CHANGE OF DATE: Personal & Basic Make-up Workshop by Jim Ros

GUYS CHUCHIE INFORMED ME THAT THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE OF DATE FOR THIS MAKE-UP WORKSHOP. IT HAS BEEN MOVED TO SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2011. TIME AND PLACE REMAIN THE SAME. FOR DETAILS YOU MAY TEXT CHUCHIE LEDESMA AT 09157954061 OR E-MAIL HER AT carmela.ledesma@gmail.com

THANK YOU!! :)

And mi amiga Chuchie Ledesma! Chuchie was my officemate and becky friend who has this knack for all things jukap. We were her guinea pigs when we were in the publishing company, FAME, Inc. At nagsimula ang pagiging bakla ko dahil sa kanya!

After her stint as head writer for Zen Health magazine, she is now a make-up artist extraordinaire. She became a MUA for Lourd Ramos (her mentor) and her portfolio boasts of Philippine Fashion Week, Mutya ng Pilipinas, weddings, and photoshoots in our magazines. Check out her tumblr page so you guys would get an idea kung gaano ka-PAKAK ang kanyang jukap skills!

And so bilang gow na gow na si Mother sa jukapan, she asked me to post this invite to a Make-up Seminar with another make-up extraordinaire, Jim Ros, Maybelline's Senior Make-up Artist. Oh diba? Sino bang hindi magiging proud? :)

Click on the poster for the details. Bongga ito mga bakla! Once-in-a-lifetime ang isang jukap session with Jim Ros kaya GOOOWWW! :)

And si Chuchie also does jukap sa mga wedding at kung ano ano pang ganap. E-mail her and let her work her magic on your fez! Kung gusto niyong mag-mukhang mowdel for a day gow na sa make-up ni mareng Chucie! :)

100 Years and Counting...ANIMO LA SALLE!

The entire La Sallian community started its Centennial Countdown a year ago. I remember the DLSU Centennial website even had a countdown. So it just goes to show how excited everyone was for THE BIG DAY!

And so yesterday, June 16, we all gathered together as ONE LA SALLE to celebrate our school's 100th year. The DLSU schools in the provinces also had their own centennial celebrations, so we could celebrate all together.

Since we all had work, we got to La Salle rather late. It was almost 9PM when we got to Taft and the traffic was HORRIBLE! If you're a regular Taft-er, you'd know how bad traffic can get along the avenue during dismissal. Just imagine that traffic magnified 30 times more! And oh, parking was equally HELL-ish!

According to my college barkada Steph, who was in school as early as 3PM, there were mini-concerts all over the school. There was one along Agno Street so it was closed off for a while. But the main venue was the amphitheater, which was so JAMPACKED! I swear in my 4 years in undergrad and 1st term in grad school I have ever seen La Salle filled to the brim with students. It was like the school was bursting at the seams. It was really, really fun, but it was also super hot! AND EVERYONE WAS WEARING GREEN! :)


I'm sorry for the really lousy pictures, I was only using my BB. Anyway these pictures are from Jett Pangan/The Dawn's concert at the amphitheater. He sure brought the house down. Students were singing to the songs, screaming, bobbing their heads to the beat, and raising their hands ("parang prayer meeting lang" - just like a prayer meeting - HAHAHAHA).



It was funny though cos while Jett Pangan was dishing out some rock tunes, some group decided this was the perfect time to release balloons, much like what the Indonesians did after the tsunami some 3-4 years ago. It was kinda weird!

But what everybody was waiting for were the FIREWORKS to cap off the celebrations. It wasn't BONGGA or anything. Actually I was kind of disappointed because they didn't set off the fireworks at a higher point. Most of the fireworks were covered by the tree in the Marian Quadrangle. Sayang! But hey the students were all cheering! I wish they let the Pep Squad play the drums, so we could all have cheered our DLSU cheers during the fireworks display.





After the fireworks, our VIPs came to the stage. We had former La Sallians who are now big names in showbizness sing our Alma Mater hymn. JM Rodrigo, Epi Quizon, Ruel and Randy Santiago, and Gab and Gary Valenciano lead the entire La Sallian community in singing the Alma Mater hymn. Seriously I got goosebumps. We were all singing with pride! HAIL TO THEE OUR ALMA MATER! HAIL! HAIL! HAIL! Highlight of the night, I swear!

It was a fun night! And it also served as a mini-reunion with my college loves! I feel bad for some of our friends who weren't able to go. They missed out on an important milestone. Wish you guys were there!!


No matter what others say about La Salle, I will always, ALWAYS be proud I am from this prestigious university. We may not be topping the international educational charts right about now, but I believe I am where I am right now because I am a La Sallian. It played an integral role in my life, and I am happy I made the decision to take up my undergrad here. I had a blast in undergrad, and now I'm back for my masters degree. I am a proud La Sallian, and always will be! ANIMO LA SALLE!!

P.S. We had a bitch of a time finding a place to eat dinner in. At the University Mall the restaurants ran out of food, while others were filled with hungry diners. We ended up on the Benilde side of Taft at Kenny Rogers. Did anyone of you guys experience this major foodie issue over there last night?

My Alma Mater Turns 100!!

To all my fellow La Sallians it's our 100th year TODAY!! Be proud and WEAR GREEN!! :D

For those coming over to school today, here's the schedule of activities for.

We're definitely going tonight!! Most of my officemates here at Solar are La Sallians, so we might all go together after work! And of course, it's going to be a major reunion with college friends! So exciting! :D

For those who won't be able to make it to the celebrations tonight, DLSU Manila is quite high-tech now, so you can watch the celebrations at the DLSU website via the Archer's eye. But nothing beats being ACTUALLY THERE, so try to come guys! :)

For more information you may also check out the DLSU Centennial Website.

So proud of my Alma Mater! 100 years and counting. It may not be as a big a milestone as UST's 400 or Ateneo's 150 but hey...DLSU is getting bigger and better! Congrats to the Brothers of the Christian Schools, this 100 years is all about your efforts in providing quality education in the Philippines.

ANIMO LA SALLE!! :))

A Huge Reason To Celebrate

Just before March ends, I just wanted to update my blog (after a long time). I'm sorry guys but I've not been in the blogging mood lately, and I am really sorry! Hehehe I promise I'll blog about my food escapades SOON! :)

Anyway, I just want to share with you, my dear readers and followers, this HUGE SOMEWHAT LIFE CHANGING NEWS! I PASSED THE DLSU GRADUATE ADMISSIONS!! And this May, I am returning to my very dear Alma Mater to take up my masteral degree in Marketing Communications.

It's been a little over 3 years since I graduated in my Mass Media undergraduate degree, and I am just so psyched to embark on an all new journey in the academic world. I'm just so thrilled because I really thought I wasn't go to make it in. I sorta psyched myself up for failure (whoever does that right?) just so it woldn't hurt so much when I got my results. But then, when I checked our DTS system this morning, it brought me GOOD NEWS! Talk about a GOOD MORNING!! :D

And I'm happy to be going back to La Salle in time for our 100th year celebration this June! Perfect timing! I am a proud La Sallian, and will forever and ever be loyal to this university! :)

So in May...it begins!

Animo La Salle! :)

UPDATED: A Sincere Appeal to Fellow Scholasticans

Since I have been promoting a concert for a university's cause, I think it is more than just right for me to blog about something closer to home.

As written in the picture above, she's Mrs. Evelyn Marasigan, a Filipino teacher from my Alma Mater St. Scholastica's College - Manila. No thanks to my rusty memory (I think I now have a memory of a goldfish), I can't really recall what year I had her as my Filipino teacher or if she even WAS my Filipino teacher.

But what I do recall was that she was one of them terror teachers in our school, and when it was time for her subject, you better behave or at least have read a good chunk of her reading assignments.

She had a really strong character, but was always so attached to her students. She was nanay (mommy) to her advisory class, but her momminess extended to those who weren't. Teaching was her life's passion and it showed big time. Her students looked forward to her classes and many years later have hung on to everything she has taught them. You could say she was one of the reasons why St. Scho was a second home to many students.

But then through my batchmate and now good blog buddy, Ana Gonzales, I found out Mrs. Marasigan got really sick. So sick she has to undergo an operation that costs P500,000 to save her life. Ana says that she needs this or else the next attack would be fatal.

Kudos to Ana and fellow batchmate Giselle Munoz they were able to collect P36,620 in just 2 days! They put up a Facebook page for the campaign to race P500K, and is doing a good job in letting all Kulasas in on the news.

So now I am appealing to all Kulasas (our fellow batchmates or older or younger) to please donate. Mrs. Marasigan was part of our lives, and I think it's high time we pay her back.

When we were all in St. Scho (whether forced or voluntary) we were always taught the value of giving back through our school drives and concerts for certain causes. We didn't know the recipients, but still we pushed on. But what more if you knew the recipient, and has personally touched your life, wouldn't you want to give?

Let's all help Gng. Marasigan get back her health! She may have retired from teaching, but let's help her get back her life which she has so dedicated to teaching and loving her kids.

For more information on Mrs. Marasigan's condition, please check out my high school batchmate and now blogger friend, Ana Gonzales' post Mrs. Marasigan's Race to 500! =)

Here's the link to the Facebook page, just please click on this: Mrs. Marasigan's Race to 500.

For those who wish to donate:
BPI Account
Evelyn Marasigan
Account No. 2779002023

Also to those who are abroad and wish to have money sent in via different couriers, here's Mrs. Marasigan's home address: 1801 Bauhinia Bldg., Tivoli garden Res. 69 Coronado St., Mandaluyong City

Once you've deposited, or sent the money, you can scan the deposit slip or whatever proof of your transaction, and post a picture on the Facebook page.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! LET'S GO ST. SCHO!! :)

A Strictly Filipino Family Affair

I find it so fitting that I am writing a blog entry about Manila and Luneta Park on December 30, Rizal Day. Find this as my way of honoring our national hero on his day. Oh and I also ate at a restaurant celebrating Jose Rizal's characters in one of his novels. But more on Jose Rizal later on.

A day after Christmas, we took our trusty helper out to Manila because she wanted to see the fountain show at the Luneta Park. Since it's going to be her last Christmas and New Year with us, we decided to make it a little special for her.

After hearing Mass at Sacred Heart in Makati, we headed on over to Aristocrat near Malate Church for dinner. Although our home-cooked meals have been very good, we were getting kind of tired of eating pancit over and over again!

I'm not really sure if I'm the only one who thinks this is true but Aristocrat is like THE restaurant for Filipino families. It's been around since forever, and it's almost a sin not to eat there during one's lifetime. We've had one too many family reunions there too, when our balikbayan relatives come home and start craving for Filipino food.

Since it was a day after Christmas, everybody was still in a festive mood, so the place was packed to the brim. Since there was just the 3 of us, we had no problem in getting a seat.



I also loved their Christmas which was at the center of the restaurant.

For our starters, Mom and I got soup to warm our insides. The night air here in the Philippines has been really nippy, almost everybody I know is sick or about to get sick.

Mom had the Sotanghon soup. She would almost always order sotanghon soup if she sees it on the menu!

I had Cream of Mushroom.

Despite it's lack of glamor for the camera, it was really good. It was served hot and had ample mushrooms in it.

For the main course we all had what made Aristocrat famous the world over: BARBECUE! Mom had Boneless Chicken, I had Pork Spareribs (for a change), and Ate Dor had the popular Chicken Barbecue.



Paired with Aristocrat's very own Java Sauce, it makes one if not THE BEST chicken barbecue there is here in the country.

After the huge dinner, it was time for us to go Luneta Park to walk around and burn the chicken meal. Luneta Park is a very historic site in the country becuase this is where our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal was shot on December 30, 1896. The 0 kilometer marker, which serves as a marker to all the cities in the Philippines, is also found here.

When we got to the park, it was just like Aristocrat, it was PACKED with families picnicking and just sitting around. It was like the whole of Manila was there! Kids ran around, parents slept, and vendors milled around, as the park's sound systems blasted Christmas carols.




I don't usually go to Luneta randomly, maybe I'm just a bit snooty that way, but I have to admit I enjoyed being there that night. It was a totally different Sunday night family affair.

Like us, everybody came for the fountain show. It only lasted for about 10 minutes but it was cool. The kids enjoyed it, especially when the lights changed colors. We weren't kids, but it was actually cool! Ate Dor of course LOVED it since she begged for us to come down to Manila just to see this! :)



Walking around the park, we noticed these blue and pink lights that kept flying up in the air. They were these slingshot toys the kids were playing around with, I was so intrigued I bought from this boy who was selling them for P15.


The kids were having so much slinging those things in the air. And when we finally got the hang of it, Ate Dor and I actually had fun with it too! So fun I bought 10 of these things to give to my college barkada for our reunion the following night.

Sometimes it really is the simple things in life that prove to be FUN and I think it keeps you grounded! Since we're all used to heading over to the malls and going to the Luneta Park was something of a relief. It's nice to see Filipino families bonding complete with their their pots filled with food, rice cooker, and plates. You just get to feel how the family is still the most important for us Filipinos, and you just can't help but be proud of it. And I sure was glad to be among those Filipino families in the park that night! :)




We ate at:
The Aristocrat Restaurant
432 San Andres St. cor. Roxas Blvd., Malate
Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 524-7671 to 80