at info@nurture.com.ph.