LRMC Celebrates Love with Love Train

Love is in the air and if you are on a budget, a really tight one but still want to date your better half, the LRMC has something for you.

In celebration of the season of love this February, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) continues its Valentine’s Day tradition with the launch of its annual LRT-1 Love Train, which is now on its 4th year.

The theme for this year’s edition is Love is in the Train, with the three coaches made up to display the different stages of love.


The first train car has a sweet first date theme, coated in pastel colors displaying images of ice cream and donut desserts that budding couples often share together. The second car is themed sweet shabby chic, with floral designs—as well as the three magic words: “She said yes!”—that come with a successful marriage proposal installed in the train’s articulation area. The third car has a rustic wedding theme, which represents the intimate magic of the most important day of a couple’s life through wood, brick, and floral designs. Passengers will find some love quotes that they can relate to, printed on the windows of the train. The Love Train also showcases interactive wall activities to encourage passengers to take photos and share them online for surprise giveaways.

LRT-1 passengers joining the Love Train launch event on 12 February will enjoy some sweet treats and will be serenaded by the LRMC choir and train operators with fun, heartwarming songs.

“We hope that through this special Valentine’s month display, LRMC can make our passengers’ days extra brighter and happier this season,” LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso said.

Look out for the LRT-1 Love Train along the line starting this week.

the birth of Khali ...

The night started in tears.

A few hours before the caesarian operation was to happen, M and I fought. It was one for the books.

There were literal tears of heartbreak, pain, words thrown around, and just plain negativity surrounding us.

It lasted hours.

Bucket of tears were shed.

Then silence.

Sorry.

It took one word and the last 6 hours of pain and suffering melted away.

All that mattered was we were there for each other. We were reminded of why we were there and the love we had.

Two hours later, I was being cut open and our little miracle was born.

The moment he saw me, he thanked me for going through what I did to give him his son.



When our son looked into his eyes, he cried. He  finally knew what unconditional love meant.

I hope he understood it too ... what it means, what it entails.

The night started in tears but the day ended with love. At the end of the day and after everything, all that matters is that everything is once again wrapped in love.

the night before Khali

Yes, this is my last post being a preggo Momma. After tonight, Baby MK will be out in this world and I will never be pregnant ever again.

Am I scared? Am I worried? Am I terrified out of my wits? HECK YEAH.

I never imagined that I would be pregnant again. I never thought that I would give birth ever again. I never wanted to if I am gonna be honest. B was a one-off. I didn't even want that pregnancy because I am real enough to admit to the world that I'm not a maternal woman.

My thought back then was: I can't even take care of myself. How can I take care of a baby?

Flash forward to almost 15 years later and 12 years of being a single Mom, I've come to realize that when push comes to shove, I can take care of someone else and I can definitely prioritize that person's needs over mine. I can go through anything to make sure that I am able to provide for my child.

So here I am once again, about to risk my life to give life to another child. It's what Moms do I know. It's just also really scary because I have another son who relies on me and me only.

I'm just really grateful that I have a strong support system behind me. Without these people, I wouldn't have been able to survive the last 12 years of my life and most especially, the past 9 months.

It has been one heck of a rollercoaster but I survived unscathed.

To while away the time, I bought my daily journal with me and some washi tapes. Heck, I'm even blogging now and plan on doing some diamond painting. It's going to be a long night for me and tomorrow, Baby MK will be here.

I know that sleepless nights will be here once more for at least a couple of years. Sigh.

HP delivers Lightness Rising

HP Inc. introduced two PC innovations, bringing Lightness Rising to help Filipinos unleash their potential for freedom in workstyles and lifestyles. Both CES 2020 Innovation Award honorees, the HP Elite Dragonfly, the world’s lightest compact business convertible, and HP Spectre x360, the world’s smallest convertible will fuel your passions, offer the freedom to choose how, where, and when you connect and deepen connections to those that matter.

“While young professionals today want to express their best selves through exclusive, premium, and immersive experiences, they are challenged by the need to create work-life balance while putting family first,” said Christian Edmond Reyes, Philippines Managing Director, HP Inc. “HP understands that your need to do your best for the world while achieving seamless integration between work and life. This is precisely why we designed the new HP Elite Dragonfly and the HP Spectre x360 to bring sustainable PC innovation that offers lightness, freedom, and flexibility to Filipino workstyles and lifestyles.”

Lightness in your workstyle and freedom in your lifestyle

HP is lightening workloads through design innovation in the HP Elite Dragonfly. Perfect for the modern business professional who demands a light, durable, always connected and secure computing device, The HP Elite Dragonfly is a sub-1-kilogram ultralight, a powerful business convertible that offers up to 24.5-hour battery life to support long hours away from an outlet. Powered by an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ vPro™ processor It features the world’s highest screen-to-body ratio in a 13-inch PC at almost 86 percent and instantly transforms from tablet to PC.


The HP Elite Dragonfly is available now, starting at PHP 81,440.

The new HP Spectre x360 boasts an impressive size reduction of 13% from the previous generation, with an industry-leading 90% screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by a quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processor with Iris® Plus Graphics. Craftmanship and detail are apparent in the device, which is available in stunning Nightfall Black with copper luxe accents, featuring a gorgeous gem-cut design that can only be achieved with aluminum CNC machining. The HP Spectre x360 also comes with an additional Type-C multiport hub to provide addition connectivity options and an instant privacy screen that can be activated at a touch of a button.


The HP Spectre x360 is available February 2020, starting at PHP 79,990.

Sustainability continues to be a growing concern amongst businesses and working professionals in the Philippines today. As part of its sustainable impact strategy, HP continues to drive a more efficient, circular, and low-carbon economy to help its customers invent the future through a sustainable portfolio of products and services. The HP Elite Dragonfly is the world’s first business convertible made with ocean bound plastic and more than 82% of the mechanical parts made from recycled materials,while the HP Spectre x360 has Energy Star Certification and EPEAT Silver ratings.



For more information, visit your nearest HP Authorized Premier Reseller, contact your HP Account Manager for the latest HP innovations, or log on to HP.com for more information.

Lola Cafe in S Maison

Opening their third branch at S Maison, Lola Cafe is set to remind people of the old tradition of spending Sundays by having lunch with the family. Cozy and welcoming, yet instagrammable, Lola Cafe is definitely set to become the newest hangout of families when dining out for lunch here in the South.
 

I personally love the short but sweet background posted at the entrance. It gives an insight into the history of the place which is necessary since this is already the third branch.

Aside from the lovely exteriors, it was the food that hooked me in and made me suggest eating at this place with my family. First off, they have a Crispy Tinapa Salad. This was quite a revelation because it was tinapa, mango, kesong puti, and green leafy veggies but it was also really good. I'd definitely recommend giving this a go.

They also had this shrimp dish marinated in tomato sauce and cheese. The shrimp was fresh and juicy. It wasn't overcooked. In fact, if I could have had the entire plate, I would have eaten everything off this plate.

The Bicol Express was cooked differently from what I'm used to. This was their own take and the shrimp paste is placed on top of the meat. Thankfully, the taste remained the same and it's easy to see why this is one of their best sellers.

The kare-kare is a classic Filipino dish and I'm happy that they left it as is. Sometimes, there are things good enough on their own and it needs to be honored that way. This kare-kare is one of those things.

The last dish that truly made an impression on me was the caldereta. The beef was really tender and the sauce, just right. Pair this with unli rice and you're good to go for the day.

Lola Cafe is located on the 2nd floor of S Maison, besides Paradise Dynasty. Make sure that you drop by and visit with your family or loved ones so you can create more memories while consuming hearty, Filipino dishes.

Bamboozling February

Bamboozle means to confuse someone and this is exactly how February has been feeling for me. It has been confusing, frustrating, and if I were going to be honest, a little bit disappointing.

February started on a blah note and has been going downhill. I know it's a bit melodramatic since we're just on Day 6 but hear me out.

Our dog, Happy, died all of a sudden and without any warning at all. Morning he was totally active and fine, afternoon, he was gone. He was turning 8 this year.

I then had an unauthorized transaction through Paypal and after disputing it, they DENIED my request to refund the almost Php900 that went missing. The company who charged me also claims that they can't do anything until I file a police report which would definitely cost me more.

It seems PAYPAL is not there to help you out if you are in the Philippines. You cannot get a toll free number and their email team is absolutely worthless. I get a charge from a company called ReCharge which I've never transacted with before and they claim they can't do anything about it as well.

Mind you, I had a two step authentication on all my cards as well as my Paypal but apprently, with Paypal, this is just DECOR. It didn't work. The transaction went through even when I didn't key in the 6 digit code.

I feel cheated and let down.

To top it off, I've been waiting for Baby MK to make an appearance for the last two weeks. It seems he has decided that he will not yet be seen.

Ugh.

It's been a really challenging week. I hope the next ones will be better.

Review: Veger Powerbanks

I was able to try out Veger for the first time a couple of months ago. I believe this was at the time that the country was hit by a really strong typhoon and my partner had to cover it.

He went off to the province so I made sure that he had the Veger 20000 mAh power bank with him so that in case there won't be electricity, he'd still be able to give me a ring and never run out of battery.

Thankfully, it did its job. In the 3 days that he was in the province covering the typhoon, he never runs out of power on his mobile because the Veger power bank he had lasted that long.

This is what made me try out the other Veger power banks. Veger, after all, is the fastest-growing power bank brand in the Philippines. Their power banks come in a compact, high quality, and efficient portable chargers. The sophisticated designs are built to suit people's modern lifestyles which is why it's a hit with Filipinos of all ages.

Veger supports best-selling portable chargers, includes a quick charger, wireless charger, metallic portable charger, and digital display portable charger. I really love the digital display because I never have to guess if my power bank has enough juice for one more full charge or if it will let me down.

All Veger Powerbanks has Superior Circuit Protection Chip for:
-Overcurrent Protection
-Overvoltage Protection
-Temperature Protection
-Short Circuit Protection
-Input Anti-reverse Protection
-Overcharge and Over-discharge Protection

The other thing that I liked about Veger power bank is the fact that it's not overpriced but it's also not too cheap that it would make you question if it was safe to use. It's bang for buck and you get more than what you paid for. You are guaranteed that you have a safe power bank that won't let you down or put you in harm's way.

My personal favorite is this slim, white 10000 mAh power bank. I can fit it inside my bag and it's light enough to not add more weight to my already filled bag. It's also quick to charge so I don't need to waste a lot of time charging my phone especially since I am on the go all the time and switching between taking photos, answering people on social media or my blog, or shooting a video for my growing YouTube channel.

Veger is a registered power bank brand by Manila Utopia Originality Technology Corporation in the country and the global leader in power bank charging technology.

Veger power banks are available in Lazada http://bit.ly/2INETPA and Shopee http://bit.ly/2Vs6hta

You can also visit https://www.veger.ph for more details.

Mr. DIY - Planner Heaven

I've never heard of this place. When a friend told me that I should go have a look because it's a haven for those who love stickers, I knew that I had to visit.

This place was massive. It was a combination of Daiso, Japan Home Center, and an upscale Divisoria. I mean that as a compliment too.

They had containers for your stationary supplies.

They had frames for your photos and mementos.

They had a wide array of erasers for pencs.

They also had a huge selection of colored pens, pencils, and markers.

They had clips and pen holders.

They also had a huge collection of stickers.

They also had party materials.

Affordable frames.

Notepads.

They also have washi tapes. I think this was the most shocking thing for me. The washi tapes were cheap and amazing!

This is my washi haul.

I even made a video about it coz I was so amazed! I'll definitely recommend this place to any stationary lover.

Here's their Facebook Page. 

January 2020 Spread

First time for me to really try doing daily journaling with a touch of BuJo and other things. I've normally done just daily journalling but now I've added stickers, stamping, and other things. Hopefully, the next spreads will be better aesthetically.

It's not the most pleasing but I am liking my progress. What do you think?

Materials Used:

National Book Store 366 Days Journal
Washi Tapes
Stamps
Japanese Designer Paper
Mr. DIY Stickers
Photos printed using BROTHER DCP-T500W
Pictures taken using Zenfone 5