Archive for October 2009
Show Me The Money!!
Posted on: October 30, 2009
Dear Kiki and Donors,
I do apologize for the delay…
Finally, here is the story of where all your generous contributions for the flood victims in Rizal province went exactly.
Kiki sent me $350…
…which as you can see came to P14,444.09.
LittleTwinBokal also gave me another P3,000 from a LittleTwinTita so I had a total of P17,444.09 to use! That is NOT bad for a LittleTwinBlog such as ours.
I gave P7,000 to LittleTwinBokal’s office to cover the cost of gasoline for the van and to buy rice.
So P17,444.09 – P7,000.00 left me with P10,444.09 to shop for relief goods!
I went to two supermarkets.
In Makati Supermarket, I spent…
…P6,239.45
The items on this bill included approximately:
- 60 instant noodles cup
- 100 cans of sardines
- 44 toothbrushes
- 30 packs of biscuits
- 10 packs of toothpaste sachets
- 50 bars of soap
- 6 packs of diapers
The bag boy got creative at the checkout counter.
There were no small bottles of water in Makati Supermarket so I headed to S&R.
My total bill there was… P4,366.45
And with that I was able to buy:
- 210 bottles of water (350ml each)
- 100 cans sardines
- 84 noodle packs
- 102 tetra packs of milk (110ml each)
And when we put all that together… this is what it looked like…
So thank you once again to our donors – you know who you fabulous people are! – for opening your hearts and pockets for the people of Rizal province. As you can see, a little can go a long, long way.
Rizal is still recovering from this disaster, there is still a lot of work to do and we hope you can help us help the people there.
Maraming salamat, po!
Coast To Coast Chris
Posted on: October 29, 2009
His name is Chris and in these last 30+ days he’s been doing something extraordinary. He joined a group of cyclists to ride across America. They started in September, in Santa Barbara, CA and will bike all the way to Charleston, SC all in 40 days, covering an average of 90+ miles per day! Pretty amazing, don’t you think?
Well it doesn’t end there. He chose to make this “pilgrimage” a meaningful one. Recognizing the fact that he is a superstar in Twitter and the in blogosphere (I’ve linked his resume above. He’s a web 2.0 God) he decided to make this journey interactive. How? If you are part of some charity or a non-profit org and would like to create a buzz about your cause, you can print your logo on a jersey and he will wear it on his 40 day trip. He will also feature your cause on a tweet to his 1 million and growing followers. He will do the same for for-profit entrepreneurs who want to gain some twitter mileage through his ride. All they would need to do is send him a jersey with their company logo printed. They would also need to send him $5,000. That money will be donated to LIVESTRONG and CHARITY:WATER. But that’s not all. He takes it a step further. Since his whereabouts will be known through his tweets and through his blog, he is inviting everybody, anybody to ride with him for a few miles. For every person that shows up he will donate $25 each to Livestrong and Charity:water. Can you believe this guy?! Here is a picture of him that I grabbed from his blog.
So I’ve been following this guy everyday as he pedals hard and documents the majestic landscape his country is known for. Here are some pretty awesome shots he’s taken in the last few weeks.
Pacific Ocean - if he crossed this, he'd probably end up in Quezon!
You most probably won’t know the guy he is posing with below. He’s just a living legend in the cycling universe who showed up in one of their rest stops.
I think this journey will not just transform him physically. I can imagine this to impact him on a spiritual level too. You can’t ride through this scenery and not think about the Source of all this expanse, this splendor.
Apparently this guy is like a Renaissance Man. Among other things, he’s a venture investor, a lawyer, a Google alumnus, a Twitter advisor and early investor, an Obama advisor in media and communications and an Iron Man triathlete. Please excuse me while I flush my mediocre and unfulfilled life down the toilet. But seriously, its always inspiring to read about people who have found a way to “suck the bone marrow of life”. So as we trudge our way through our daily lives, remember that every moment should be a carpe diem moment.
I’m Still Here
Posted on: October 27, 2009
It turns out that I am just as guilty as you are. We’ve been busy bees and consequently, neglectful bloggers. So I thought I’d start us off with some things I’ve been doing that you might fancy.
The cool and mostly grey, wet weather has awakened my crave for hot chocolate (Eh! – please tell me that you’ve read Noli). The best hot chocolate I’ve had so far in this part of town hails from City Bakery. Their pastries and brunch are worth the trip too!
The atmosphere is casual – paper plates and plastic utencils, self-service and very friendly staff.
I’ve always gone here for brunch and have always zeroed in on the cookies, pastries and a variety of salads. They recently started serving for happy hour. Would be interesting to see what they have to offer. Here are some of their goodies. Yummm!
But the pièce de résistance for me is their hot chocolate.
Look at how thick it is. And that home made marshmallow!
Its usually served in a soup cup for you to slurp your way into cocoa heaven, with a giant marshmallow swimming whilst melting into the hot, thick chocolate. I prefer mine in a plastic cup like the one above only because its easier to consume. Little Twinmom loves this place too. Ask her about it. Don’t worry, we’ll add this to our kilometric-long list of places to visit when you come.
With fall now in full swing, I am forced to bring out my winter gear and update my winter basics. So I went down to this newly opened japanese store that has all your necessary basics at Kiki-friendly prices.
Uniqlo is where I got my tights, leggings, shirts and under shirts for the season. They have a lot of cool stuff for men and women for very reasonable prices. And did I mention great quality? The store in Soho is huge! Its 3 floors filled with every article of clothing you can think of. Going there on a weekend is like going to Baclaran on a Wednesday. Not a good idea. But you will definitely come out of the store with useful finds and still with enough dough in your pocket.
I had wanted to take some pictures of the store but my priorities radically changed when I saw the herds of women in my size attacking the tights, leggings and under garments. So instead I’m sharing with you some of their videos to give you an idea. These Japanese can be so kenkoy…
And yet innovative…
They recently launched a new line designed by Jill Sanders. This created a huge hype here as expected from collaborations between designers and retailers.
I also managed to go see a Ben Watt gig. Ben What? Ben Who? Good question! I myself wondered the same. Does he look familiar at all?
Try this. Can you place him now?
Aahhh! EBTG! Apparently, when not making music with his wife – the G in EBTG – he is a DJ. A good one, might I add (not that I have enough knowledge about his brand of sound to make a phenomenology of his music). I just liked it. I went down to Cielo at the Meat Packing District to see him but more importantly to see our dear friend Little TwinP. I was never really into clubs and DJ’s but I thought it would be fun to check this guy out. His music is contagious and he seems to have a steady cult following. I honestly wouldn’t have thought of going if I weren’t invited but Im really glad I did. So thanks for the invite, P!
These are just some of my autumn activities. So now Lala, tell me, what’s your excuse? : P
Fiamma Refurbished
Posted on: October 18, 2009
It’s somewhat overdue but better late than never.
Our all time favorite watering hole has a slightly new – and MUCH cozier – look!!
Fiamma means flame so the warm maroon and burgundy seats are just right – especially against the walls which now have a muted grey color replacing the old refrigerator white.
Take a look…
I like the fabric panels too. They make the place look more plush without sacrificing the space’s clean lines. The new stools are not quite friendly to the mini skirt wearer though.
This is the same space taken from what is now the permanent DJ’s booth.
Remember the raised tables? They’re gone. But it’s a good thing…
Again, this area’s been made cozier but they kept it open so you can still check out and be checked. I like.
So choose which table you’d like me to reserve for you when you come home, Kiki.
Nowhere Man In A Nowhere Land
Posted on: October 12, 2009
I came across this very cool video shared by one of our common friends on her Facebook page. I am just so bewildered at how impeccable the production crew’s timing is and in awe of how talented Robert Carlyle is. How long did they rehearse this and how did they do this all in one take?
I noticed that our friend grabbed this video from a blog called The First Day of the Rest of Your Life. Being the curious Geminis that we are, I decided to check this blog out. Pretty awesome content! I was in bed all morning watching his avant garde video finds and listening to his eclectic selection of music. He blogs under the name I Am Nowhere and travels often. From the looks of it, because he seems to be everywhere, indeed he is nowhere (Fr. Ferriols, you must be mighty proud of me!). So I thought I’d share with you some of the cool videos I found in Nowhere Man’s Nowhere Land.
Here’s a super charming TVC.
And this is a clever way of discouraging people from abusing alcohol.
This next ad is just mind blowing. Pure genius directed by Adam Berg.
Here’s a disturbing video. But if this will get the message across…
There are just so many other cool videos and music this guy has to share. I’ll leave you with this new movie trailer. While I’ve seen this before, for some reason I only got to appreciate it after I saw it in his blog. I love love this song by Placebo.
So to Mr. I Am Nowhere, I hope you don’t mind that I grabbed and shared some of your finds in our blog. I also hope you don’t mind that I dedicated a blog post about your blog. I was very entertained. Keep em coming as I will certainly continue to visit.
Yun lang…
Welcome To Hopenhagen!
Posted on: October 11, 2009
This might be relevant to us and our country as we strive to make sense of the chaos and heartbreak that 2 powerful storms left in a span of 3 weeks. We’ve heard it, we’ve read it, we’ve talked about it: Mother Nature is a comin, collecting her dues and perhaps Ondoy and Pepeng were her warning shots, advance party, if you will.
So i found this cool site called Hopenhagen. Its a movement spearheaded by the International Advertising Association to support the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen at the end of the year. Close to two hundred of our world’s leaders will meet in Copenhagen and talk about worthy CHANGES that need to be made in how we care for the environment. The Hopenhagen movement aims to create an awareness of this summit, to be a venue for people to connect and talk about real change for the environment and to push people to action.
Since it was conceptualized by a bunch of advertising creatives, you can expect an interactive and stylized website. You can sign a petition and get a Hopenhagen passort where you earn stamps for reducing your personal carbon footprint and making the world a better place…
There’s even a message board in the website where people all over the world can declare what gives them hope.
So I invite you to Hopenhagen. Sign a petition, get a passport and make your voice heard and have fun doing it. I think your older little twin brat might enjoy doing this too!
Where Is She Now?
Posted on: October 11, 2009
If I had a buck for every time we watched this little redhead on Betamax…
Since I’ve been trying to veer Rocio away from the crap that Disney’s been churning out, we’ve been watching excerpts of the movie classic Annie. It wasn’t long before she asked me where Annie is now. So mommy googled. And mommy found.
Aileen Quinn is now about 37 years old… (Is she really your neighbor/town mate?)
She looks much cuter now than when she was a kid. She can still sing but her voice has gotten scratchy and mature.
Perhaps what I appreciate most, is that her fame didn’t ruin her. And she literally does seem like the girl next door.
On The Right Track
Posted on: October 10, 2009
A few blog posts ago, I talked about these lovely Fixed Gear bikes which I am hoping Santa could deliver to me this Christmas. I found this cool video about a bunch of guys riding from London to Paris on Track Bikes! Just to put things in perspective, that’s about 200 miles of a mixture of flat roads, up hills and down hills. 200 miles in a bike with no gears! I also mentioned in that one post that I wanted to tell you more about the fixed gear sub-culture in urban neighborhoods like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. Well consider this video a teaser, to whet your (non-existent) appetite for all things cycling…whatever! Just indulge me a bit here and watch the video…
In The City Of Blinding Lights
Posted on: October 7, 2009
After an over extended wait, I present to you my surprise blog post! Yey! What could it be??? Here’s a clue…
“This is not a rebel song…
This is…
…Sunday Bloody Sunday!” Waaaaaaaaaah!!!
Yes, Lala! I can knock this off my personal Bucket List. Several weeks ago I trekked to the Giants Stadium to watch the U2 360 Tour. U2 in the flesh!! AWESOME is all I can say. My seat was pretty far up but the stage was set up in a way that folks like me in the nose bleed section need not strain our necks to get a glimpse of Bono and the rest. Check out their stage.
The stage is supposed to replicate a spaceship. Those tentacle looking appendages are actually light weight made of tarpaulin.
Everything else you see on top is either a part of their super sonic, hi-tech sound system or part of an expandable video screen.
The front act featured this up and coming band called MUSE. They have a distinct punk rock sound which reminds me of the band Keane.
After the front act, the crowd (me included) just went wild anticipating the entrance of this generation’s Fab Four.
Check out the packed stadium.
And then it was show time!
I love you, Larry!
The Edge
Mr. Clayton on Bass
They sang some of their new songs and a lot of their old ones. I was particularly moved by songs dedicated to global causes that they are passionate about.
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY was dedicated to the protesters in Iran, especially those who were hurt and killed in the process. Check out the lighting. The video screen showed images of the Iranian protesters. Very moving.
ONE was performed to celebrate the progress in the fight against poverty, hunger and sickness in Africa. A video featuring Desmond Tutu talking about Africa as part of this ONE world we all live in.
Sorry for the unflattering shots, Mr. Tutu
WALK ON was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi who remains under house arrest in Burma.
The hair raising moment for me happened when volunteers from Amnesty International marched onto the stage wearing Suu Kyi masks. What a statement!
I’ve embedded this You Tube video to give you an idea of how powerful this moment was in the concert.
I had to take videos if only to capture the amazing energy from this concert. This is one of my favorite U2 songs. Check out that lucky little boy who gets to run around the stage holding Bono’s hand and wearing his sunglasses. Also, notice the video screen expanded.
So outside the city of blinding lights, I was fortunate enough to watch this awesome band perform. It lasted less than 3 hours, but the passion they drew out of their fans will last a lifetime…like an Unforgettable Fire! Get it? Get it?
Take a bow, boys!
Tulong Para Sa Rizal Collections
Posted on: October 7, 2009
I’ve sent you the first round of donations collected via PayPal. You should have a total of $320. More to come!
Below you will see a breakdown of those donations. I’ve chosen to keep our generous donors anonymous. They know who they are and they know how eternally grateful we are for helping the families affected in Rizal. The best way to express our gratitude is by showing them how we spent the money buying the essentials and showing where we distributed these goods. So Lala, once you’ve bought the goods needed, please document and post here.
|
Donor |
$ Donated |
Less Paypal Fees |
$ Sent To Rizal |
| From Mexico | $ 50.00 | $ 2.25 | $ 47.75 |
| From New York | $ 50.00 | $ 1.75 | $ 48.25 |
| From New Jersey | $ 100.00 | $ 3.20 | $ 96.80 |
| From California | $ 50.00 | $ 0.88 | $ 49.12 |
| From Nevada | $ 20.00 | $ 1.75 | $ 18.25 |
| From Hong Kong | $ 50.00 | $ 2.25 | $ 47.75 |
| Total | $ 320.00 | $ 12.08 | $ 307.92 |
I shouldered the PayPal fees because I don’t think it is right to take a portion of what our donors gave and chalk it over to PayPal. They donated this money with the intention of giving this all to the parts of Rizal devastated by Ondoy. Besides every peso counts in this situation.
So again, to those that helped out in this fund raising, we salute you! You are all STARS. Maraming Salamat!
