Finally, an MD!

As I've told you guys once before and although this post has long been overdue, I cannot let 2014 pass without acknowledging a lot of people who have been there throughout my difficult road to having that 2 letters fixed after my name. Like in any other race, I feel like a celebrity being cheered and dragged towards the finish line by the best training coaches in my life.

my OOTD during the Hooding Ceremony

MUA: Daphne Valmonte

Hair: Amber of American Touch Salon

I am probably the most sheltered eldest child in the world and it's all because of the unwavering support and unconditional love of my parents. To Mama and Papa, thank you for all the sacrifices you made for me-- from washing and ironing my clothes and cooking my meals, up to this time, to watching over my little Nathan as if he was your own. The comforts of our home have never been such a relief since I went to med school. I promise that I owe you back the service you have given me for the past 26 years of my life.

With Mama, Papa and Nathan at our Hooding Ceremonies

With Mama at PICC

 Post-hooding ceremony lunch at Mann Hann MOA

Post-graduation day dinner at Buffet 101

To my siblings, I feel like the youngest of us 4 because of your love. Thank you for becoming Nathan's 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on parents and for raising your nephew as if he was our 5th sibling. Special mention to my sister, Ella, who has tried her best to spoil me with everything I ask of her even if her meager salary is just enough for her own family. 

To my husband, Kelmer, having a wife in med school must be a tough one for you and only you and I know how difficult it has been. It came to several points where we almost throw in the towel and screwed up as a parent but our love-hate relationship toughed it all out. Thank you for providing for my needs and sometimes my 'luho', for driving me to and fetching me from school even during your most tiring hours, for being that great listener and shock absorber and simply for loving me truthfully. 

 With the love of my life <3

 Taken at PICC

My extended family present during my hooding ceremony

To my little angel, Nathan, your presence is probably one of the sweetest energy bar that kept me going. I could still remember all those nights I've cried not being able to sleep and be with you at night and how I felt terribly sorry that you had to suffer. I hope that one day, when you're able to read this, you could be proud of me. 

My little kiddo

To my best of friends in med school, Ceri, Juria and Ivy, I will always feel blessed to have met and known you, guys. Thank you for all the talks, shifting and finals reviews, 'gala', meals and chismis we've shared. Thank you for making me feel that I could still fit in a group and for listening even to my not-for-your-age stories. Hahaha!

With Ceri Kristine Talan, co-iska; taken at the Hooding Ceremony

With Juria Lilia Tanchuling during Graduation Day

With my girls

To I-D and II-D, I can still remember every funny scenario whenever a professor would ask, "Sino dito may asawa na? or may anak na?" and none of you would answer. Hahaha! I wanted to tell you all sometimes, "Okay lang naman sakin if you disclose." You guys would never know how much it means to me to be accepted and be respected of my privacy and for that I had the highest respect of you. Thank you sa pagtitiis niyo sa pagyaya ko sa Brooklyn's, don't worry sarado na siya (*sniff). To my forever groupmates (Diane, Diandra, Sheen, Claud and David), thank you for the inputs and unavoidable stresses. We made a great team for the past 2 years. You guys enjoy internship, see you all soon!

 II-D incomplete (photo grabbed from Claudine Ramos)

I-D taken during the Graduation Day

With I-D girls + Christian and Joseph (photo grabbed from Monique Salud)

My forever groupmates with our epic saan-dapat-tumingin-photo (grabbed from Aivee Sison)

To my Clerkship group C, the past 365 days had been bearable because of all of you. We made bonds through fitting ourselves in the narrowest of the rooms, harshness of the system and the littlest of bloopers. Pag sobrang pagod nalang, I'm happy that we could just spontaneously pig out to relieve the stress. I know that some of us might have been leaving somewhere along the road but it doesn't matter what road we take or when we do  but how we gracefully finish the race.

With my clingy groupmate, Jeriz Anne Natividad (Hahaha!)

To the mentors (professors, residents and consultants) who have shared their knowledge, skills and precious time with us, thank you! I feel like a child humbly raised by parents wanting her to be the best physician she could become. Thank you for inspiring us to become our best self and give our best shot (daming best, sorry)-- special mention to Doc Onofre O' Connor, Doc Victoria Catapang, Doc Marion Patricio and Doc Karla Trinidad. And simply for making our loads lighter with your care and little acts of kindness -- Doc Ina Montesines, Doc Anju Amado, Doc Sheena Feliciano, Doc John Canlas, Doc Ian Mendoza, Doc JJ Patricio, Doc Ina Sombrero and Doc Rhona Recto. At sa favorite resident ko na hindi niya alam, Doc Jo-an Aguedan. Hahaha! 

 With Dr. Collao, inspiring FCM professor since freshmen days

 

Batch 2014's top ten (photo grabbed from Dineth Gutierrez)

Lastly, to my GREATEST COACH who is up there watching over me, I couldn't be grateful enough for this wonderful journey you have led me into. My life surely had been crazy without your guidance. Thank you for sustaining me with all the energy I could ever need while jumbling myself into being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a student all at the same time. 

Graduation day get-up

Hair and MUA: Amber of American Touch Salon

“We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground." - Brennan Manning

The Grand L Square Hotel and Residences: A Hotel Review

I was never really the backpacker type. So when my husband, Kel, and I decided to register the Mabuhay Pilipinas Cycling League's duathlon relay (no, I was rather dragged. Haha!) in the, my urgent question was: "Where do we stay?". He knew I was persnickety when it comes to staying in hotels. I can seem to sleep and bathe well in even the slightest unkempt rooms.

Our less than 24 hour-stay was spent in The Grand L Square Hotel and Residences located in San Rafael, Tarlac City. The hotel is a good 10-minute drive to Hacienda Luisita and just good because our race starts early the following day.

The parking area is located just in front of the hotel. Not too many vehicles parks at the same time so parking was never a trouble for us. It's along the highway, though, so it's pretty like parking at your very own risk.  

As we came in, we were ushered by their friendly attendants who greeted us all the way to the information desk. The lounge is small yet welcoming. Our check-in was fast and organized.  Since, we already had our reservation prior to coming, we were immediately given our room keys and stubs for complimentary welcome drinks and breakfast buffet.

 

Our room is a Zen-themed superior double room furnished with a queen-sized bed, a pair of couch and a small living room table. The room, although a bit modest, was equipped with conveniences just right for the price we paid. As for the air-conditioning, the thermostat was a little bit warm in our room even if it was set at maximum. I think they need to fix this because the weather's definitely hot these days.

 

A cable LCD TV was installed above the dresser horizontally to our bed, which is definitely a score for me. There's also a tea and coffee maker provided for guests.

Wifi has a bad signal in our room. There are only specific corners where we can have a connection. But the signal in their lounge and cafe is good and browsing is fast.
 
Although a bit small and except for the few stains on the bathroom tiles, the rest of the bath was kept neat. I noticed, however, that the water was kept warm at all times -- there's no cold water! Of course, I would prefer the warm water when taking a bath but I would have liked it better when there's available cold water especially when I'm washing my face.

The interior also looks nice to me. I liked these blinds because it gives you the impression that the lines are embossed but they are just 2 thin materials placed over each other. See, you can just pull the one on top so there can be space in between if you want the light from outside to reach the room.

After leaving our things in the room, we went to the A lounge at the 4th floor to claim our welcome drinks. Note: The hotel has no elevator so you'll need to take the stairs. Doesn't matter though, 'coz exercise is good for your heart and you'll love the rooftop when you get there. 

There were few choices on their menu but only two (2) drinks were available that time. I was a bit saddened because I would have loved to taste their Mojito for the night but then, we settled for these cocktails. Although full from our dinner, I felt that we need to taste at least 1 of their appetizers so we ordered their cheesesticks. It's really cheese from inside and out. Loved it! After a few minutes of stay, we left and called the night off.

We left a bit early the following morning for the race and came back just in time before their free breakfast buffet time ends, which is at 10:00 am. To my dismay, the serving plates were almost empty but it was a relief that they were willing to cook available viands for us but of course, we need to wait. We were served with bread and butter and their signature tapa dish on our own table in 10 minutes, not bad.  

For a small breakfast buffet, the menu during that morning includes buttered garlic rice, scrambled egg, fried bangus, chicken tinola and tapa. They also served bread with jam and for drinks, you can choose between juice and coffee. They did not serve us any dessert, though.

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The hotel also houses a business center, currency exchange, hair/beauty salon and a small gym. Sadly, I was not able to take pictures of them since we were too tired after the race and took a quick nap before leaving instead. But it will be nice for you guys to know that they have these facilities just in case you soon need a place to stay in Tarlac City.

So here's my final verdict on our overnight stay:

Value for money:  3/5

Location:  4/5

Sleep quality: 4/5

Staff performance:  5/5

Hotel cleanliness:  3/5

Food/dining:  3/5

Finding a place to stay in the provinces is a bit challenging sometimes especially when you're running on a tight budget, but I'm happy to chance upon The Grand L Square hotel for a comfortable 17-hour stay.

The Grand L Square and Residences

Km. 120 Mc Arthur Highway

San Rafael, Tarlac, Luzon

(045) 491 0714/ (045) 491 0710

Preschooling 101: 3 Dilemmas of a Working Mom Answered

For newbie moms with preschoolers like me, the coming of an academic year is an enormous slice of cake to partake. It employs a huge amount of decision making skills. A few good weeks before the school year starts, it's good to ask questions about your child's education. To help you moms, I answered 3 common questions that you might or should be asking by now and how I am learning to manage or deal with them.

1) Where should I enroll my kid?

I personally find this task a very tedious one. Several months ago, I was insisting on sending my child, Nathan, to a nearby Catholic school. Unfortunately, when I inquired, the summation of annual fees amounts to a whooping P 70, 000, transportation fee excluded. I am quite familiar that the school had really high cost of tuition fees but I never expected it to be that expensive-- it's the same cost as my medical education. Gaaah! So when I sat down with my husband, he admitted honestly that we cannot yet push through with our previous plan of enrolling Nathan at the said school. I felt a bit defeated but then I had to meet waterloo. After all, I am still not earning any penny for next 12 or more months.

So what's the whole point of this whole story telling? 

Selecting a preschool is like battling with your own values. Many meticulous mommies like me would surely want their kids enrolled in a well-known or long since been established and competitive schools. It is really imperative for you moms, specially first-timers, to evaluate practical issues that are related to your family's needs. Are you after sending your child to public or private schools? If you choose a private one, would you want it to be parochial or independent? Or would you rather have your kid home-schooled? The decision is all up to you and surely your preference would be somehow clouded by your own experiences and standards.

As for me, I choose proximity and consider my household's capacity to pay for now while not compromising quality, of course.

2) How do I make my child school-ready?

I hope many teachers like me would agree that preschool readiness is about being socially and emotionally ready. The first day of school will be quite a scene for your child so you wouldn't want them overwhelmed with feelings of fear and anxiety. You have to make sure your child's prepared. 

Knowing when to let your child start schooling matters. Nathan is already turning 5 this coming October and he's only about to enter school this June. The teacher told me that my child's a bit late at starting school of which I'm guilty. Because of this, hubby and I decided to enroll Nathan in a summer readiness program. It has been a week since he entered and I'm happy to see how much information he has gained since day 1. Not only they were taught basics of writing, counting and coloring but also skills like , following instructions, grooming and communicating with peers. For working parents like us, I say is really helpful.

One thing you can also do to prepare your little one is to reassure him/her that school will be fine. Constantly remind them on how you want them to behave in school but make sure you don't put much expectations on them. Remember, these preschoolers are quite meek at heart. Just make them feel excited for that much-awaited first day.

 Nathan's worksheets

3) What if I'm a working mom, who can help me supervise my child's education?

Clearly this last question is one of the toughest. Finding someone you could entrust your child's studies, especially if both you and your partner are working, is a really handful. 

At home, you can always take turns with your husband in assisting your child with his/her homeworks or doing reviews for exercises and quizzes. It pays to seek help from your child grandparents when it comes to baby-sitting and teaching your little one at home since most of them have been through those times when you were little. If all else fails, you can always find help in a tutor for your kid. This will ensure that his day of learning is maximized and he/she just doesn't go around just playing at the end of the day.

Off to school: Nathan's Day 1 and 2 at his Summer Readiness Program

Although brief, I hope this was of a little help to you, especially for first-time moms with preschoolers. If you have any suggestions on how I can also improve my preparation for Nathan's first day in class, please feel free to comment below.

PAC Philippines 2014 Contemporary Make-up Competition + a Giveaway [Closed]!

Hello dearies! It's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted something on the blog. The last few days had been really crazy as we had our 2-day orientation on our upcoming post-grad internship at the Philippine General Hospital (will do blog about that soon) which will be starting this 1st of May plus accomplishing some requirements in between.

Anyway, let's go back to business.

I recently visited Professional Artist Cosmetics (PAC) Philippines office in Makati and learned that they will be holding a make-up competition for Filipino make-up artists. PAC by Martha Tilaar, a cosmetic brand from Indonesia, is one of the luxurious brands that the Martha Tilaar Group boasts. It is the pioneer of professional Asian make-up envisioning itself to fulfilling the needs of make-up artists for color, quality & application. This year, PAC Philippines tied up with Cosmetologie and Philippine International Cosmetologists Association (PICA) to organize yet another search for home-grown professional make-up artists. 

The competition is open to all make-up artists without brand affiliation, ages 18 and above. Interested make-up artists must submit the following requirements sealed in a brown envelope:

1) A completed application form (available in all PAC outlets nationwide and on their Facebook page); and

2) Two (2) full page A4 photo of a bridal and avant garde look with a short description of the theme, inspiration and medium used

The entries may be sent personally or couriered to the PAC Head Office located at the ground floor of TAO Corporate Center 2291 Chino Roces Extension, Makati City OR  dropped off in any PAC outlet in Metro Manila on or before May 15, 2014. Only one (1) entry per make-up artist will be accepted. Strictly no editing, tampering or enhancing photos through photoshop.

Twenty (20) qualifiers will be chosen amongst all entrants and will attend an exclusive make-up training and workshop on May 26, 2014 with Yuan Sng, an internationally renowned make-up artist from Singapore and a guest judge on Asia’s Next Top Model.

The qualifiers will finally showcase their skills on May 27, 2014 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City, wherein only three (3) will be chosen to be part of the PAC Philippine Team. And what are at stake for these lucky winners? Oh! Just a PAC make-up worth P26,000 and all-expense paid trip to Jakarta, Indonesia to compete in the International Make-Up Competition as official PAC Philippine Representative to compete against all the best make-up artist in Asia. That awesome! 

So for all you make-up junkie, if you think you have what it takes to represent our country, now is your time to shine. Start sending your entries now!

And to help our friends from PAC Philippines to disseminate the info, please help me share about the upcoming 2014 Contemporary Make-up Competition to your friends and you might just win for yourself a PAC lipstick pouch + Free Make-Over worth P 1500 each. I'll be giving away two (2) GCs to one (1) very lucky winner. 

The gift certificates are redeemable at the following PAC counters nationwide:  

All you need to do is join through the Rafflecopter app below. You know the drill!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends on May 14, 2014. I will announce the name of the winner on my twitter account and through a post so make sure to check my blog from time to time. I will ship the prize free of charge.

Share away!

A Touch of Beijing: My First of Summer 2014

Summer has definitely started and my clock just started ticking. So to get the ball rolling, I started it with a perfect staycation in the bustling metro.

Since everybody knows I'm an online contest junkie, I joined a great deal of online contests and giveaways just before our clerkship ended and lucky to have won a free overnight accommodation and breakfast for two (2) in one of the 12 biggest and luxurious hotels in the metro. The said contest was sponsored by none other than, Philstar.com and Agoda.com. 

What's formerly called New World Renaissance Hotel is now refurbished to become the New World Hotel Makati. The hotel is strategically situated within the upscale Ayala area. So if you're the shopaholic type of person, you'll probably enjoy most of your stay since it's quite near a lot of malls like The Landmark, Glorietta and Greenbelt.

The parking area was located at the basement area. Even if there were ongoing wedding celebrations during our stay, we never had a problem finding an accessible parking space at that time. I only hoped the elevator from the basement parking opens up directly to the main hotel lobby so you don't need to go out the hotel first before coming in the hotel entrance. 

Upon entry to the main hotel lobby, we were welcomed by really polite attendants. I even heard one speak Mandarin to a Chinese guest at the lobby. Check-in was organized. Within a few minutes, we were on our short elevator ride to our room at 11th floor.

We stayed in a superior room with a queen-sized bed. There's a single couch, an arm chair and a small living room table. The cable LCD TV was mounted nearside the dressser. It would, however, be a little nice if it was not diagonal to the bed. The room was equipped with a small refrigerator, telephone, iron and ironing board and a safe for valuable things you might want to keep when you leave your room premises. It also has a mini-bar with sampler sizes of some liquors and tea and coffee maker. The air-conditioning is perfectly cool. The control for the air conditioning, lamps and sound is set in a single remote found at bedside. Sadly, the radio isn't working where we stayed. 

For those who might be asking and because I've read a lot of bad reviews re: their internet provision on foursquare when I checked-in, the wifi service is working perfectly well when we stayed there.

 

Each bathroom is equipped with a bath tub, shower, hairdryer and of course-- 'selfie' mirrors. There's actually a lot of them inside the room.

 

What I also liked about the hotel bathroom are the toiletries that smelled really good. There's only been very few hotels I visited where I used their toiletries. 

The hotel was pretty much provided with facilities you need for a much needed recreation. The fitness center is located at the 3rd floor and is open 24 hours. It's furnished with weights, aerobics, steam and sauna rooms, private massage rooms, lockers and shower rooms. I've completely forgotten to take good pictures of the steam and sauna rooms, my bad.

The splash pool bar is located at the 4th floor and is open from 7 am to 7 pm on weekends. They have created a poolside bar offering light snacks and thirst quenchers. The pool is atop the fitness center and there's a nice passageway between the two without having to enter the hotel premises.

The hotel also houses the Marahai spa at the 3rd floor which offers massage, facial and body treatments. This is open from 10 am to 1 am daily.

Food will never be a problem for staycationers like me. The hotel has 4 dining rooms to chose from. Jasmine restaurant at the 2nd floor offers a wide array of Cantonese cuisine and dimsums to choose from. The Lounge and the Bar Rouge at the lobby serves cocktails and light snacks. Of course, you wouldn't want to miss the breakfast/lunch/dinner buffet at Cafe 1228 where they served Asian and Continental food everyday.

We had our buffet breakfast at Cafe 1228. I love the modern ambiance of the dining area. We were ushered to our own table by the windows upon entry. They served us with coffee and tea--in a pot! So you can have your own cup repeatedly filled if you want. But you can also serve yourself juice or puree of your choice from their drinks station.

Below are photos of the food stations. I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures, then, because I busied myself with binge-eating. Haha.

 My first stop will always be dimsum.

Turning Japanese-ah!

Crispy bacons is a must-try!

They serve this everyday. Feels like Christmas!

Bread and cheese are the perfect pair!

 

Pimp your own pancake/waffle.

 

You can always choose healthy.

And here are my plates.

That, folks, concludes our short and sweet stay at New World Hotel Makati-- my first R&R for Summer 2014.

New World Hotel Makati

Esperanza Street corner Makati Avenue, 

Ayala Center, Makati

Tel: +632 811 6888