Jada Pinkett-Smith on Women Empowerment

When Jada Pinkett-Smith was asked why she let her daughter Willow shave her head, this is what she said:

15 Relationship Truths for Tough Times

These relationship truths may be a bit difficult to accept at times, but in the end, they will help you weed out the wrong relationships, make room for the right ones, and nurture the people who are most important to you. This doesn't only hold true for romantic relationships, but for work, family, and platonic relationships as well.

Moshi Koshi: The Best Noodle Diner in Manila

I have never really considered noodles to be an actual meal. Growing up, the only noodles I'd have were of the instant variety, and they were mostly eaten as a snack rather than for lunch or dinner. When I got a bit older, they turned into the Korean variety (still instant) - which only stopped because of a customs recall (apparently, they're cancerous). In my head, noodles were something to chow on to pass the time until the next meal of the day. That is, until I went to Moshi-Koshi Noodle Boss.

Globe GCash's Virtual American Express Card

Hallelujah!

Finally the Philippines is catching up with first world countries in terms of making online purchases (and delivery) a breeze thanks to Globe Telecom.

10 Surefire Ways To Live Below Your Full Potential

It’s true - human potential is unlimited. Unlike computers, you’ll never come across a situation where your brain says the hard drive is full. You can constantly push your limits, reaching greater heights, only to find that you’re not even reaching a fraction of your true worth! Believe it or not, you harness more power than you can ever imagine.

Unfortunately, many do not utilize their true potential, and lay it to waste by engaging in tasks that are a poor use of their time and energy.  Here are 10 sure-fire ways to live below your true potential:

11 Practical Ways to Spend Your Money

I know, I know. Saving and investing your money for the future is one of the most practical things you can do. This is solid advice, but when you do decide to spend your hard earned money it should be spent on something practical, useful, and meaningful to the well being of your existence. So many people either save their money or blow it on worthless crap.

Here are 11 practical ways to spend your money on something useful:

Katz's Delicatessen: Where Harry Met Sally

I did a bit of exploring all by my lonesome when in New York and decided to visit Katz's Delicatessen for brunch. A New York institution (and where Harry met Sally), Katz's has been around since 1888, it's what you'd consider the “gold standard" for Jewish delis in NYC, and is also the only place in town that still hand-carves all its pastrami and corned beef. And this is New York, so that's saying something!

Jericho's 12 Things

Jericho, the good ol' birthday boy, is my best friend and constant plus one whenever anything to do with food, travel, or the theater is involved. We grew up together when I started high school in the Philippines, shared the same circle of friends, but never really talked until a couple of years ago. We've been inseparable ever since!

Jerik also sidelines as my professional photographer when I have events to cover at night (I pay him with food - his little pooch iz happy).

Check out his 12 Things:

Mucking Around West Village's Tertulia

I had the opportunity to hang out with foodie and chef, Jerrome Abustan, and Anna, for dinner after a long day of being an Xtreme Lashes practice dummy (it was a favor for a friend and I got free lashes in the process). We found ourselves in the West Village and checked out Tertulia, a new restaurant that had just opened at the time, with Chef Seamus Mullen celebrating the taste of Spain in all his dishes. He is best known in New York for Boqueria, a tapas bar and restaurant first opened in the Flatiron in 2006 and then at a second location in Soho.

Slice by Pia Cayetano

Once again, I got a nice surprise from Jericho, inviting me for dinner at Senator Pia Cayetano's new restaurant, Slice. They had a great deal at Groupon Philippines, and we were both dying to try their delectable muffins and cupcakes. With the good senator being an advocate of healthy living and not skimping on great-tasting, nutritious food, I was pretty sure I'd be in for a healthy treat - only for it to be offset by the cupcakes, muffins, and cakes that greets you as you come in. Ugh, fail.

Wing Kings Reign Supreme

I'm a chicken fiend, I admit it. If I were to eat any type of meat for days at a time, it will most likely be chicken.

I get the weirdest cravings for Andoks and the oddest times of the day and am painfully weaning myself off my dependency for Bon Chon's chops and KFC's spicy fried chicken. But when the yearning for chicken becomes too great and I just have to have a teensy bit, Wing Kings is the joint to hit up at BGC.

Kickin' It in New Jersey

I took a weekend off and spent it in New Jersey during my 3-month NYC hiatus last year, and visited my uncle who had a quaint cottage there. We met up at Penn station on a Friday evening, took the NJ Transit to Aberdeen Matawan station where his roaster was parked, and drove up to Keyport.

Josiah's Catering: TastePro's Brand Degustation

If you have a special event coming up and you want everything picture perfect, it's best to leave the event planning to the pros. When the food is concerned, Josiah’s Catering‘s TastePRO are the people to call.

TastePRO is the leading specialist for corporate catering services. As a subsidiary of Josiah’s Catering – which has been in the business for over 20 years - TastePRO boasts of unparalleled experience and an outstanding reputation, which I had the privilege to experience.

The Steaklovers Steakhouse: Chops Chicago Steakhouse

Who would say no to a plate of USDA certified steak done just the way they like\ it? Well, probably a vegetarian - but this place has Portobello Mushroom steaks for them as well, so they can't complain. If you ever get the hankering for your favorite cut of beef, charbroiled to utter perfection, with your choice of toppings, sidings, and sauces - then by Jove, you have got to head on over to Chops Chicago Steakhouse.

The Mid-Year Celebration at Restaurant LU

The Schmuzter fambam and I found ourselves at LU|LU for our mid-year celebration. Wow, has it already been 6 months since we started our social media marketing baby? To celebrate the growing success of the company, the Empress of Schmuze treated all of us out to a night on the town with dinner at the ever-popular Restaurant LU.

10 Things to Do (Even if They Judge You)

Everyone has their own opinion about one thing or another. Everyone has an opinion about you - who you're supposed to be, how you're supposed to act, even what kind of person you're supposed to marry. And if you don't meet their expectations of you - they start judging you. Sure, you can patiently sit there for hours and explain why you do what you do, but they still can't feel what you're going through because they aren't living your life.

Instead of trying to please other people by being who they think you should be and making yourself miserable in the process - give them the finger and focus on how you feel about yourself, what you want to do, and what you know is right.

Here are ten things to do even if other people judge you for it:

Prepare for Anything - the Manila Floods

The rain is showing no signs of stopping. I hope you've prepared yourselves for the worst case scenario while hoping and praying for the best. A few of my friends have had to evacuate their homes and head for higher ground. It's just really sad.

Global Mala Project 2012

If you're really into yoga (guilty!), just want to try it out for chits and giggles, or a huge Teresa Hererra fan (guilty!), then come by The Rockwell Tent and celebrate with everyone at the Global Mala Project!

Chanting Along to Kirtan Yoga at Yoga+

During the 30-Day Yoga challenge at Yoga+, I got the chance to check out special feature yoga classes as well, one of them being Kirtan yoga.

It was an open feature class, so once again I invited good ol' Jericho to join me. I had no idea what I was in for, and thought it would something like Vinyasa yoga, but not as hardcore. I was totally mistaken. Kirtan yoga is more like the yoga of the mind than it is the body.

Mystic Brew Cafe Can't Cast Its Spell On You

I went home to Las Piñas for the weekend to spend time with Mr. Wiggles, the puppy Jericho and I had adopted. I usually go home on weekends now to spoil the little guy with treats, hugs, and lots of love! This particular weekend, we took a drive around BF Resort looking for a place to just hang out, and came across Mystic Brew Café and Curios.

Hey Yoga Girl!

This was just too funny not to share!


Ironically, this just keeps me more motivated to work on my practice some more the next time I'm mucking around the yoga studio.

The last thing I'd wanna do is keep your Vinyasa from flowin'.  You see what he did there?

Drum Tao: The Art of Drum Invades Resorts World

If you ever find yourself anywhere near Resorts World, seeing Drum Tao: The Art of Drum is an absolute must! It was so mind-blowing, I hope they come back so I can see them perform again!

Breakfast at Antonio's: More Than Just a Good Brunch

It was a rainy Saturday morning when Jericho and I made our way up to Tagaytay for a consult with my doctor-slash-nutritionist as well as a late brunch at Breakfast at Antonio's, thanks to a deal he got at Groupon Philippines.

Date Night at the Romantic Bistro Casanova

I was invited to an intimate dinner at Bistro Casanova, by the Marketing Head of its BGC branch, Mark de Jesus. Very well aware that he would be feeding me 'til the cows come home (or until I turn into one, whichever came first), I brought Jericho along with me for the gastronomic roller-coaster ride.

The Conveneince of Joey Pepperoni

When I moved into the new apartment at The Fort, I was too lazy to go anywhere else for a while (my place is a bit of a walk away from Market! Market! or S&R) and was pretty content just nesting and getting used to the new digs.

There are a couple of restaurants to choose from downstairs, like Malcolm's, Big Bad Wolf, and Ristras. But whenever I'd get hungry and needed to mooch off wi-fi at the same time (Globe was taking its sweet time setting up mine at the apartment), I'd make my way downstairs to Joey Pepperoni.

Pie & Coffee at Bag of Beans

I needed a change of scenery for at least a day, the city was driving me insane. You just have one of those days where you can't stand being in a place with so many people, and you just want to run for the hills and hide for a day.

So, instead of mentally shutting down, I headed up to Tagaytay with Jericho to relax, enjoy the drive, and clear our heads. Braving the heavy Saturday downpour, we visited a naturopath that had a wellness clinic near the Tagaytay flower market, had brunch at Antonio's, and then stopped by everyone's favorite Tagaytay pitstop, Bag of Beans. before buying our obligatory buko pie pasalubong for the friends and folks we left in the city.

30 Practical Ways to Improve Yourself

Every new day is another chance for you to reinvent yourself - to become a better person. When you put your money where your mouth is, it's a lot harder to do than the theoretical idea of changing for the better today.

Here are a few pointers to egg you on your road to a new, better you:

Day 30: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

So it's the final day of the Yoga+ challenge and I found myself braving the rains in Tagaytay for a new feature. Although I did miss out on my last day at the studio, I've experienced enough to say that yoga has become a part of my life, and that they'll be seeing me back on the mat very soon!

Day 29: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Day 29 of my yoga challenge was spent taking Ryan's Hot B class with Nica. I felt incredibly bad that my sudden change of schedule has messed up my challenge.

Chee's 12 Things

Chee is one of my many beautiful, talented friends. We go way back, starting as frosh in high school, both as outsiders who grew up in the Middle East, and bonded instantly over our lack of knowledge of everything Filipino, and both learned how to adapt along the way.

She has relocated to Singapore now, and works as a Med Rep for Far East Drug. You can probably find her I hopping from clinic to clinic on Mondays to Fridays, bugging doctors to use our infamous Filipino pharma products (and loving it, apparently). According to her, if work weren't frustrating, tiring, and stressful - it wouldn't be fun. Meh, to each his own on that front.

When off the clock, you can find her bending and twisting her spine in different directions at Bikram Yoga Harbourfront. She is deeply in love with the studio and the people in it, it is her happy place.

Check out her 12 Things here:

Day 26: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I had to skip yoga today, since work took over and consumed most of my day and I just couldn't get out of it. It seems that I'm in for a long week, work-wise, I still have two days of yoga to make up for! Drat.

Day 25: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

It's the last week of the Yoga+ challenge!

Day 24: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I had to skip yoga class today for a food feature I couldn't move. I was gung ho on taking a class at 6:30 in the morning, but overslept. I know it isn't much of an excuse, but I'm really not a morning person.

Day 23: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I joined a special class with Jericho at Yoga+ and tried something totally different: Kirtan yoga. We really had no idea what we were in for, and found out when we got there there that it involved a lot of chanting and singing, totally different from the very physical yoga I had gotten used to.

Day 22: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

The Yoga+ guys were busy opening the Ortigas branch, and they had Kim take over to teach flow for the evening classes. I was quite apprehensive at first, being that I haven't built up my stamina for Vinyasa yoga yet, and all those poses meant to increase core and upper body strength just kill me.

Day 21: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I took Ryan's Hot B class at 8pm today. I guess I can say I'm improving in my postures, and have been learning a lot from each yoga instructor. My breathing has improved as well, I've noticed. Ryan did mention that the fact that people only use 5% of their brain is also true for their lung capacity. Yoga teaches you how to maximize your lung capacity and make each breath last longer. Deeper breaths also mean more oxygen being pumped to your brain.

Day 20: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

10 more days left before the end of the 30-day challenge! And 10 more days until the end of June. Wow, where did time go?

Day 19: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Finally, I am back on the mat! I was feeling up to take a class, finally, so after a client meeting, I headed over to Yoga+ to take the 6pm class, which was Flow with Marc. I laid down and ended up totally zoning out in savasana. I felt like I was floating, half of me was present in the moment, another part of me was someplace else. I stayed like that through most of the meditation as well, until the other asanas sort of pulled me back down to concentrating on the postures.

Day 18: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

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This is the third day I've missed yoga. Bad, bad, bad. I couldn't help it though, I felt terrible the whole day. I had planned on taking the early morning Ashtanga class but woke up feeling very warm. I couldn't really work until after lunch and had Nix accompany me to the grocery store to buy my much needed supplies of food for the rest of the week. I think the fresh air did me a world of good, as I felt a lot better when I came back.

Day 17: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I've been feeling under the weather lately and have come down with something it seems like. I tried sleeping it off for the most of my Saturday, but by today it had just gotten worse. So yeah, I opted to skip yoga today and just rest up.

Day 16: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Ok, I admit that today was an especially lazy day and I didn't go to a yoga class. Gasp! I feel really guilty, but Jericho had stayed over and we got a late lunch, so going to the feature class at 1pm was out of the question (going the the Hot C class at 4pm is not an option for me... at least for now). I'm going to have to pay for it in the next 15 days by doing one day of doubles, something I'm not particularly looking forward to.

Day 15: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Took Ryan's Hot B class earlier tonight and had a blast! I'm really starting to enjoy the classes, even though sometimes I just don't feel like trudging over to Yoga+ because it's drizzling outside, I'm busy, I want to spend my two hours watching a movie, or some other excuse.

Day 14: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I took a 6pm Hot C class with Neil Salang at Yoga+ earlier tonight. That is definitely something I won't be doing again for a while! Holy shiz, I almost died! Hot C is an intense marriage between the bikram and vinyasa yoga styles - think vinyasa yoga in a heated room. I like how Neil's voice is calming, as he guides everyone through the postures. I feel a bit cheated really, since his soothing voice makes you want to actually attempt the crazy posture, because he sounds "nice".

Day 13: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

The little yogini, Aisa, is back at Yoga+! I hadn't seen her all week last week, so it was good to take her Hot A class. I had a pretty strong practice today, and was feeling pretty good about myself, although I purposefully sat out some of the inversions. I had a pretty good class overall, and am pretty surprised at my improvement since the first day I stepped on the mat.

Day 12: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Wow! Has it already been two weeks? I took a Hot A class with Dinah this morning and dragged Jericho with me for him to check it out, too! Well, he was there to take photographs of the place for my feature, but I was half hoping he would take the class with me as well. He chickened out and stuck to snapping pictures. I guess bikram just isn't his thing.

Day 11: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I took my very first Led Ashtanga class with Eunice Cu bright and early at Yoga+! I was a bit apprehensive and had no clue what I'd be in for, but I like Ashtanga for the meditation and breathing that goes with each posture. Eunice is a very hands on instructor, and I like that she really takes the time out of her class to instruct and correct everyone, gently pushing you to your limit. Om, shanti, shanti, shanti...

Day 10: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

I opted to spoil myself a bit and sleep in on a Sunday. Took a Hot B class with Emma Sheridan, which consists of 26 hatha yoga postures in a heated room. A bit less than the 50 postures for Hot A,  I find Hot B to be a lot more challenging, because there are more sets to this class than Hot A. I just wasn't feeling it today, and was distracted and irritable, trying hard to concentrate on my breathing, pissing myself off during the balancing poses, and just hating it. Oh well, I guess it was just an off day.

Day 9: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Had a better time at Hot A with Dinah early on a Saturday morning. It's another one of those days when I just don't want to get out of bed, as it's a weekend, but nevertheless hauled myself out and made my way over to Yoga+ for class. I have a new way of tricking myself to commit to class nowadays, and that's by making online reservations. You need to cancel at least two hours before or pay a hefty cancellation fee before you can use the system again, so waking up 45 minutes before class doesn't leave me with much time to back out.

Day 8: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Yoga class today was so bad! Not the class itself, just my practice for the day. I took the 8pm class yesterday and then the 6:30am class today, because I had a client meeting at 7pm. I fell asleep right after I took a shower, wasn't able to hydrate at all, and of course, couldn't eat anything before class since I had to come on an empty stomach.

Day 7: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Yoga+'s challenge Day 7 is over. One whole week of yoga! Took Ryan's Hot B class, which was quite the workout!

Day 6: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Day 6 of my Yoga+ challenge! One more day until I've been doing this for a whole week! I took the 6 o'clock class, which was Hot A, with Dinah substituting for Aisa once again as she was still feeling under the weather. I hope the little yogini gets better soon.

Day 5: Yoga+ 30-Day Challenge

Day 5 of my Yoga+ challenge! Has it really only been five days? It feels like I've been doing this for over a month already. Took Dinah Salonga's Hot A class at 8 o'clock in the evening. The class was pretty small compared to the other ones I had gone to and it looked like most of us had just begun our practice, so Dinah went slow, showing us the proper way of doing the postures and not turning the heat up too much. I liked that her class was very educational, even taking the newbies aside and sitting them down to talk about their experience on the mat after class.