Kate Middleton: Soon-to-be Princess

I have always believed that our lives have long been written prior to us being born. Funny thing is, it's our lives but we never get to hold a copy of our life stories to guide us through, because, I guess, we are meant to be actors, rather than directors. Such is a life of a girl who is soon to become a Princess. Her name is Kate; Middleton is the last name.

I was seven years old then when I saw a real wedding of a real princess and a real prince charming -- not the ones I was used to see on tv and those that my kids are so fond of watching now; you know, Cinderella story (?), Princess Aurora (?), Belle (?), etc. I am talking about the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana on July 29, 1981. 

Perhaps, I was right all along to observe that between these two, it was Princess Diana who was the happiest, such happiness exuding from the inside out, that her face was amazingly a picture of total love and joy. The marriage apparently was not equal at both sides, that unlike the happily-ever-after stories that Disney Princess movies usually depict, the love story of Princess Di and Prince Charles ended sad and a bit tragic.

Twenty years later, a similar wedding will soon unfold on April 29, 2011: the nuptial of Prince William (son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana) and Kate Middleton. Looking at them is like history repeating itself, but in a way correcting itself. Unlike Princess Di and Prince Charles, Kate and Prince William now are a picture of a couple so in love with each other, with equal love on their eyes, if I may exaggerate. 

Who is Kate Middleton, by the way? Well, unlike Princess Diana, Kate has no royal ancestry to speak of. She's a commoner, a daughter of hardworking individuals who happened to be very industrious so were able to provide well in life. 

The meeting of Prince William and Kate was not at all a result of any royal match making, rather, a spontaneous girl-meets-boy-boy-meets-girl kind of thing.  Who would ever guess they would finally end up in each other's arm? Like I said, we're just actors in a life story already written for us, that at times, no matter how hard you try to change the course of things, you keep coming back to the original story line. 

I say, this is what happened to our girl named Kate, England's next Princess. Who could stop it? After all, it's all written on her name: Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton. She was named after royalties at birth because she is really destined to become ROYALTY.

-- Ireen --

Liz Taylor Bids Goodbye

Although Liz Taylor was already the glorified, golden girl before I was born, I felt sad to know that she passed away. My parents actually were a big fan of hers, so I grew up hearing her name in conversations among elders and, of course, admiring her face on magazines and many movies that replayed on the television. She was at the pedestal of the women who have the prettiest faces, that I likened her to a fallen angel.

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, in real life, Liz Taylor died at the age of 79 on March 16, 2011 in Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California because of congestive heart failure, a condition wherein the heart cannot pump oxygenated blood enough for the needs of the other organs of the body causing failure of the kidneys to excrete sodium and other body wastes. If this happens, the body retains too much fluid that swells up other parts including the lungs, thereby causing shortness of breath.

Although Liz had experienced numerous health problems in the past, her life had always been as colorful as the world she lives in. She was a talented actress through and through; a wife to seven husbands; a mother; a grandmother and a great grandmother; a survivor; and a humanitarian and HIV/AIDS activist. 

I believe she lived life to the fullest and impressed the world so much that she can live anytime she pleases. May eternal light shine upon you, Liz!

-- Ireen --

Bruno Mars Live in Cebu and Manila, Philippines

When I see your face

There's not a thing that I would change

Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile,

The whole world stops and stares for awhile

Cause girl you're amazing

Just the way you are . . .

Yes, it's confirmed! Bruno Mars is definitely coming to the Philippines at different cities on the nights of April 7, 2011 in Cebu City, and April 8, 2011 in Manila.

Isn't that something to watch out for? Your, our coolest singer ever, who gave us hits like "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade," not to mention his rendition in Travie McCoy's "Billionaire", will be holding two concerts on the said dates.

In Cebu City, the venue will be in the Waterfront Hotel in Apas, Lahug, while the Manila Concert will be held in the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

The concert is entitled Bruno Mars Live, The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour. Below are the ticket rates for both gig schedules:

Araneta Coliseum 

P6,150.00     Patron (Reserved Seating)

P5,280.00     Lower Box (Reserved Seating)

P3,710.00     Upper Box A (Reserved Seating)

P2,65000     Upper Box B

P850.00      Gen. Admission

For inquiries, you may call Ticketnet at 911-5555, or the promoter's hotline numbers in Manila: +63917-5555415; +63917-5555475; +632-5773265; and +632-5867275.

Waterfront Hotel (Cebu):

P4,999.88     VIP

P2,599.88     Gold

P1,299.88     Silver

P888.88     Bronze

You may call Waterfront Cebu for inquiries at: +(6332) 282-6888 Local BRUNOMARS, with hotline: +63922-8731043.

Bruno Mars' concerts will be opened by 29-year old Michael Copon, a budding singing artist of Filipino and German-American descent, who released “Let’s Get Nasty” on iTunes in September last year. Copon has appeared in the "Backflip" video of Raven Symone and in the famous "One Tree Hill" series. He also starred as Blue Power Ranger Lucas Kendall in “Power Rangers: Time Force” and “Power Rangers: Wild Force.”

Bruno Mars a.k.a. Peter Gene Hernandez is also half-Filipino, someone who's very worthy to be included in my blog; of course, this is on top of such amazing talent this man has! See him more in http://www.brunomars.com

-- Ireen ---

March 20 is Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox or the Vernal Equinox, which happens on March 20, 2011 at about 11:21 p.m. at Coordinate Universal Time (UTC), marks the first day of Spring season in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere.  The Spring Equinox is also known as the March Equinox.

We learned from our elementary science that the earth goes around the sun on its axis termed as Rotation. The Spring Equinox or the Autumn Equinox happens when the axis rotation of the earth or the earth's North to South pole linear form is parallel to the movement of the earth around the sun. And when this occurs, it means that the length of day and night is approximately similar, or 12 hours at almost all parts of the world. 

That is why the word "Equinox" is named as such because of its Latin etymology: "aequus" that means "equal" and "nox" which means "night" -- the time when the length of both night and day are almost the same.  

Equinoxes actually happen twice a year. That means there are two instances in a year when night and day are about the same length. While the Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox is the first day of spring, the Autumn Equinox or Autumnal Equinox signals day one of the autumn season.

For this year, Autumnal Equinox will be on September 22. 2011.

God Save Japan

Watching through the Internet the tsunami that recently caused havoc in Japan made me shiver. It's like a scene from the two movies I've seen a year or two ago: The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 -- so apocalyptic, catastrophic, and so deathly.

For a while, work at our office took a standstill while we were glued to our respective monitors watching the horrific works of Mother Nature.

As of this writing, the Japanese people have started to account for everyone and everything that mean to them.  Destruction of property is very immense and the death toll is rising to more than a thousand. 

It is during these trying times that we
hold hand to conquer challenges of
Life, making us strong to face them.

In this country where tsunami has become a part of life, it was still tremendously taken aback by the power shock of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, which was followed by a 33-feet high tsunami.

Severely damaged are those coastal areas near Sendai and Tokyo. Countries along the Pacific rim of fire, including Russia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hawaii, were alerted for a possible rise of waves within the next hours after the Japan tsunami. 

While Japan is measuring the effect of devastation, the fear is not yet over, because of a leak on its Fukushima  nuclear power plant caused by the earthquake, which, according to news reports, could cause potential additional disaster if not addressed within the next 24 hours.

   

United States is preparing to help Japan; Los Angeles
firefighters hauling equipment to be sent to Japan
for relief operations.

Countries all over the world are starting to move and calling out everyone to help in the relief efforts for Japan.     God Save Japan and pray that no further harm befall.  

-- Ireen --

Meeting the Philippine President

I am lucky to have lived long enough to know, not through history class, six Philippine presidents, including the most recent one.

During the 2010 Presidential campaigns, I was positively vocal about the tandem of Mar Roxas and Noynoy Aquino. When the sudden shift of history happened, that's after the death of former Pres. Corazon Aquino, Noynoy's mother, and when everybody seems to be really reminiscing what the Aquinos have made for this country since the 1986 People Power Edsa Revolt, I became more passionate about the state of Philippine politics that I voted for Noynoy and Mar. 

In discussions among friends, I always point out that the Philippines has always been blessed because despite of the greedy, mindless leaders that have sat and ruled the nation, there has always been a Higher Being watching us, Filipinos.  

The toppling down of the Marcos dictatorship, the peaceful Edsa Revolution, the impeachment of Pres. Joseph Estrada, and the death of Cory Aquino are proofs that, indeed, there is "Someone" up there, watching over us, shaping our political story, and has always been levelling things for us when the going gets very rough for each ordinary Filipino.

Now, I am so glad that the Philippines is blessed with a leader in the person of Pres. Benigno Simeon C. Aquino, who I see to be very truthful in his words that he will never steal from our country's coffers.  

The Lady of Edsa: A monument of the 1986 People Power Revolt

Never for a single slim moment in my life that I would ever be given a chance to meet the President. The person, who had always been a common topic with and among my friends, has turned from abstract to a physical being, when I had to be part of a group that went to Malacanang Palace on February 24, 2011 for a forum with Pres. Aquino.

Photo Op with the President

I was very happy to be there, hearing the President's speech while sitting just about four meters away from him, and having luncheon inside the Palace, my, oh my, I said to myself, this is definitely something for the wall to be mounted for my grandchildren to know. 

A souvenir from Malacanang Palace

The forum was attended mostly by selected local mayors, national  government agencies, and foreign development funding agencies (WorldBank, Asian Development Bank, AusAid, JICA, Millennium Challenge Corporation). 

These mayors were from the different municipalities all over the country that were able to avail of the government's poverty alleviation program called KALAHI-CIDSS Project (KC Project).

In such forum, these mayors made a proposal to Pres. Aquino, saying, in principle, that  poverty can be addressed when a poverty-reduction mechanism like the KC Project becomes part of country's program. To know more about the KC Project, go to http://kalahi.dswd.gov.ph/

-- Ireen --

Buying Shoes for Kids

The number of times in a year that I run to the malls to shop for my kids' shoes can definitely be counted by the use of my fingers.

Shoes for Salve

My husband and I usually buy them shoes before school opening, of course, that's to match the school uniform, and sports shoes for the P.E. class.

Sometimes, we buy them another pair if an occasion calls for a specific kind. On top of these,  my kids each have two pairs: one for casual walking or strolling, and another for Sunday wear.   

It's part of our home economics that unless and until the kids' shoes are worn out that they get to have a new  pair. This part actually arrived for, at least, my kids' Sunday shoes. So, last weekend, we all spent scouting the Ayala Center (Cebu) for their shoes bearing in mind a set of criteria.

Shoes for Yentl

For Salve, her Sunday pair of shoes is among the latest in girls' flats from S&H: made of silver-dusted and pink-colored synthetic cloth, and with silver and red shiny studs design at ($8.86).  What I like about Salve's pick is its flowery in-sole. 

For Yentl, we tried about six styles but no pair fitted her, so we ended up getting her a Tweety silver-white-blue stride. The plus factor for Yentl's pick is that from $13.30, we were able to get the pair at $6.64. The in-sole is well-padded that makes very comfy.  And for both shoes, good thing they are all "velcro-ed", which makes fastening very easy.   

Having all two girls (Salve and Yentl) is quite an advantage for me, in terms of buying shoes, because I only have one department to scrutinize -- the girls' shoes section. If I have both girls and boys, I bet, I (as well as the saleslady) will have migraines while hauling boxes in the shoes department. That is why, nowadays, people resort to buying online as a very wise form of shopping; I completely understand their predicament.

When it comes to children's shoes, I find it best to do regular shopping with my husband. Other than the reason that he gets to pay for them, my hubby is a good critique.  Because he also knows our girls very well (quite expected for a father), he has a very good fashion sense in selecting the best shoes for my girls.  The common scenario is that, either I choose, he evaluates and approves, then if the kids okay, we buy them, or the girls get to pick, we do the critique, and if they're fine, we buy. Of course, there are negotiations and explanations in between, especially if the choices are too expensive.

As far as we are concerned, shoes do not reach the cashier's counter without our "pre-approval considerations." Actually, there are only two: (1) style and comfort that should always go together, and (2) the price, which should be justifiable for the kind of shoes to be purchased.

Style and comfort are twin criteria, hence should co-exist; absence of one will render one's purchase very  useless. This makes sense, really. Why? What would you do with a grand style when you're not comfortable with your toes in them? And it's going to pay less service when your shoes are fully comfy but transform you as somebody from either the circus or the outer space.  

Style, therefore, should not be taken for granted.  I always believe that shoes mirror a person, his character and personality, and that shoes are accessories that when used stylishly can enrich a person's self-esteem. 

Although my kids are still too little to talk about such big words as "self-esteem," I believe they are not too young for me to help them in this area of personality development. I only aim for them to grow up as normal as the other kids of their age, away from the ridicule of other people because of the kind of shoes they wear.

Price is a  big consideration. In these times, mindless shopping is a no-no. It's now a rule of thumb to be able to get something that's worth your pay, bearing in mind quality, comfort and style.  Do not ever splurge on kids' shoes (unless you're a billionaire), because their foot sizes grow overnight. In line with this, make sure to buy one size bigger so your child can maximize the length of time that she or he will be wearing them.

--Ireen--

Little Debbie's New Cloud Cakes

Tradition and nostalgic sweetness are the ways to describe Little Debbie snacks. These sweet morsels that you pack for school, picnics, and race tracks never fail to bring back sweet memories.  Indeed, both young and old endeared Little Debbie so much.

Just in time for this year's Easter celebration, Little Debbie brings for everyone the newest addition to its line of food products: Cloud Cakes and Banana Pudding Rolls. Find these latest snacks in your favorite convenience or grocery stores. 

Little Debbie's cloud cakes are made of golden sponge cake made even more delicious by its fluffy vanilla creme filling. Cloud cakes are individually wrapped and packed in a box of 10 pieces.

About Little Debbie

Little Debbie snacks are just among the food products that McKee Foods Corporation delivers to the market. Other snacks it produces are cereals, cookies, cream pies, granola and nutty bars. McKee is headquartered at Collegedale, Tennessee, USA.

-- Ireen --