Beaches are heaven on earth. And I feel blessed to have been able to take a week’s leave from work last week and spend it in one of the world’s best beaches â Boracay.
It was the perfect time to relax and spend time with family (especially with my sister Shy who came from the States) before the busyness of Christmas sets in and the new year begins.
My officemates and I have always thought about traveling out-of-the-country together. And with the interesting mix of our personalities, we expected it would be a blast.
True enough, it was nothing short of madness! Besides getting lost in the midst of starvation and meeting a drunk Spanish guy who was stunned by my Spanish speaking skills (despite my limited vocabulary), my wallet â the sole receptacle of my cash and credit card â found its way into a luggage of a friend who went back to Manila a day earlier. Yes, I had been cashless and financially incapacitated during our last day in Singapore. If a wallet that had gotten homesick and went back home without the owner’s knowledge isn’t crazy enough for you, I don’t know what is.
We purposely didn’t have an itinerary for this trip. The only solid plan we had was to go and spend half-day in LEGO Land, Malaysia. We looked forward to having fun, relaxing and enjoying the company of one another. Following a particular schedule of activities cramps our style so we decided to do away with it.
Singapore fits the bill. It is one of those cities where you can just take your sweet time exploring places and trying out local cuisine because of the very efficient public transportation (MTR) and traveler-friendly locals.
None of us were first time travelers to Singapore. I myself have been to the country three times, but every visit proves to be a different experience because of the people I’ve traveled with.
First on the list â authentic Hainanese Chicken
We stayed at Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen (25 Trengganu Street). It would only take you a five-minute walk to the MTR from the hotel and it is very near all the shops where you can buy pasalubong (souvenirs) at very reasonable prices. There are a lot of food choices around the area too! When in doubt, resort to the restaurants in malls.
Taking our sweet time on the walkalator
Sentosa!
We didn’t even bother paying the famed Merlion a visit, but we were all giddy going to Sentosa.
If you’re following me on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve been seeing a lot of him already.
In celebration of his 4th month today, I’m sharing with you Timothy’s photos taken a week after he arrived home.
Last week, I received a P500 gift voucher from Bow & Wow for participating in their online survey. It couldn’t have come at a better time. My furkids Austin and Timothy are turning a month older this week and giving them a fresh batch of treats would be perfect. It’s also a great opportunity for me and my dogs to explore natural and organic products.
If you happen to have gotten this voucher as well and confused that the validity period indicated on the voucher is from October 17, 2013 to October 15, 2013, don’t worry. It is actually valid until October 31, 2013. The discount applies only to food items.
I dropped by their recently opened Eastwood outlet yesterday and did some shopping for the dogs.
Since it’s a rare occasion to avail of a huge discount, much thought were given to the items that went into my shopping basket. Things that I considered were tried-and-tested products, treats that give a variety of flavor and texture, and those that I couldn’t find in other pet stores.
And so I ended up taking these home:
Healthy BonesÂŽ Sweet Potato, Salmon & Apple Treats
Itty Bitty Buddy Biscuits and Oven Baked Buddy Biscuits
Merrick Ranger Rib Beef Jerky Bone
Among these, the Buddy Biscuits are the only ones that my dogs have already tasted. The rest will practically be a new experience for them. I’m particularly interested in how the Merrick Ranger Rib Beef Jerky Bone would fare. Had I seen this in the grocery, I would think it’s for making beef stock. Looks really appetizing!
I’m not sure if my dogs sensed that I brought home a bunch of new treats for them, but it’s probably the reason why they were so restless and yappy last night. They will have to wait ’til mid-week!
Unfortunately when life happens, it’s the blog that’s first to take a back seat. Nevertheless, it’s still up and running, and I’m very happy to start sharing my thoughts and stories again.
I’m back to reinstate my existence in the blogosphere! Yay!
Last July 22 was Quingdom.com’s 5th anniversary. And to celebrate the feat, I did some redesigning to a cleaner and simpler look. I hope you like it.
So here are the things to watch for:
I hope I can put up with your expectations. đ
Please be kind.
‘Til then!
I can’t tell you enough how big a Jamie Oliver fan I am. Today, I’m supporting his Food Revolution Day 2013! Stemmed from his cookbook Jamie’s Ministry of Food, it’s a movement he started that calls out to foodies all over the world to share their knowledge on food and cooking.
Since I love steak, I’m sharing with you my recipe for my Home-Cooked Grilled Aussie Striploin Steak.
Cook it. Share it. Live it.
Grilled Aussie Striploin Steak
The recently concluded series of Victory entitled Unpopular has made a strong impact in me because it is applicable not only to the upcoming elections (happening in five days), but also to our personal growth as citizens who can lead in our own living spaces. It gave us an overview of the qualities we should look for in choosing the leaders for our country and it reminded us of the type of leaders we should aspire to be.
Leadership is usually regarded as a topic that should be discussed among a specific group of people only because most people think that it is solely for individuals who have people under their command or for those who hold positions in government, offices and organizations. On the contrary, we can all be leaders because leadership is influence. And all of us are capable of influencing other people. Sociologists say that even the most introverted person will influence at least ten thousand people in his or her lifetime.
Social media has made it even easier for us to influence a bigger audience. That is why with all the social media accounts that we have, we want to gain more followers Twitter, more likes on Facebook and more views in YouTube. It also has become a tool to measure the magnitude of influence.
With this in mind, we must be gear our actions toward becoming leaders worth following, deflecting from the widely known perception of what a leader is. Thus, the title Unpopular.
1. A true leader is selfless.
It is natural for anyone to think of his own interest, but only a true leader places others above himself. He constantly thinks of the welfare of other people â needs, potentials and development. He also takes the extra effort to protect them from violence, harm and from forces that can cause people to feel demoralized.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
â Philippians 2:3â4 NIV
2. A true leader serves.
Politicians are supposedly public servants. They are elected to serve the people and candidates should not aspire for position for personal gains. Being a leader is hard work as opposed to what is believed by many. It is working for others’ sake and for the betterment of the people he serves.
The measure of a man is not how many servants he has but how many men he serves.
â Dwight L. Moody
 3. A true leader is humble.
A true leader knows how to take responsibility for decisions and actions. And it includes admitting to faults, apologizing and rectifying mistakes. Moreover, a leader will not mind taking the lowliest or the most unwanted task for the team.
Level 5 leaders look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves. When things go poorly, however, they look in the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility.
â James C. “Jim” Collins, Good to Great
4. A true leader sacrifices.
To be a leader worth following means to set aside comforts, carry the burdens, for the benefit of other people. Even when the gains are uncertain or less than what is to be given up, a true leader will wholeheartedly make that sacrifice as long as he believes it will improve the condition of the people he serves.
There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after.
â Rick Joyner
Entitlement prevents the rise of true leaders. Having this mindset looks to the privileges and gains of what leaders can attain rather than the service and positive change that should be given to people. What are deemed as “privileges” are supposedly tools for leaders to be able to fulfill their responsibilities of serving and creating an environment fit for the people to grow and be the best versions of themselves.
The popular view of a leader is one who has all the conveniences at hand. Everyone desires to be on top in thinking that it promises countless privileges that make life easy and enjoyable. The true essence of leadership is actually the opposite. It is not focusing on what you can get, but what you can give to people. It is not how the world can change you, but how you can change the world for the better.
If you missed the Unpopular series, you may listen to the podcasts here.
Here it is!!! The video of Julia’s performance during her ballet recital.
Here are the photos I took during Halili-Cruz School of Ballet’s Celebration of Dance in which Julia was part of:
Our family beamed with pride as we watched Julia perform in her first ballet recital at the Meralco Theater last Wednesday. It perfectly capped off Mama’s special day.
Someone finally got dancing chops in the family! đ
It is very apparent that she’s not forced into this stuff. đ
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