My Cup of Tea

With Karen Alcantara, Maam Amanda and Princess Loyola   Okay, so another year has come....another year added... Every time my birthday comes, it felt as though I am slowly losing my grip to whatever rope I am holding, worries and anxieties resurface and the nagging thought of what's-coming-ahead appears again. This year, I tried to change routine and.. .uhmmm ,  views. I kept reassuring myself that everything is really fine and nothing to worry about. Well, it works, the fact that I am about to finish my MBA made my spirit soars high. I am more relax now and contented..Wheew! Right now, the most important thing is, I know already what road to take and where I'm heading. My life's direction is clearer and I am more concerned with saving more for my future and embark into a leisure trip abroad. One of my greatest dreams is to tour around Western Europe and visit Vatican city and Windsor Castle. So how I celebrated my birthday this year? I took a one day...

I just can't believe I am making soap now. In 2003, when my father told me to try the soapmaking business I did not pay attention with his words because I thought it would be very difficult. My father, who had been doing a community service in our place for quite sometime now, tried soapmaking (both laundry and bath soaps) as part of the livelihood project, a kind of activity that can benefit the community.  He discontinued the project because the ingredients and the soap base were very difficult to find, it should be shipped from Manila first and the process of obtaining these raw materials was so taxing. Then years passed....last December 2011 when I returned home, my father mentioned the soapmaking again, at that time I was agonizing over what kind of product to use in my business plan for export, our final requirement for Global Marketing, one of my subjects in the graduate school. Since my market is South Korea, I'd decided to make my own organic soap. I'd...

Got a taste of real adventure last Feb.17---at least on my part.lol! I'd never been to any top-of-the-mountain excursion so our plant visit to EDC (Energy Development Corporation) and Mt. Apo Geothermal powerplant last February 17, 2012 was an exciting one, a good breather from the cluttered life in the city. Originally, our Production Management class planned a trip to Nestle in Cagayan de Oro but due to the recent flood calamity in Cagayan, Nestle plant was not available, so our professor decided to take us to EDC where one of our classmates employed as safety engineer. At the back of the water-based steam power plant Foggy surrounding Energy Development Corporation, located in the middle of Mt.Apo in barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan city, is the former Philippine National Oil Company, one of the government owned controlled corporations, but in 2009, the company was privatized and was acquired by the Lopez Group of Companies and renamed EDC. Its field centers on the...

Believe it or not, you may call it madness, but the only time in a year that I ever think about marriage is, well, during Valentine's day. I am simply tired thinking about it and because I have so many tasks to accomplish, and not to mention the rare supply of potential mates, I have no enough space to think about marrying soon.  I already stop moping over how I would snag a guy because my priorities in life had changed, I developed new goals and just devised a different life plan, eventually, the ridiculous saying "who ever comes " did not set quite well in my brain. Though I often think about settling down and having children, I rarely fret why it did not occur early in my life. It is simply ridiculous and stupid to get married for a wrong reason . Marriage is not an escape, it is an institution, therefore should be taken seriously with a correct mind set and not because you are being pressured by the people around you.  So today, while the whole universe...

How to say it when you are in the Philippines Never use the term "Kung Hei Fat Choi" When you are in the Philippines, according to ABS-CBN news reported by Willard Cheng, the most appropriate greeting to utter to the Chinese community is " Kiong Hee Huat Tsai". It is a Hokkien greeting which means " congratulations and wishing you prosperity" . Hokkien is one of the local dialects spoken in China.  Why " Kiong Hee Huat Tsai" is more appropriate to utter than " Kung Hei Fat Choi "? It's because most Chinese-Filipinos  came from the Fujian province of China who spoke Hokkien. Great Taipans, Lucio Tan, Henry Sy, John Gokongwei, are just some of the Chinese immigrants who spoke Hokkien.  " Kung Hei Fat Choi"  is a Cantonese term. Cantonese is a Chinese local dialect widely spoken in Hongkong, Macau and Guangdong, China. It was believed that Cantonese from Hongkong displayed the greetings "Kung Hei Fat ...

So it's the Year of the Black Water Dragon . I am not really into astrology. I just read it for amusement then dismissed everything afterwards. This year, after reading what ARIES people like me would expect in terms of career (I did not read what is written about "love" because I am no longer obsess with that sort of thing), wow, I read something very interesting: "With Pluto still pulling rank in your career sector, your star continues to rise over the course of the year in your chosen field. Of course, with Capricorn involved, this is not without hard work. After all, your stamina is noble. When Pluto and Uranus reach their exact square in June, you'll be confronted with the culmination of a quest for radical change that began in summer 2011. Use the momentum of the first quarter of the year to launch your major projects, since Pluto will turn retrograde between April and September, causing a forced slowdown and re-evaluation of your priorities. ...

I am having a new year countdown now. The clock sets at 12:00 noon. So before the Year of the Water Dragon makes a grand entrance, I want to spend a little time thinking and looking back what are the best and worst things I witnessed and experienced in 2011. BEST THINGS: 1.   Blessings - I received lots of blessings this year. Some of the things I fervently asked for the past three years were granted by God. I am always in excellent health condition and none of my parents or siblings got ill. The power of prayers really works. So keep praying. I received good income from my online job too! 2. Travel - I was able to go to the Monastery of the Benedictine monks in Bukidnon during our retreat, such a wonderful place to visit. The environment is so cool and quiet, strongly reminded me of my life in the province. Was able to visit the popular tourist spots of my home province: Enchanted River in Hinatuan and Tinuy an Falls in Bislig.  3. Cool Environment - Th...