Project Mountain Alphabet goes to Colalo Elementary School

I had this quick chat with my brother Jan Irvin as his wife gave birth to their first child and so excited for my first niece. After a quick chit chat we went down to business. I am helping him succeed in his library project for the school where he is teaching.

Colalo Elementary School is technically a school in a barrio. Good thing they have electricity in that place. My mother used to work on the said school and that's where we (me and my siblings) had our first encounter with the people of Colalo folks. Now, my brother is teaching there as well.

Now, we currently have 3 big boxes composed of old and new reference books, magazines (National Geographic, readers digest), encyclopedia, novels, and story books. Seeing their school library has tons of work to do and so we are all starting it one step at a time.

This time around I am thankful for everyone who is behind these project. Many thanks to Budget Biyahera for her books and blog post, to Special Education Philippines for the books you shared and of course to A Day In The Life of This Miss for your donations and helping out in our fund raising campaign.

To all Thomson Reuters Employee Manila who participated in the fund raising activity and book giving activity. Surely the books and donations you shared will be used by many. Angela Chua and Leigh Maneja, I am thankful for all the support and effort you have extended with our project.

To Rosalie Amparo of Development Bank of the Philippines, thank you for your support. We hope to see you in our upcoming projects as well. Truly you are an inspiration to many women.

Truly Rich Overseas Filipino Investors (TROFI) who are based in Singapore. We are grateful for your unparalleled support on this project. Your generosity is remarkable and far-reaching. A true "Kababayan," which makes us proud to be a Filipino.

Thank you as well to BOOK FOR A CAUSE for donating 3 boxes of text books. May God Almighty bless you more and may you always be successful in your chosen endeavor!

From left to right: Pastor Eden Singson of House of Grace Community Church (Taguig City) and Pastor Florante Pons of Tipas Christian Church (Taguig) with BFAC's Ramil Sumangil
Click here for their Facebook Account

The project is a resounding success which is a reflection of genuine compassion and the Filipino modern way of "bayanihan." The Project Mountain Alphabet on behalf of the Colalo Elementary School teachers and pupils would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt "Thank You!" We will pray for your success and more blessings from our Almighty.

My Top 5 Picks for Summer Getaway at Lazada

Lazada is a perfect one stop shop with so much great deals from anything and almost everything like gadget, fashion apparels, cosmetics, appliances, sports, travel items and gears, unique home and living items, wonderful accessories, and a lot more.

Summer is just around the corner and it is the best time to go out and explore the beauty of the islands here and abroad. I already knew Lazada as I subscribe through their Facebook page but I did not have the time to actually visit their website.

So over the weekend, I finally decided to check their website to see what they have to offer and lo and behold I found a perfect summer takeaway.

Here are my Top Picks...

Luggage: I am not a fan of it but seeing this Travel Mate 08-85108 Hard Case Luggage (Black) 20" is just a perfect pick for me as it looks perfect for either holiday summer getaway or official business travel. What interest me most are the prints as it gives more class and sophistication.With its size of 54 x 31 x 76 I wouldn't need an extra bag for all my clothes this summer. For only Php 1700.00 from its original price of Php 2000.00 you would already have a luggage that is secured and intact. Rain or shine, bumpy or sandy pavement you don't have to worry because this hard case with built in TSA Lock keeps your belonging secure and safe.

Pack-It 2-Sided Cube-Morocco is your perfect partner when going out of town. One thing is for sure, you'll gonna love the idea of having the capability to set aside the dirty and clean laundry that you have. It comes really handy when going on a company or barkada summer getaways. Your perfect bag at the beach. For only Php 600.00 you'd be worry free from swindlers and pick pockets wanting to take advantage on tourists.

Who would reject a Samsung Digital Camera with 5X Digital Zoom? Am sure everyone would love it. Grab this camera as a graduation gift for your loved one. A point and shoot camera comes really handy when travelling. At least you could always be on the go and ready to snap those explicit and wonderful experiences along the way. This is my first ever camera and had totally loved it.

Beach party, bonfire, and camping sometimes gets really boring at night without music. Worry no more I found Cliptec Magic-Mate Portable Multimedia Speaker really handy since it is pocket size and providing a crystal clear audio for MP3, MP4, Iphone and or music phones. You can still enjoy the perfect summer getaway with friends chatting or dancing while heating up your marshmallow.

SUNBLOCK! SUNBLOCK! SUNBLOCK! Worry no more! Enjoy the summer heat! Block those harmful rays of the sun with these perfect Kustie Sunblock cream.

Aside from my top 5. I have one last bonus must have! What about snorkeling at the beach? It would definitely be perfect with Mascot Goggles. The lenses resist fogging and allows you to see clearly under water! Am sure I would love to see those fishes swimming gracefully!

Check out their website for any special discount they offer every now and then.

Freeway Swimwear Collections

The Freeway Swimwear Collection

Freeway always amazes me with their designs, its very NOW and very fashionable. These year is yet another fantastic year for freeway celebrating the woman's body flaunting their curves through silhouettes through cuts and shape. A lady could never go wrong in picking up these years Freeway swimwear collection.

Freeway understand that there are ladies out there who are very sporty but still wanted to look elegantly beautiful.

The colors as well are really gorgeously beautiful. Freeway was able to capture the vibrant look and feel of the season.

Freeway Swimwear Collection 2013 is adamantly beautiful. A perfect color combination made perfectly for a Filipina.

Freeway is simple your woman's choice.

Want to know more about Freeway? Visit their WEBSITE and FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Fashion Tuesday - Mint Clothing Top Picks

Mint is one of my favorite destination especially when buying t-shirts and sando. I love the cotton texture of their apparel. Its light weight as well and the designs are truly awesome.

MINT

Sando come's in any form. Normally, I just use them for home use on a daily basis. Mint products though are totally different. I can for sure use them as Summer Casual wear.

Here are my favorite picks at Mint. A must have Mint t-shirt for me. I love stripes and I want them to come in any forms at any size. It is definitely a choice for me since I can use them with my black pants and a rubber shoes or shorts and sandals or sneakers.

Since summer is just around the corner. I have pre-selected as well my top picks of board shorts. Goodness, I simply cant wait for me to wear this shorts in one of my summer getaways.

Photo Credit

Heather Kim Turns 18

I know that debut or the 18th birthday is one of the most important events in a woman's life. Everyone has their own way of celebrating it of course. The 3 most usual is 1. to have the grandest celebration with all the 18 roses and candles 2. Just celebrate it plain and simple and treat it like an ordinary day and 3. No Celebration at all

I think for us we did celebrate it just like a normal birthday celebration. We dine out... just the four of us and still we had fun. Bottom line is how you grow as the days go by. Knowing your priorities, setting your own goals and plans and achieving them bullet per bullet is the best gift you could give to yourself.

Happy Birthday Heather!

What's in Men's Closet

Men too has their own simple way of taking care of their own skin. After a days work, men should have their little time of pampering their skin so as not to age early and to at least look younger and better. Being good looking doesn't stop by simple having a pretty face.

To be good looking is simple being free from oily face and of course pimple free. The only way to have it is of course to simply have a clean lifestyle.

Don't just grab any products out there. You should always know your skin type and always have a moisturizing cream before leaving the house and of course before going to bed. A facial wash is a good way to eradicate those harmful substances our face gets whenever we go out. 

I don't like the feeling of shaving because it hurts. However, Nivea Shaving Foam and Nivea Shaving Gel is just perfect.

Your Perfect Tiffany Wedding Band

Wedding ring for me is the most important part of the wedding ceremony as it signifies to person's never ending love and a remembrance of their vows when two couples are apart.

Over the weekend, I was browsing Tiffany's website and was able to find these beautiful and yet very elegant wedding bands.

Photo were taken at Tiffany.com

Getting ready for your wedding day? Are you looking for your perfect wedding band? Check out whats new at Tiffany.

Nail Polish War

I was just wondering what would be the best Nail Polish that we have in the market. So I started searching for what is pleasant to my naked eye an option my sister and the rest of the ladies out there who might want to have a luxurious and beautiful nails.

Lets start the parade of these beautiful nail polish and find out the perfect compliment for your skin tone, outfit and a color that would speak for your personality. Select the best color that would represent you.

Essie

China Glaze

Nature Republic

OPI Nail Polish

ORLY Nail Polish

Where to buy these nail polishes? They are basically almost everywhere. You can also do online shopping. Speaking of online shopping, the convenience of just buying it online and just wait for the order to be delivered right at your doorstep is just so awesome.

I normally buy my stuff at Zalora since it is free shipping within Metro Manila. What brings Zalora to the top of my list is their awesome Cash on Delivery scheme. Here's their website in case you want to check it out. ZALORA WEBSITE

Pampering is Loving Yourself with Ponds

More than anything else, we have to love ourselves. We need to give ourselves the treat it deserves after a long day of working. In this way we are not only healthy but we still stay younger.

Pampering ourselves is not going to the spa everyday. Well you can do that if you have the means. However there are in expensive ways to pamper ourselves. Eating proper foods is a great way of rejuvenating yourself to get all the nutrients your body needs. When we say proper food it would mean, a lot of fruits and vegetable a little of meat and fish. 

Aside from eating we also need to exercise so we could eliminate the unwanted fats. Exercise is also a great way of eliminating toxins in our body. Drink plenty of water is another tip for staying healthy. Waters helps alot in flashing out toxins in our body. Of course the next one is having a proper amount of sleep. Sleep is very important in keeping your body strong and healthy.

Last but not the least, a beauty regimen is really important. Using the proper product for yourself will keep you glow and looking vibrant all day. Ponds has done a tremendous amount of work to bring give their customer the best beauty products in the market that is totally affordable to everyone.

 Ponds has a everything in store for you on their facial wash from oily skin to dry skin. Facial foam is your first step in being beautiful.

We also don't just wash our face but we also need to put on our facial creams to have a smooth, fresh and rejuvenating your skin. It is always best to put on your day cream before leaving the house. It will not only make you look fresh but it will also protect your skin from harmful elements you may encounter outside your house.

The more we age the more we need to be more careful with our skin. It is always best to nourish it with Ponds Age Miracle Cream. Wrinkles are just part of growing old but excess wrinkle is not good. It will only make you look older than your age. Ponds Age mircale complete set can help you look younger. As they say, it is ok to be 40 as long as you look 30 right?

Ponds also provides you with your day cream that could protect you from the rays of the sun.

At night, it is wonderful to have the Ponds Deep Cleansing foam. You've been out for the whole day and you skin might be damaged because of air pollution. It is best to clean your face with these Ponds Deep Cleansing foam to wash away all the impurities.

Want to know more about Ponds product? Click here

85th Academy Awards - Oscars 2013

The long wait is over! Who will bring home the most coveted Oscar's Trophy!

Let's all tune in on February 24th 7:00 Eastern Time!

Want to know the nominees? Here they are...

Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"

Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables"

Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master"

Denzel Washington in "Flight"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin in "Argo"

Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master"

Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"

Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"

Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour"

Quvenzhané Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Naomi Watts in "The Impossible"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in "The Master"

Sally Field in "Lincoln"

Anne Hathaway in "Les Misérables"

Helen Hunt in "The Sessions"

Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Animated Feature Film

"Brave" Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

"Frankenweenie" Tim Burton

"ParaNorman" Sam Fell and Chris Butler

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" Peter Lord

"Wreck-It Ralph" Rich Moore

Cinematography

"Anna Karenina" Seamus McGarvey
"Django Unchained" Robert Richardson
"Life of Pi" Claudio Miranda
"Lincoln" Janusz Kaminski
"Skyfall" Roger Deakins


Costume Design

"Anna Karenina" Jacqueline Durran
"Les Misérables" Paco Delgado
"Lincoln" Joanna Johnston
"Mirror Mirror" Eiko Ishioka
"Snow White and the Huntsman" Colleen Atwood

Directing

"Amour" Michael Haneke
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" Benh Zeitlin
"Life of Pi" Ang Lee
"Lincoln" Steven Spielberg
"Silver Linings Playbook" David O. Russell

Documentary Feature

"5 Broken Cameras" 
Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi

"The Gatekeepers" 
Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky and Estelle Fialon

"How to Survive a Plague" 
David France and Howard Gertler

"The Invisible War" 
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering

"Searching for Sugar Man" 
Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn

Documentary Short Subject

"Inocente" 
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

"Kings Point" 
Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider


"Mondays at Racine" 
Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan

"Open Heart" 
Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern

"Redemption" 
Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill

Film Editing


"Argo" William Goldenberg
"Life of Pi" Tim Squyres
"Lincoln" Michael Kahn
"Silver Linings Playbook" Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
"Zero Dark Thirty" Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg


Foreign Language Film

"Amour" Austria
"Kon-Tiki" Norway
"No" Chile
"A Royal Affair" Denmark
"War Witch" Canada


Makeup and Hairstyling

"Hitchcock"
Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
"Les Misérables"
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell


Music (Original Score)

"Anna Karenina" Dario Marianelli
"Argo" Alexandre Desplat
"Life of Pi" Mychael Danna
"Lincoln" John Williams
"Skyfall" Thomas Newman


Music (Original Song)

"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice"
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph

"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted"
Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane

"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi"
Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri

"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"
Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

"Suddenly" from "Les Misérables"
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil


Best Picture

"Amour" Margaret Menegoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka and Michael Katz, Producers

"Argo" Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers

"Django Unchained" Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers

"Les Misérables" Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers

"Life of Pi" Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers

"Lincoln" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

"Silver Linings Playbook" Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers

"Zero Dark Thirty" Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers

Production Design


"Anna Karenina" 
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" 
Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright

"Les Misérables" 
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson

"Life of Pi" 
Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock

"Lincoln" 
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Short Film (Animated)

"Adam and Dog" Minkyu Lee
"Fresh Guacamole" PES
"Head over Heels" Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
"Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"" David Silverman
"Paperman" John Kahrs

Short Film (Live Action)

"Asad" Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
"Buzkashi Boys" Sam French and Ariel Nasr
"Curfew" Shawn Christensen
"Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)" Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
"Henry" Yan England

Sound Editing

"Argo" Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
"Django Unchained" Wylie Stateman
"Life of Pi" Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
"Skyfall" Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
"Zero Dark Thirty" Paul N.J. Ottosson

Sound Mixing

"Argo" 
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
"Les Misérables" 
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
"Life of Pi" 
Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
"Lincoln" 
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
"Skyfall" 
Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" 
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
"Life of Pi" 
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
"Marvel's The Avengers" 
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
"Prometheus" 
Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
"Snow White and the Huntsman" 
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

"Argo" Screenplay by Chris Terrio
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
"Life of Pi" Screenplay by David Magee
"Lincoln" Screenplay by Tony Kushner
"Silver Linings Playbook" Screenplay by David O. Russell

Writing (Original Screenplay)

"Amour" Written by Michael Haneke
"Django Unchained" Written by Quentin Tarantino
"Flight" Written by John Gatins
"Moonrise Kingdom" Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
"Zero Dark Thirty" Written by Mark Boal

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