HEALTHY OPTIONS: Now offers Organic Food

HEALTHY OPTIONS: Now offers Organic Food 

My aspiration for 2013 is to eat and live healthy. I badly needed to improve my well being and do some lifestyle changes for 2013. I am aware that I need to eat fresh and eat quality food. I should listen more to my body and give it what it needs. Balance.  Super foods. Time with nature. Nourishing my body. Nurturing my soul. Healthy, nutrient dense meals and snacks. Nourishing food. Organic. I should love myself more and know what is good for me. I am eager to find out where I could source organic food. That's why when I got an invitation from Healthy options with the theme: Organika: Celebrating Life in the Farm, I readily agreed. 

The night started with cocktails of healthy foods at Shangri-la E-Bar. I got so giddy when I saw Healthy Options very unique centerpiece ideas. Some "wagi" centerpiece they have that night are:

• organic corn
• organic Camote
• organic eggs

While eating we were serenaded with classic music by these musicians. Oh la la! How I wish I could play the Violin! #wish

Afterwards, we were asked to go to the tent outside. Look at all these cool nature-themed decors. 

 Inside the tent, Healthy Options announced about their organic products. The amazing Amanda Griffin hosted the event.

Yes! Healthy Options announcement is very timely. This is really a very good news to us my fellow Filipinos! Healthy Options, the country’s leading natural products store chain, proudly introduces organic produce and meat farmed locally, in keeping with its mission to provide the most nutritious, best-tasting, and top-quality products to health-conscious Filipinos.

‘Good food grown the good way’ hits Healthy Options stores this 2013 as the leading natural products brand will now offer organic vegetables, herbs, pork, chicken, and eggs sourced from local farmers. 

“By launching these products from our very own farm, we renew our commitment to giving our customers better choices for a better life. It is also a show of support to small organic farmers, and to healthy, humane, and sustainable farming,” says Healthy Options managing director Romy Sia. 

Nestled at the foot of the scenic Mt. Banahaw and near the two-storey high Majayjay Falls, the five-hectare organic farm is a promising local source of nutritious, flavorful, and top-quality products the store has been known for. 

Healthy Options shelves will now carry organic vegetables and herbs that are planted and harvested by hand. Nurtured only by sunlight, pure spring water, and organic compost, this fresh, tasty produce contains optimum nutrients. These gorgeous models walk the runway carrying various organic farm products of Healthy Options.

Healthy Options also showcases livestock-raising in an environment that cultivates their natural behavior and provides a better quality of life. As Mr. Sia proudly claims, “Our animals live in five-star conditions!” 

I got excited when I learned that the Healthy Option's free range chickens can run around and forage for food, and are feed with wholesome grains, organic vegetable trimmings, and wild bugs and insects. Meanwhile, the pigs eat an all-natural diet of rice bran, duck weed, copra meal, fruits, and vegetables, and are raised in odor-free pens, with soft beddings made of soil, sawdust and carbonized rice hull. The stress-free environment allows natural instincts like foraging and scratching. How I wish I could visit their farm!

Healthy Options organic pigs live comfortably, in a stress-free environment that lets them exhibit natural instincts like rooting or scratching. They are raised without antibiotics or growth hormones.

Healthy Options organic chickens are allowed to roam free, and are fed on an all-natural diet of wholesome grains, grass, and organic vegetables. Truly, the animals lead a happy and healthy life, and are treated with care and respect. They are then grown to an optimum weight at their own natural pace before they are slaughtered humanely, and are not subjected to any form of mutilation or cruelty. These practices greatly differ from those of industrial farms, which commonly use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on crops, and steroids, growth hormones, sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics, and synthetic trace supplements on animals. 

Most commercial farms also practice mono-cropping which leads to higher pest attacks, use additives to hasten production, and cram poultry and livestock in very tight, unsanitary spaces that expose them to stress and diseases. 

Healthy Options organic eggs are freshly laid every day and are big in size, nutrition and flavor.

Healthy Options organic vegetables and herbs are naturally grown, freshly hand-picked, and are free from chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Aside from offering superior meat and vegetable produce, Healthy Options is also proud to advocate farming that does not produce excessive waste or pollution, and results in a healthier ecosystem. 

“We will deliver products that have the Healthy Options guarantee of freshness and quality, just as we have been doing for more than a decade,” promises Mr. Sia. 

Let's eat healthy!

KONTRAKULTURA 2: Marked for Love, Marked for Destiny

KONTRAKULTURA 2: Marked for Love, Marked for Destiny
 
Catch Yeng Constantino Live! and many other AWESOME artists for only P110.00

Catch this year's biggest concert in UP Diliman from 6pm to 3am pa morningan repapips derecho Valentine's na! Okay lang maging single sa Valentines pero BAWAL MAG-ISA!

So grab your tickets now and bring your friends with you to this year's Kontrakultura 2: Marked for Love, Marked for Destiny.


Go to the nearest Ticketworld outlet or contact Jan @ 09056899946 for tickets.

2.13.13, UP Sunken Garden, UP Diliman. See you there!

(shared from Yeng's page)

BE GRATEFUL

BE GRATEFUL
 
Yes, everyone. Let's practice gratitude. According to the Law of Attraction, what you focus on grows, so focus on what you want more of in your life. 

Why don't  you and I keep a “gratitude list” in which we could jot down and express what we’re grateful for. 

Example:

1.  We should thank the Lord for the sunlight.
2.  We should thank the Lord for the air.
3.  We should thank the Lord for the clouds.
4.  We should thank the Lord for the food on our table everyday. 
5.  We should thank the Lord for the roof on our head. 
6.  We should thank the Lord for the breath of life every single day of our lives.
7. We should thank the Lord for the people who instead of listening to rumor mongers still give us a chance to prove our worth. 
8. We should thank the Lord for the kindness that other people showered us with.

The more we do a certain thing, the more we’ll get what we want and the happier we will feel. 

You see, when we can appreciate the little things, we find riches and abundance everywhere we look. Above all else, be grateful for your ability to choose for more than anything, happiness is a choice. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “We are as happy as we make up our minds to be.

Smile. 

JESSE ROBREDO: Inquirer's 2012 Filipino of the Year

JESSE ROBREDO: Inquirer's 2012 Filipino of the Year

Source: Inquirer

Mayor Pogi is Inquirer's 2012 Filipino of the Year. The (PDI) Philippine Daily Inquirer annually honors a living Filipino who has made the most positive impact on the life of the nation. It is only the second time since the beginning of the Filipino of the Year series in 1991 that the Inquirer voted for a nonliving Filipino. The first one being Fernando Poe Jr. who died in December 2004 and was named that year.

Sec. Jesse Robredo deserves to be honored. Maybe not a lot of you has been given the chance to know him personally when he was still alive because he is a very simple man with a big heart in public service. He is not the type that grab headlines or waste people's money or talk about other people's trash. He is a man of action.

Jesse's tsinelas leadership inspires, lending a wealth of insight into the virtues of people-empowered governance and of unparalleled devotion to his constituents, spouse and children, parents and siblings. If only all the politicians in the Philippines will emulate Jesse's tsinelas leadership...

He is a very hands on mayor. A guest in Naga City recalls how he personally saw Pogi's tsinelas leadership:

"Let me share one experience I had with this man they call POGI. Jesse Robredo was walking in the city center when he noticed a drainage canal in front of the hotel where we are staying, he saw that it was clogged with trash,  without a second thought he cleaned it with his bare hands and and all the people around were shock to see the mayor cleaning a canal."- Binatang taga Bukid

The Inquirer editors and assistant editors voted Jesse Robredo the Filipino of the Year for 2012. Of 63 votes, Robredo received 17; Luis Cardinal Tagle, 11; and President Aquino, 8. The rest of the nominees were, in the order of number of votes received: Cris Valdez, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Rep. Edcel Lagman, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, government and MILF peace panels, Dolphy, Filipino women, Filipino Indie makers, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Kevin Balot.

TOFARM Awards:2013 Outstanding Farmer Recognized

TOFARM Awards:2013 Outstanding Farmer Recognized

Thanks to the support of JCIP, UHI and LGUs, our local farmers are now being given awards and recognition they long deserve. As we all know food is becoming scarcer since agricultural lands are being converted left and right into malls, subdivisions, condominiums, cemetery and what have you. It is a fact that unless we shift our priorities to supporting farmers and glamorizing their role in nation-building, we are going to have a problem in food supply in the very near future.
 
It is about time that Filipino people start planting vegetables and fruits in their backyards or even in pots due to the food crisis that we may face soon. 

TOFARM, a search and awards program launched last July by the Junior Chamber International Philippines (JCIP) and Universal Harvester Inc. (UHI) aims to refocus attention on the importance and viability of agriculture as an industry and vocation.

Twenty-seven notable representatives of the agricultural sector were hailed Farmer of the Year by a board of judges composed of industry leaders and recognized specialists in the agricultural sector.

The Tofarm awards night was held at the Raffles Hotel in Makati last Thursday,  Jan. 24, 2013 with guests of honor Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, Calamba Mayor Joaquin M. Chipeco Jr. and international farming experts.

The Search and Award of “The Outstanding Farmers of the Philippines” is a program of the Junior Chamber International Philippines (JCIP) and the Universal Harvester, Incorporated. 

JCI Philippines is the organization that brought “The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM)” and “The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL)”.

This search and award for farmers is an initiative since the early 70’s by JCIP (formerly Jaycees) and Planters Product. An Awards Program in recognition of the Resiliency, Ingenuity, and the Strength of our hard working Filipino farmers. 

The program is anchored in promoting farming in the youth sector of all classes. The search will be inclusive and participative, expanding from public to private sector stakeholders in agriculture, fisheries and livestock.

This project is open to all Filipino farmers, fisherfolk, animal raisers, cooperatives, farm communities, organizations, education/academe, agricultural scientist, LGUs and public employees, and business entities in both rural and urban areas/centers.

We would like to congratulate Mamerto B. Rarangol of San Mateo, Isabela, a farmer who champions the value of education and the use of the scientific method to maximize farming yields and make every square foot of his land productive was named Farmer of the Year at the TOFARM Awards Night that honors The Outstanding Filipino Farmers of the Year.

Rarangol, who was also named winner in the farmer category, leads 33 other nominees in various award categories, namely: agriculture cooperative, Local Government Unit, agri-entrepreneur, family farmer, young farmer, farmer, fisher folks, livestock, agri-initiatives, agri-innovator and urban/city farmer.

The other winners are: 

• LABO Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Labo, Camarines Norte for Agriculture Cooperative
• Provincial Government of Pangasinan for Local Government Unit
• Mary Mediatrix V. Villanueva of Daraga, Albay for Agri-entrepreneur
• Lilia B. Pelayo and a family of San Pedro, Laguna for family farmer
• Remigio T. Villamayor Jr. of Calamba, Laguna for young farmer
• Ferdinand B. Mari of Alicia, Isabela for fisherfolks
• Don Bosco Agro-Mechanical Technology Center of Legaspi City for agri-initiative
• Bienvenido R. Baligod of San Pedro, Laguna for agri-innovator 
• Rogelio N. Sulad of Mandaue City for urban/city farmer. 
• Felomina H. Javina of Narra, Palawan who introduced integrated farming and pest management using indigenous materials in her community won the People’s Choice Award. 
• Narcisa Mikkelson, who together with her husband Keith promotes sustainable organic farming, received a special citation.

The TOFARM winners received plaques and cash incentives for their achievements.
JCIP president Ivan Ruste said JCIP undertook the TOFARM project to remind the youth about their role in active citizenship.

“Agriculture, the backbone industry of the Philippines, cannot be sustained unless we involve our youth and refocus interest in this sector. Through TOFARM, we want to show our youth that farming is a noble profession that is also lucrative and worthwhile. At the same time we want to recognize the role that generations of farmers have contributed to Philippine society and our economy. We thank our organizing partner, Universal Harvester Inc. for supporting this project very generously and inspiring our farmers to reach new heights.”

Universal Harvester, Inc. represented by its executive vice president Mrs. Milagros Ong-How, said UHI fully supports JCIP in paying tribute to Filipino farmers.

“Through the search and awards, TOFARM hopes to make agriculture attractive for the next generation and for the entire country as well. TOFARM will be a continuing program that will help support and inspire the agricultural sector,” Mrs. How added.

Rommel Cunanan, TOFARM project chairman, JCI Philippines, said that besides recognizing the achievements and contributions made by farmers to the Philippine society and the economy, the program also aims to promote farming among younger generations.

The Junior Chamber International is a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs aged 18-40.

LAMOIYAN CORPORATION: 25 Years of Hapee Smiles

LAMOIYAN CORPORATION: 25 Years of Hapee Smiles

Lamoiyan Corporation turns 'Silver'. The country’s first homegrown toothpaste, Filipino-owned oral and personal care products manufacturer Lamoiyan Corporation celebrate its 25th anniversary of giving hope, sharing Hapee smiles to Filipinos at Acacia Hotel today, January 24, 2013.

President and CEO, Dr. Cecilio Kwok Pedro of Lamoiyan Corporation presented to the media, trade partners and distributors and VIP guests the achievements of Lamoiyan Corporation for the past 25 years. He relates how his first company, Aluminum Container Inc., sold aluminum toothpaste tubes to foreign firms from 1978 to 1985. However, an unexpected experience happened in 1985. Those companies which he had been supplying aluminum tubes for about 8 years switched into using plastic laminated tubes. So, not for long, Pedro had to close his factory. Undaunted by that failure and with his full faith in God, he decided to try venturing into toothpaste manufacturing, then the domain of multinationals. And so the birth of the first local 100% Filipino-owned toothpaste manufacturing Company in March that same year saw the introduction of the first local toothpaste brand, Hapee toothpaste and later diversifying his product line to include Hapee Kiddie Toothgels, Dazz Dishwashing Paste and Dazz All-Purpose Kitchen Cleaner, Fresher feminine wash and Gumtect, a special gum-formula toothpaste. Since its inception it has consistently maintained world-class quality at par with its foreign counterparts. 

 

I personally think it is good to note that Dr. Pedro is a staunch supporter of the hearing impaired. Yes, Dr. Pedro has chosen to use his entrepreneurial skills to help provide opportunities to others. Dr. Pedro helps provide free college education to at least 180 deaf-mute students through the Deaf Evangelistic Alliance Foundation, Inc. (DEAF), which he currently chairs. He was recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports for the continuing efforts of D.E.A.F. providing education to the hearing-impaired in alleviating their conditions and providing them with adequate education.

Lamoiyan Corporation also employs over 30 deaf-mute staff, and helps provide them with free housing. To narrow the communication gap between his hearing-impaired and hearing personnel, Dr. Pedro has also required his managers to learn sign language.

 

“My primary intention is to encourage more businessmen to be socially responsible, to help people and to give back to the community,” Dr. Pedro shares. “Being socially responsible is not only taking care of the hearing impaired, but also taking care of your people. You provide a decent place where they can work safely,” he adds. “I also believe in taking care of my employees’ physical, intellectual, and spiritual well-being.” Of these three aspects, Dr. Pedro puts a premium on creating means by which his people can grow spiritually. His company holds regular Bible studies and prayer meetings to help make food for the soul. Their singular corporate motto is “Making the difference for the Glory of God.”

 

Dr. Pedro, together with his only son Joel Pedro VP for Sales and Marketing with Peter Paul Ang, Assistant Vice President for New Business Development bared details about several activities currently in the pipeline in relation to its 25th anniversary, which includes tie-ups with organizations such as the Philippine Dental Association (PDA), represented by Dr. Corazon Flores for its nationwide adopt-a-Baranggay project medical/dental missions. 

Joel Pedro VP for Sales and Marketing

Various activities will be conducted in key cities in the Philippines with the support of Lamoiyan’s trade partners. Dr. Pedro also reiterates his support to the deaf mute.

The event also coincided with the company's three-day National Sales Convention that aims to empower and build a stronger business partnership with its valued trade partners.

 

Themed "Silver," which is also in line with the commemoration of the company's 25 years in the business, this annual conclave serves as a fitting tribute to their trade partners’ substantial contributions to Lamoiyan Corporation’s continued growth. The event also gives the trade partners a preview of Lamoiyan Corporation’s goals and programs for the year, and allows them to look back at the firm’s historic past and further foster camaraderie with one another.

 

“We believe that celebrating our silver anniversary amid this convention is the perfect opportunity for us to show what God has done for a Christian-Filipino company in a highly competitive oral care industry. With our trade partners present, together we will walk the path to victory,” Dr. Pedro said.

 

Peter Paul Ang, Assistant Vice President for New Business Development  

Lamoiyan Corporation also stands proud as the first Filipino company that successfully penetrated the local toothpaste industry through its dental care brands, and Kutitap. Since then, its portfolio of products expanded, many of which have earned the love, patrimony and loyalty of consumers here and abroad.

“Many thought then that my decision was unwise but Lamoiyan Corporation’s success throughout the years proved otherwise. It’s been a good 25 years, and we are looking forward to more years together with our trade partners in order to make a difference—all for the glory of God,” Dr. Pedro continues.

To know more about how Lamoiyan Corporation gives hope to Filipinos and shares smiles, visit www.lamoiyan.com or www.facebook.com/LamoiyanCorporation.

FRESH FRAGRANCE BAR: Perfume Store for Perfume Addicts

FRESH FRAGRANCE BAR: Perfume Store for Perfume Addicts

It's always wonderful to be elegant, it's always fashionable to have grace, it's always glamorous to be brave, and it's always important to own a delectable perfume! Yes, wearing a beautiful fragrance is in style at any age! ― C. JoyBell C.

My addiction to perfume began when I was a child. I grew up in a family where members love perfume. I can still clearly recall the nice smell of my mama. Growing up, I became aware that good looks coupled with great smell equals a dashing personality.

It is a good thing that I have a very keen sense of smell. My exceptional gift of sniff has both an advantage and disadvantage. One advantage is that  I very well appreciate nice scents. This made me decide to take a class on perfumery.

Yes, dear. Yours truly knows how to make perfume. But the perfume we concocted is quite cheap. And that can be a problem since cheap perfumes come off easily. So, I can very well say it pays to buy original perfume. If you buy one labelled eau de toilette, that means it has water in it. The distillation of the scent makes it wear off easily. Look for one with parfum which is worth it in the end. 

CONFESSION OF A PERFUME ADDICT

Based on experience, it is too much hassle to make and formulate your own perfume which doesn't last as long as the original. Buying from abroad like in Hong Kong has its danger, like what happened to me way way back. When I was buying perfume there, I accidentally hit with my bag several bottles of perfume on display in a store along Nathan Road. Geez, I ended up paying and cleaning the mess. It was so embarrassing and humiliating. They even threatened me that if I don't pay in full, they'll call the police. I got so nervous, I can't imagine being imprisoned just because I accidentally broke two bottles of perfume.  From then on, I stopped wearing perfume. I tried buying perfumes from our local department store here but those with very good scents cost a lot. This hinders me from buying locally.

It is a good thing there's “FReSH FRAGRANCE BAR: the perfume store for perfume addicts”. I learned from Aj and Thei that it offers original perfumes at a cheaper price than those from department stores! That means you and I can now be Perfume Addicts because the price at this store is easy on the pocket! Yehey! 

Aside from that, FReSH‘s staff will be there to assist you if you don’t know yet the kind of scent that is perfect for your personality! Awesome, right? So what are you guys and gals waiting for? Check out FReSH on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/freshfragrancebarand). Visit their stores now!

FReSH FRAGRANCE BAR ‘enabled’ my Perfume Addiction once again. The FReSH Fragrance Bar, the Perfume Store for Perfume Addicts, offers different brands of signature scents at reasonable prices as compared to department stores plus they have perpetual promotions, loyalty programs and flexible payment schemes that a perfume lover would never really dare to miss. They have an extensive selection of premium imported scents that come at a reasonable price and a guarantee that what you're getting is the real thing. The luxurious signature scents I once coveted can now be truly within my reach because of FReSH Fragrance Bar!  Yes! Fresh Fragrance Bar have made it possible for people to be able to afford the perfume they always wanted.


Great Tips on how to make perfume last longer:

• Layer the scent- I love Jessica McClintock! So I bought a Jessica McClintock soap cleanser, a Jessica McClintock powder, Jessica McClintock lotion and I use all of them before I apply the Jessica McClintock fragrance. 
• The best way to apply perfume is right after you shower. Spray the mist in front of you and walk through it before dressing up because many perfumes can stain clothes. So apply perfume first before you wear your clothes. 

• Don't dab or rub you wrists- this bruises the scent and damages the oils in it causing the scent to not last as long and change the way it should smell. 
• Misting your hair is a great idea too because hair holds onto scents really well. With a mist, just hold one of your arm out as far as possible and mist in front of you so that the mist will land on your head as you walk through it. 
• If you are really having a problem keeping the scent on you, spray or apply some to a cotton pad or ball and place it under your bra. This will help the scent linger all day long.

Fresh currently has five retail stores in Eastwood Mall, Alabang Town Center, Lucky Chinatown Mall, Marquee Mall Pampanga, Abreeza Mall Davao and several more to come.

FREE MOVIES: 7th Spring Film Festival

FREE MOVIES: 7th Spring Film Festival

Good News peeps!

It is the time of the year where we get to enjoy Free Movies from the Filipino-Chinese community! Woooooooooooot! 

The Spring Festival is one of the most celebrated Chinese-Filipino Festivals, bringing the joys and artistry of Chinese films to the Philippines.

For the past six years, the Ateneo de Manila University Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies has brought the joys and artistry of Chinese films to the Philippines through the annual Spring Film Festival held in Shangri-La Mall.

For their 7th Spring Film Festival, their movie line-up includes:

• The Piano in a FactoryStorm
• Warriors
• 2 Become 1
• The Space Dream
• Jasmine Women 
• Golden Times.

All movies will be shown with English Subtitles beginning February 1 to 10, 2013.

Free Admission.

Here are the movie schedules! Showing starts on Feb 1 and ends on Feb 10.

Free Admission! With English Subtitles.

Are you a blogger or a writer? Then you might be interested to help promote the 7th Spring Film Festival.  

Press screening will already be this Thursday morning, around 9 or 10 am. Should you be interested, please pre-register here:http://tinyurl.com/sff2013blog Thank you!

If not, you may opt to just write about their event and send the link to us for verification. 

Kindly Spread the word! Thank you!