Top 5 Things I'm Loving Now - May 1, 2012

If you’re an avid visitor of spot.ph, an entertainment and lifestyle website, you would be familiar with this format. In fact, I watch out for it every week. It’s a Top 10 list with random things that the writer is loving at the moment. It may be neat gadget, a yummy drink or popsicle find from their nearest 7Eleven or a cool event that’s happening in the metro. It’s as random as can be. That’s the format I’m trying to incorporate in this blog.



So here’s my very first Top 5 Things I’m Loving at the Moment. I really wanted to write about 10 initially. But in order to have more updates, I though I’d resort to 5...for now. ;-)


Number 5: Southern Blend Iced Tea from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

 For their tea of the day, I had the choice between the Southern Blend and Vanilla Ceylon. I was going to get the latter but it’s a good thing that I decided to ask the cashier what the Southern Blend exactly is. The cashier was going to enumerate it. But when he first said the taste of flower petals, I was already sold. I didn’t bother to hear the rest. I love Jasmine tea and Chrysanthemum. This shouldn’t be far off, I thought. Well, it isn’t. The drink is nice and refreshing. Just the right amount of sweetness and it goes down very smoothly. If you’re not a fan of tea because you don’t like the tannin aftertaste, that won’t be a problem for this drink. It’s not too noticeable. If you’ve been to Memphis, this drink is exactly like their Sweet Tea there. Really yummy!


The drink only costs P95 for the regular size. Pair it with the Triple Decker Cheesecake at P135 a slice like I did and you should be off to an indulgent and well-deserved afternoon treat!


Number 4: SM Bonus Liquid Floor Wax




Sorry the bottle looks icky. You can tell it's being used a lot! ;-)

 You probably don’t know this about me. But I’m really OC or anal when it comes to cleaning the house. Naturally, there are particular cleaning products that I lean towards that do the job as it should. Often, I have the mindset that the more expensive it is, the better it cleans. After discovering SM Bonus’ liquid floor wax, I was proven wrong. I always went for Pledge. It does fine but SM Bonus’ liquid wax does it better.


The purchase was an “accident.” Working for BDO, my husband was given Sodexo GCs after Christmas. Our only option for grocery shopping was SM Hypermart. And since SM, for obvious reasons, is loyal to their own SM bonus brand, they wiped out the other competition. That is precisely the reason why they don’t sell brands like Colgate, Pledge, and the like. Needing liquid wax badly at that time for my OC weekend cleaning, I was ‘stuck’ with the SM Bonus brand. And I’m glad I was. The SM Bonus liquid wax really does make the floor so shiny! I could almost see my reflection our wooden floor! It stays shiny longer too than Pledge. I can’t remember the exact price but I’m pretty sure it’s at least P20 cheaper than Pledge?


Number 3: “Decorate: 1000 Professional Ideas Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home” book



Source: http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/DECORATE-book1.jpg



I’m always fond of going to bookstores when I need to kill time. My recent find is “Decorate” by Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick at the National Bookstore in the PowerPlant Mall. I’m sure this book is available in other stores and branches.


I say that this is one of the things that I’m loving at the moment because the book is truly inspiring! Upon skimming the whole book, it made me want immediately run home and redecorate! The book is loaded with pictures for inspiration and their design sense is almost Ikea-ish. The rooms they feature look lived-in and not like model homes (which often do not have televisions!) I mean, really, do you know anyone who doesn’t have a television or two at home??!?? They feature modern homes that still look homey. There are bits and splashes of colour everywhere and most of all, all the homes have character! These are not intimidating homes though. You can easily be inspired by the pictures to make tiny changes in your home that are inexpensive but will draw a lot of impact.


The book retails at P1,545. Decorate away! ;-)


Number 2: Ink eMagazines at http://www.ink-live.com/

I found out about this website from another blog that I frequent. It was one of the links that he included in his entry to forward us to an article that he wrote. Anyway, I became giddy as I explored the website. What a gem! And it’s all free! All you have to do is register, really.


In a nutshell, this is a website that allows free access to airline magazines. When you fly with Cebu Pacific, they have the Smile magazine right? Well, this is available here – back issues included! To top it all off, other magazines like TimeOut Singapore, Thomas Cook’s Travel, Jetstar, Air Macau, Holland Herald and 45 others! Upon registering, just make sure to click on “Update Profile” on the top right corner, then “Select Magazines” so you can add the magazines that you wish to have access to. Such excellent travel resource! In particular, I love reading those destination blurbs in the Smile magazine near the end. Each domestic and international destination that Cebu Pacific flies to has a little section. The contributor is a local of that place and they talk about their most favorite secret breakfast place, bar, best food recommendation, and the like. This is sooooo helpful if you’re the assigned itinerary creator in your trip like I am. ;-)


Although you can access this as well in any mobile device like your iPad, just a note that you really need a fast connection to access this. Otherwise, it’s easy to get frustrated. I wish that they would allow downloading of their issues straight from the website into the iBook or something. This way, you can access them and read them even when you’re offline or even if your wifi is slow.


Number 1: Golden Euphoria Cake from Maitre Chocolatier

When looking at any restaurant menu, it’s very rare to find the actual food serving looking better than it is in the picture. Especially when it comes to dessert.

Well, Maitre Chocolatier really did impress! Not only is their food better looking than their pictures but the cake that we had was truly amazing! I’m talking about their Golden Euphoria –Ferrero Hazelnut Cake. The name alone begs for high expectations already. And the ohhh the pictures! The actual dessert? Real orgasmic. ;-) Hahaha! The texture mixes smooth and crunchy really well. Chocolate is everywhere in different levels of sweetness and texture. Meant to be savored one tiny though indulgent bite at a time and definitely NOT meant for sharing! Trust me on this or else a fight might ensue! ;-) Hahaha! This one definitely made my list of Top 5 dessert of all time.

A slice of the Golden Euphoria costs P218. I’m trying to remember but I think we had to pay extra for VAT and Service Charge. Maitre Chocolatier is along Jupiter Street Extension in Makati. Coming from Makati Avenue, go to the Jupiter part heading to the MRT. It’s near the Starbuck’s there. Enjoy your orgasm! Oooops, I meant dessert! ;-) LOL

A Website for all Music Lovers

You will absolutely love me for this great find! I mean, you won't have to download any music or purchase albums EVER for the rest of your life! You're not only freeing up your hard drive but as long as you've got WiFi or a good internet connection, you can listen to your favorite songs and albums whenever you want. If you're one like me who doesn't have a clue about current hits, this is also a best way for you to get updated. Find out what's popular and what everyone is listening to with just a click of the mouse. You can even create your own playlist and access it whenever you're online. It's like having a virtual iPod or iTunes without using up your disk space. As long as you've got access to Adobe Flash (iPads, unfortunately, can't run Adobe Flash), you may also listen to radio stations.

Alright. Did I hype it up too much already? ;-) I'm talking about grooveshark.com. You can get to the site by clicking THIS.

And I'm really not exaggerating about how handy it is for me. As a teacher, I use it to play music for when my students are doing work in the classroom. Music gets them in Zen mode and they actually end up being more focused. When we wrapped up the school year a few weeks ago, grooveshark.com came handy as well as back-up music for our classroom parties. I didn't have to bring CDs or MP3s. Best of all, I just had to click on the "Popular" icon on the left side and play away. The kids recognized all the songs and they enjoyed them too. For an "old timer" like me, it saved me some guess-work on figuring out what's 'cool' music nowadays...;-)

The only thing I wish to change about grooveshark.com are those annoying ads on the side. It has the option to remove ads but it's something that you'll have to pay for. It's something that you can get used to though. Not really something that's too bothersome since the ads really only stay on a box on the right side. They're not the pop-up type that just appear all over the screen.

It's important to note too that I think Grooveshark works on phones as well. iPads and iPhones don't and can't run Adobe Flash Player. But I'm sure other phones like Sony Ericksson, Nokia, and the likes should be fine with it.

IMAGE SOURCE:

http://quadrosneil.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/grooveshark.jpg

My Top 5 Free iPad Apps (at the moment!)

As you know, there are just too many iPad apps to sift through. So I don't think this is a definitive list of my Top 5 iPad apps of all time. Rather, I'm only sharing with you my 5 favorite free apps at the moment. Most of them require internet connection. But once you have that, these 5 apps can surely keep you amused for hours! Some of them are excellent utilities or resource tools as well. Here they are:

5.) Tap TV

Make your iPad a handy TV! With 17 channels to choose from, this app will definitely eat up a lot of your time. The channels are not necessarily channels you'll find on your television at home. Rather, the 'channels' include the likes of Documentary TV, Travel, Kids' TV, Best of YouTube, Silent Movies, Tap TV, and many others. My personal favorite is the Audio Books channel. Here they've got audio books of novels and short stories like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and works by Kafka, Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, O. Henry, Tolstoy and even Rudyard Kipling. So far there are only 30 audio books there. I really hope that they'll keep adding more.

To enjoy and maximize this app, you really need to have fast internet connection. Otherwise, the movies/shows will take a very long time to load and it will just end up frustrating you. Don't forget to have your earphones with you too!

4.) AllRecipes

Not sure what to make for dinner? Install this app and you'll end up with a thousand and one ideas at the very least! ;-) You can filter the thousands of recipes in this app by choosing the meal course, the main ingredient, the cooking method, and even your cooking time preference! Once you've chosen, sumptious pictures of food items that fit all of your preferences will show up side by side on the screen. Tap on the picture and from there, you can find the recipe, calorie count, and reviews of people who have tried the recipe. Some recipes are tweaked to make them better. They're all documented there too. I suggest that you do read the reviews before trying a recipe. The contributors aren't necessarily chefs or professional cooks, etc. The reviews will give you an idea of the ingredients that you can leave out, which ingredients there are too much of/not enough of in the original recipe, and so forth. Nonetheless, this is an excellent starting point. I imagine you will find lots of recipes here that you can include in your repertoire. ;-)

3.) Paper Desk LT

This is only the lite version of Paper Desk. That one's free. But if you'd like to upgrade, it'll cost you a mere $2.99. It's very cheap, but frankly, the lite version on its own will do. There's already so much that you can do on the lite version alone!

So what is Paper Desk? Do you know of Smart Pen? Well, this app will allow you to do everything that you can do on the Smart Pen. It's kind of like an interactive notebook. You can record audio on there, take pictures, type up notes, write actual notes on the screen, and/or combine any or all of these into one file. It's an app that you can definitely use during meetings or if you're a student, during lectures. You can save the file right on your iPad or email them, move them to your Google Docs, or print them! It's real handy. And for someone who's neither a student or one who goes to meetings either, I just use it to write my "To Do" lists. ;-) I'm sure anyone can find other uses for this very helpful app.

2.) Houzz

Looking for interior design inspiration? Once you've installed Houzz, you can browse through close to 150,000 photos of beautifully designed homes. Whatever your design sense may happen to be, you're bound to find lots of inspiration from these pictures. The photos are categorized by the type of space. From powder room, staircase, landscape, kids' rooms, home office, porch, closet, and of course, the usual bedroom, bathroom, living room, and dining room -- they're all there! Aside from photos, there are three other sections that you can look at as well. There's one on Ideabooks. These have articles and more pictures(!) to give you tips and suggestions on DIY projects that you can do, assistance on how you can choose the right paint colour, how to choose a theme, and so many other topics under the sun. They're categorized as well so it's really very easy to browse through.

If you live in North America (ie: Canada and the United States), there's also a section on Professionals that you can get in touch with to get the job done. From architects to general contractors to interior designers, you can find their contact info here as well as samples of their work. There's another section called "My Houzz" where you can create your own Ideabook article. I haven't explored that one yet. I think it requires you to register.

1.) Tune In Radio

Pick any city in the world, a random station from the list, let it buffer, and within seconds, there you are -- listening to live radio streaming! Aside from location, the stations are organized too by music genre and there's also a separate category for sports and talk radio (the AM ones, I assume). It's a great way to beat feeling homesick in my case. I listen to Calgary radio stations, alternating between Up 97.7, 98.5 Virgin Radio, and Kool 101.5. when I'm doing my chores or simply want to listen to music while surfing the net. If it weren't for the Manila heat, I could swear it felt like I was back in Calgary again. You can hear the advertisement on the radio -- know which places are on sale, be updated on the news, and find out about upcoming events too. Not all of the radio stations on the list do this, but there are some that even specify the song that you're listening to and show a picture of the album it came from right on your iPad screen. It's super neat! The very reason why it's number one on my list! ;-)

Have you got other neat (and free!) iPad apps to share as well? Please leave a note in the message section. In the mean time, I'll continue to keep my eyes open for more neat apps. Enjoy and install away! ;-)

Image Sources:

http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/049/Purple/79/11/d5/mzl.ztemqhwz.480x480-75.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.shelterpop.com/media/2010/07/houzz-app-ipad-iphone-590kb072710.jpg

http://st.houzz.com/simages/84087_0_8-6587--.jpg

http://cdn.ilovefreesoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/tap-tv-337x450.jpg

http://www.tabletpc-news.com/images/Best%20Cooking%20And%20Recipe%20Apps%20For%20The%20IPad_0.jpg

http://obamapacman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TuneIn-Radio-iPad-by-location.jpg

Cool Bazaar Finds

We did our bazaar rounds yesterday. I checked Clickthecity and Spot.ph and found out that there's at least 10 bazaar events going on in the city! My husband and I didn't leave the house until noon. After having lunch at Salcedo Market, we only had time to go to 4 bazaars. And at around 7 pm, we were just so tired that we called it a day and went back home. Namely, we went to the Marche Bazaar at Makati Sports Club, Esprit de Noel at A. Venue, the Brown Bag Market at The Collective, and the Karl Edwards Bazaar at the BGC (Bonifacio Global City). Esprit de Noel mostly sold clothes, branded overruns, toys, and perfumes. The Brown Bag Market sold bag organizers, books, a few dessert items, and clothes as well. These two bazaars were nice too but most of our cool finds were really from the Marche Bazaar and Karl Edwards. Here's a small list of my awesome finds from one afternoon of bazaar-hopping: ;-)

1.) Customized Jewellery Boxes

Every year, it always seems to be a challenge to find the most perfect gift for my in-laws. My mother-in-law, in particular, already has a large and varied collection of perfumes, bags, and shoes. Jojo's sisters (ie: my sister-in-laws) always give her watches and jewellery so that's out of the question too. She's got all the cooking supplies that she needs and she's not much of a techie person so gadgets might not be appreciated. What else is there to give?!?? ;-) Well, I had a big lightbulb moment when I passed through this particular stall at the Marche bazaar. The nice red texture of the jewellery boxes caught my eye. Heyyyyyy, why not give her a jewellery box?!?? ;-) I looked through the set and found them in many different sizes and uses. There's one for watches that come with small pillows inside already. There's another particularly for bracelets and bangles. And there's another where you can specifically store rings and earrings. And the best part of it all? They customize!

I spoke with the nice lady that manned the booth. I'm pretty sure she's the owner. She's so pleasant to talk to and she even gave us a discount! I told her I wanted a whole jewellery box set. One would be a really large one with a window and compartments inside -- 2/3 of the box with large compartments for bangles and bracelets and the other third, with much smaller compartments for necklaces. I wanted two smaller jewellery boxes too. Each of these will be half the size of the larger jewellery box so you can pile them all up perfectly. Anyway, one of the smaller jewellery boxes will be for watches -- 3 compartments with pillows. The other would just be for rings and earrings. To store them, you'll just have to stick them in these slots. All of the jewellery boxes will match, of course. They'll be in this bright red color --- my mother in law's favorite! Your jaw will drop after hearing how much everything is. They're all only 1,000 pesos ($40 USD roughly). She asked for a 50% deposit and she'll have them delivered for free too. That is, as long as you're in the Makati area. I got her to have them delivered at Jojo's office. The lady promised that by Friday (6 days later), Jojo should have the jewellery box sets already. Super cool! ;-) I regretted not having a whole set customized for myself too. Well, the good news is that although they don't have a physical store (except at these bazaars), you can order from them anytime. Here's her contact info if you want to order some for yourself or as gifts too! ;-)

Name: Kath Bautista

Website: santafactory.multiply.com

Email: kathbautista888@gmail.com

Phone: (632) 506-2523

Mobile: (0917) 587-5250

2.) Notepad Sets, Notebook Sets, Recipe Organizer, Calling Card Organizers, etc.

This is another stall that we found at the Marche Bazaar. It was one of the first that we saw, actually. Being a sucker for everything cute and pretty (of course!), it was the polka-dotted and damask boxes that caught my eye. They came in different colors too. The stall also sold box sets with pad paper in them. There's this cute green and pink box that had 6 small pads of paper with the heading "Things to Do." There's also another set that came in a different box with the heading "To do," "To Buy," and "To Call" right at the top. You can circle one of the three and there you have it -- a multi-purpose pad paper. I guess any pad paper can have multiple purposes. But isn't it neat to have it come with the heading already? ;-) Just one of those things...;-)

There's a bunch of other stuff there. I took a minute to browse through the stall and within that time, 2 ladies came by and bought in bulk! Between the two of them, I think they bought about 20 or 30 of these notebook sets that they had. A set came with three notebooks in a box for only 100 pesos! What a deal! I think they also bought a set of 10 handcrafted any-occasion cards that also came in a box. I didn't buy any of those so I don't have pictures. Although it was tempting to get them, frankly, I didn't have anyone to buy it for. I'm done with the girls on my Christmas list and I had to practice restraint. Boy stuff is what I needed to get. Anyway, you can order from them year round. Just give them a call, send an email, or purchase online! Interested? Check out their contact info below:

Name: Lilit Almendral

Website: boxesandprints.multiply.com

Email: lilitalmendral@yahoo.com

Phone: (632) 890-6954

Address: 3300 Zapote Street, Makati City

3.) Sugar Plum Bath Sets, Lotion, and other Toiletries

We found this stall over at Karl Edwards. Karl Edwards run their bazaars every weekend, I think. So if you want to, I'm sure you can still catch them and purchase straight from this stall. Anyway, it's really impossible to miss this stall. Not only will your nose lead you there (the stall smells very fruity and fragrant!) but the decor will catch your eye because it's really as girly as girly can be! ;-) Out of a better adjective or comparison, let me say that it was very 'Crabtree and Evelyn' but in a more girly and whimsical sort of way. I literally hyperventilated when I saw the stall and my husband can attest to that. ;-) You see, I'm also a sucker when it comes to bath sets, lotions, and anything that smells nice. And this stall had all of that. To top it all off (which is the reason why I hyperventilated a second time!), the stall was on sale too!!! Oh my! ;-) Let me just give you a rundown of the prices from memory. Their lotions were only 80 pesos each, bath sets (soap, lotion, and bath gel in a metal case or this small porcelain tub) were only 120 pesos, sprays and mists were only 150 pesos, and larger bath sets started at 200 pesos, I think. Everything was presented nicely with ribbons and all. Best of all, I found out that Sugarplum does not test on animals as it said at the back of the bottle. The scents range from Strawberry cream (my favorite among the lot!), Raspberry Vanilla, Sweet Pea, Cherry Blossom, and many others. I've had the chance to try their lotion and I like how the scent is not too overpowering. It smells very nice and it does stay, but it's not one to overpower your perfume. It absorbs fine and isn't greasy at all. I like it! ;-) By the way, they also sell scent diffusers for only 200 pesos. From our visit there, it seems that this is their most popular item. I'll just have to remember to come back and buy this next time. ;-)

4.) Inexpensive Perfumes, Lip Balms, Mists, Make up, and Gift Sets

You'll have to forgive me because I didn't get the name of the stall and we weren't able to take pictures as well. We were in a rush to go because we were trying to reach the credit card payment booth which closed at 7 pm over at the Karl Edwards bazaar. So how can you find this booth? If I remember correctly, it's near the middle part of the bazaar. You won't miss it because it's the stall that sells Burt's Bees lip balm, lotion, and other Mary Kate and Ashley make up at 3 for 120 pesos!!! They sell Victoria's Secret mist and lotion at 2 for 550 pesos! I also bought these mini-travel sets from Victoria's Secret and Jessica Mclintock (for the reason that this scent reminds me of my Mom!) for only 450 pesos each or 3 for 1,000 pesos!!! It was just crazy!!!! Sorry for all the exclamation marks, by the way. ;-) Oh, another way to find this booth? It's the one with a lot of people crowding around it. I really wanted to browse some more but I was peeved with all these girls crowding around the table like they're the only people in the world. Like, seriously! Don't they know that there's a hyperventillating shopaholic behind them??!?? ;-) Hahaha! ;-) I browsed through their stuff quickly and decided to come back to wait until everybody's gone. But when I came back, there was another group of people crowding around it! Well, as any crazy shopaholic would do, I squeezed in or at least tried to stick my arm between all these people and grabbed at all the items that I could. ;-) I ended up buying 6 things from the 3 for 120 pesos box and 3 of the travel sets. Apart from the 2 Victoria's Secret and 1 Jessica Mclintock travel sets, I mostly stocked up on the Burt's Bees products and this eye serum for eye bags. Check out the rest of my loot below. Sadly, I didn't get a business card either. I'm pretty sure this stall is a mainstay at the Karl Edwards bazaar. So check it out before the sale is over! ;-)

Happy shopping, everyone! In the spirit of the Christmas season (well, the 'commercial' gift-giving part of it, that is), my coming entries will revolve around gift ideas and themes that could help you in finally completing that list! Merry Christmas! ;-)

Time to change the songs on your iPod/MP3!

Last year, close to around this same time, I wrote an entry about some of my Christmas album discoveries. You can find it HERE. This year, I want to add to that list with a few more new Christmas album favorites. As my Christmas gift to you, I've also placed a link underneath to let you know where to download them. Enjoy! Maligayang Pasko! (That's "Merry Christmas!" in Filipino for your language lesson for the day!) ;-)

1.) Take 6 (The Most Wonderful Time of the Year)

Are you peeved with the Christmas rush? There's the traffic, crowded malls, long line-ups, and in most cases, a bunch of grumpy people! ;-) It's a very good idea to have this album playing in the car or your personal iPod because its arrangement of classic Christmas favorites are sure to get anyone back in the holiday spirit. Their songs are just soooo cheerful! They're all sung acapella with all of the "instrumentation" and back up sounds done by the members of the Take 6 group. The vocals and harmony are amazing! Their voices are so cool, crisp, and smooth!

There are 10 tracks in the album. I love them all but if I were to pick my favorites, it would include "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," (this is where they really show off the group's excellent and perfect harmony!), "White Christmas," (because they've made it into a great head-bopping song -- you'll know what I mean when you hear it ;-), and "Sleigh Ride" (because it's such a happy song -- perfect background song while doing your Christmas shopping!). ;-)

Click HERE to download this album.

2.) Jadon Lavik (Christmas)

This album is not your typical Christmas one with the classic arrangements. Yes, it has the same classic Christmas favorites like "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Silent Night," and 7 others. But out of a better term, Jadon Lavik has 'Jason Castro'-fied his songs. You're probably scratching your head about now. ;-) Let me explain. Well, first off, Jadon Lavik does sound like Jason Castro. Kinda similar to John Mayer too. It's the same type. As for the songs, Jadon Lavik's album has that acoustic vibe. They're mellow and very 'chill.' ;-) It's a good album to play when you have guests over for a quiet dinner during the holiday season. ;-) It's the perfect background music during conversation and when you're just about to wind it down. As you probably noticed, I do try to match a music album to a particular activity. ;-) My favorite songs in Jadon Lavik's Christmas album are: "O Come All Ye Faithful" (The arrangement is unique. I haven't heard this song arranged to sound so hip! ;-), "Christmas Time is Here" (Jadon Lavik's voice suits this song. It was sung in such a heartfelt way and his voice just makes me gush! ;-), and "Mele Kalekimaka" (It's the first time that I've heard this song. It's a Hawaiian Christmas song and it's just fun to listen to. Really catchy. The song might get stuck in your head for days and I don't think you'll mind...). ;-)

Click HERE to download this album.

3.) Jay R (Christmas Away From Home)

If you're Filipino, you know that this album has been around for a while now. But it's only recently that I really took notice of it and in particular, took notice of the artist named Jay R. Jay R is a really talented singer! I love his sweet and suave vocals. He's got a lot of soul and I love how he sings the high notes. Very smooth. I enjoy listening to him sing because it seems so effortless.

I know Jay R has another Christmas album aside from this. But as for the reason why I picked this one in particular for my list, I chose it because of his rendition of my favorite Christmas song ever --aptly titled nothing but "The Christmas Song." ;-) His voice suits the song really well. There's a hint of nostalgia, mixed with a bit of R&B vibe, and most of all, that sexy and smooth 'he makes me really gush' voice of his. ;-)
This album is a whole assortment of stuff. Admittedly, the selection just seems a bit random. Of the 11 tracks, 4 are instrumental, there's a couple that are R & B and pop-sounding, there's one that has Jazz music undertones, there's an upbeat version of "Drummer Boy," one personal ballad, and of course, classic arrangements of some Christmas favorites. But mainly, this album stays on the list because of one song: "The Christmas Song." ;-) Oh and I also like his version of "Winter Wonderland." ;-) It's good stuff. Hear some homegrown (Filipino) talent and download the album by clicking below. ;-)

Click HERE to download this album.

4.) Katharine McPhee (Christmas is the Time...To Say I Love You)

Frankly, I didn't really take notice of her when she was on American Idol. Although she sounded good, I didn't think Katharine McPhee was a standout. But when I heard her Christmas album, I began to appreciate her more. Katharine McPhee especially sounds good when she sings more somber and heartfelt ballads. The songs are very touching. My favorites include "Who Would Imagine a King" (great restraint and excellent expression! The crescendos and fortes are done in the most perfect spots and her voice just sounds amazing!), "O Little Town of Bethlehem/Away in a Manger Medley" (it's very heartfelt and I think the song is in the perfect pitch and note range that truly showcases Katharine McPhee's voice), and "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" (she goes a bit 'jazz-y" in this song and I think it really suits her. I see her more of a jazz artist than a pop artist anyway). There's really something for everyone in this album. Katharine McPhee goes a bit gospel in "Jingle Bells," full on classic Christmas in "White Christmas," pop ballad on "It's Not Christmas Without You," and jazz as well on a couple of songs. Since she pretty much has all tastes covered, this album is perfect to lug around with you during the Christmas season as background music for whatever activity or occasion. She didn't have rock and heavy metal covered but I think that this album should please everyone. ;-)

Click HERE to download this album.

5.) Straight No Chaser (Christmas Cheers)

This would have to be the funnest Christmas album ever! Most of the 15 tracks are just plain goofy! ;-) Take "We Three Kings" with the Mission Impossible-sounding intro. Oh and there's also the "Christmas Can-Can" -- the perfect holiday chaos song! Have you also heard "The 12 Days of Christmas" to the tune of "Africa"? ;-) Hahaha! And the most amazing thing of all? It's all done acapella! They all have such excellent voices. They've got chorale-type songs here too like "Christmas Time Is Here" where they show off their excellent vocal harmony. There's also something here for everyone in this album. It can be any occasion, or for any group with different musical tastes. For instance, I imagine their song "Who Spiked the Egg Nog" would be the perfect song for an office Christmas party! They also have "I'll Be Home for Christmas" which is very boy-band sounding for friends and family who are fans of NKOTB, Backstreet, and N'Sync. ;-)

Click HERE to download this album.

IMAGE SOURCES:

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Are you having a 'blah' day?

I first saw this video on Inside Edition about a week ago. And since then, I must have viewed it on YouTube about five times already! That little girl never fails to put a smile on my face. She's just so adorable and her positivity is just infectious! Oooh and I love her little dance too. ;-) Hmmm. In fact, I might start doing this in the bathroom too. Watch me go, "Now, my whole house is GREAT! I can do anything good! I love my husband. I love my sisters. I love my laptop. I love my shoes..." ;-) Hahaha! ;-)

Just for laughs...

It's a beautiful and sunshiny Saturday AND a long weekend too. And so far, no power interruptions yet. Thank God! ;-) To make your day even brighter (no pun intended), let me share with you a video that brought a few giggles in the Santillan home this morning. ;-) To appreciate it even more, watch Michael Flatley's video first below. It's just to give you a point of comparison. There's a long intro in that video so you might want to skip to the 2:10 part for Michael Flatley's actual entrance. Then click on the link after that will direct you to the video that features tan ta ra raaaaaannnn: Stavros Flatley!!! ;-) Super cute and adorable duo. You will love it!



CLICK HERE IF YOU'RE READY FOR STAVROS FLATLEY!

Did you see the 2:45 mark with Lagi getting off balance? Jojo finds it a hoot and can't stop laughing! Move over, Michael Flatley! Hahaha! Happy Saturday everyone! ;-)

WARNING: Do not read unless you want to be a couch potato!

I can't believe I only have less than two days left of my spring break. I've had the last nine days off and it just went by sooo fast! We took part in the usual Lenten traditions such as Visita Iglesia, Good Friday fasting and abstinence, and Easter celebrations. Honestly, other than that, I don't quite remember accomplishing anything else.

Well, I did accomplish something. Actually, make that TWO things. It's not exactly a chore, errand, or anything major. In fact, it's not even all that productive. But I had a whole lot of fun doing it! I'm talking about getting caught up on a couple of my favorite TV series! ;-) It's such a bummer that all the TV series that I follow are about a season behind here in the Philippines. I've just given up on following my favorite shows using local cable. Pirated DVDs are even way ahead of them. When the season is over, out goes the pirated DVDs of these shows a few days later. I think they start selling these DVDs in early June some time. That's what I did last year. As a teacher, I have two full months off for summer break. Last year, I used my summer to get caught up on all of my favorite shows. I bought all the DVDs and watched them one after the other. Among my favorites include the 3 CSIs, The Mentalist, Mad Men, The Tudors, Desperate Housewives, Damages, and reality TV shows like Project Runway, Top Design, and So You Think You Can Dance. I watched all these during the summer and waited one whole year before watching the next full season. It wasn't a smart thing to do, frankly. After watching all these shows, you start to confuse the series and storylines -- not to mention forget where you left off in the plot after a full year! ;-)

Well, you can always download each episode on iTunes for a small fee. But being the cheapskate that I am, I tried to get on the Fox or CBS station, etc. to see the online streaming of their shows. ;-) Didn't work though. These websites only allow those with North American IP addresses to view them. It sucks. But I didn't give up. I searched some more online and finally found this gem of a website:

http://www.freeonlineepisodes.net/watch-tv-shows-online/

Wow. It's just an amazing site! I didn't find "Top Design" on it. But this website has a list of about 100 or so TV shows and series that you can click to watch. We're not just talking the current season here. I just got caught up on CSI New York, Season 6 and was surprised to see that they provide online streaming of shows from Season 1 to 5 too! And the list of 100 or so shows, wow! There's a lot there that I've never even heard of. For instance, there's a series called the "Ugly Americans"??!?? Did you know that? Oh and there's one called "The Secret Diary of a Call Girl" too. What's that? Another intriguing series is called "Cupid." Hmmm.

Well, I know for a fact that my husband is going to be thrilled to know that he can watch his favorite series -- Destination Truth, Ghosthunters, and Man vs. Wild whenever he wants now. There's a lot of good stuff there. The hardest decision would be figuring out which one to start with! ;-)

It depends on how fast your connection is. But for me, I usually give the online streaming a 10-minute headstart. Just like YouTube, I let it populate first before watching it from the beginning. The quality of the streaming has always been good. But sometimes and on some episodes, it does get pixelated when you enlarge it to fit the screen.

There you have it. Enjoy hours and hours of fun getting caught up on your favorite episodes! And if you do discover one that is really good, please share and leave me a note to tell me about it! Frankly, after I finish following my favorite shows, I don't think I'd know which one to pick next! It's too confusing and there's just too many choices! ;-)

Michael Jackson Music Going Jazzy??!??

Stop to imagine this for a second. A singer from Amsterdam, Netherlands. It's a female artist singing some of Michael Jackson's hits. It sounds jazzy. And it's accompanied by acoustic guitar this time. Not a pop band with full-out orchestration. So what do you get from all these?
A pretty cool album, actually! ;-) Jojo and I are just LOVING this artist named Trijntje Oosterhuis! Don't even try pronouncing it. I've given up on that a long time ago. And I still can't spell her name from memory. ;-)

Trijntje has come out with an album that is a tribute to Michael Jackson. It's called "Never Can Say Goodbye." It has 14 beautiful tracks from the upbeat "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" to MJ's touching ballads like "Gone Too Soon" and "One Day in Your Life." It even has my most favorite MJ song: "Human Nature"! When you hear her sing, I think you'll agree with me when I say that she has one of the most beautiful and expressive voices around. Her voice is so whole, full and just haunting. This is all accompanied by a sole acoustic guitar which acts as the perfect background to such a powerful voice. Before downloading, have a listen to her here first:



Are you now a fan? ;-) You can download Trijntje's "Never Can Say Goodbye" album HERE. You can also download her other albums HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. ;-) That's six albums in total that you can download as my gift to you. ;-) Enjoy!

Awesome, Non-Mainstream Christmas Music Finds

The Filipinos are known to be a resilient bunch. You'd think that after Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) and Parma (Pepeng) devastated many homes, we'd be feeling completely down in the dumps. Rather, with strength and a strong sense of community to back us up, we deal with it, wipe the dust off of our sleeves, and get on up again. Now everyone seems to be all smiles again. The weather is a bit chillier now, the malls are beginning to get packed, there's Christmas trees and decor everywhere, and Christmas songs fill up all public intercoms now. Yes, it's Christmas season once again (all four months of it!) and there's no stopping the Filipinos from celebrating their most favorite holiday of the year! ;-)

To get you and any "Grinch"s that you know in the Christmas spirit, allow us to share with you some of our recent Christmas album finds. These are not mainstream and I doubt that you've even heard of these artists. In fact, Jojo and I have never heard of them too until now. Jojo enjoys discovering new and unknown artists on the web. He's focused his energy lately on finding Christmas albums. Some of the albums on the list sound quite sentimental and a few are upbeat. Either way, I hope that you'll enjoy these music finds. We'll even tell you where you can download them. ;-) Enjoy! ;-)

1.) WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS by Anthony Evans

I was taken by Anthony Evan's sweet and melt-your-heart vocals. Definitely a voice that will make you fall in love! ;-) I especially loved "Where are You Christmas" and his version of "The Grown Up Christmas List" and "O Holy Night." His is what I classify as "chill" music. Perfect background music for bonding with loved ones and friends around the Christmas tree. ;-)

Click HERE to download.

2.) CHRISTMAS IS... by Mark Masri

Some of the tracks on this album showcase his classical training. There are a couple of songs that have that "lullaby" orchestration. One song sounds like it's straight from a broadway production. There's pop, ballad, and the traditional/classic Christmas take in there too. Mark Masri collaborated with Jim Brickman and Olivia Newton-John on 3 of the songs in the album. I liked his duet with Olivia Newton-John, in particular. "Everytime It Snows" was totally full of heart. I think that's one of Mark Masri's strengths. Just like he did for the track "A Christmas Time With You, " it's obvious that he truly sings from the heart. Whatever your preferences are, there's something for everyone in this album. I think you'll love it. I consider Mark Masri's "Christmas Is" album a perfect one to listen to with a cup of egg nog or hot chocolate. In other words, perfect "senti" music for those who would like to emote...;-) Hahaha! ;-)

Click HERE to download.

3.) WINTER WONDERLAND by Emilie-Claire Barlow

Wow, her voice is so sultry and sexy! I love her voice -- most especially her low register. Just beautiful! I absolutely loved every single song in this album. She's a real delight to listen to. They're all jazz -- though a few songs are more upbeat than others. I consider "What are You Doing New Year's Eve" to be the perfect song for a slow dance with your partner. ;-) Emilie-Claire Barlow shows off her musicality, excellent breath control, and range in the uber-upbeat "Sleigh Ride." She's playful in "Santa Baby,"Baby It's Cold Outside," and "Jack Frost." There are a few senti songs too. But her version of "Let It Snow" will have to be my favorite among all of them. Overall, I think this album is perfect background music for when wrapping Christmas presents. In there, there are songs that can make you giddy. There are "chill" music in there too to alleviate some of the stress that the Christmas season may bring. Overall, it's a delightful album that can keep you company whatever you're doing this Christmas. ;-)

Click HERE to download.

4.) THE MUSIC OF CHRISTMAS by Steven Curtis Chapman

The strength and beauty of this Christmas album lies in the beautiful, inspiring, and touching lyrics of the songs in this album. Close to about half of the 12 tracks were written by Steven Chapman himself. For instance, "Going Home For Christmas" is a song that talks about the first Christmas after the death of an important member in the family. "Christmas is All in the Heart" reminds us about the real essence of Christmas despite the many struggles that we encounter everyday and during the season. "Precious Promise" retells the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of a beautiful promise through Jesus Christ. There are a few other songs originally-composed songs -- all bearing positive messages about Christmas and what it really stands for. Other than these, the album also has other Christmas classics such as "Angels We Have Heard On High," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and many others -- mostly presented as a medley.

Steven Chapman accompanies his songs with an acoustic guitar. Because of this, the songs have that reflective, introspective, and sentimental touch to it. I think it's an album that's perfect to listen to in your car. When the traffic, chaos, and stress of the Christmas season gets to you, this album will definitely help to relax you and remind you of the true purpose of this season...;-)

Click HERE to download.

5.) SENTIMENTAL CHRISTMAS by Kathy Troccoli

From this list, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm partial to jazz. ;-) I love it when my Christmas songs are jazzy! They just go so well together don't you think? Another new discovery that fits this list perfectly is Kathy Troccoli's Sentimental Christmas album. Because of its orchestration, you can hear subtle hints of jazz in the songs. But altogether, Kathy Troccoli sticks to the traditional take on old Christmas favorites. The songs sound just like their original counterpart except this time, adding Kathy Troccoli's smooth, alto vocals. There's a touch of Big Band music in the songs too thanks to the trumpets and drums. The songs, overall, are upbeat and are sure to make you giddy about the Christmas season. ;-) I classify this album as perfect background music for Christmas shopping. It's one to put everyone in a good mood at the start of your Christmas party or Noche Buena! ;-)

Click HERE to download.

There you go! That's our list for now. I'll try to update as soon as I discover another interesting Christmas album. Have a musical Christmas season everyone! ;-)

List-Mania!!!

We admit. My husband and I are not exactly novel-readers. This could be attributed possibly to our short attention spans. ;-) But really, we prefer "Bathroom Reader"-type books or The Book of Lists. We enjoy learning trivia and delving into mysterious and unexpected bits of info about certain events, figures, and how things came to be. There's so much intrigue and conspiracies to uncover. It's all REALLY interesting stuff!

So you can just imagine my excitement when Jojo - my husband, shared NOT a book, but a website with such information with me. Think of the convenience, the accessibility, and the wealth of trivia and information I could find right at my fingertips! I'm talking about a website called Listverse at http://listverse.com/ . Here, you'll find Top 10 lists of anything unexpected and unimaginable! There's one on the Top 10 Most Famous Penises, Top 10 Fascinating Deathbed Confessions, Top 10 Mysteries of the Bible, Ten Truly Bizarre Relationships,
and many, many others!

This website is an excellent stress reliever at work. If you're bored, it's a website that can amuse you for hours on end! The website has been consistent with churning up a new list everyday. I'm loving all of them. They're as random as they can get and that's just the way I like it. ;-) Have fun! ;-)

Going Healthy Ain't So Bad...

We just got the results from my husband's executive medical check-up. Everything looks good except that his cholesterol level increased and he needs to stay within average weight range. Vowing to be healthier, Jojo and I decided to make some changes at home. We understand that it needs to be a lifestyle so we're making the changes sloooowly but surely. Just teeny tiny steps to a healthy lifestyle. ;-) We're focusing on the food choices first. The "exercise" part will come in later. As we all know, that is one that's harder to commit to. ;-)

As for the baby steps, I started by making a balanced and healthy meal for our dinner last night. I didn't want to get us turned off of being healthy. So I knew that it couldn't be a drastic change. Taking a cue from one of Jojo's comfort food, I decided to make a bangus belly dish for our dinner. After all, I know that Jojo can't seem to get enough of the grilled milkfish at Reyes Barbecue. And fish oil, just like olive oil, has soooo many health benefits too. It was going to be bangus belly but I planned to cook it a different way.

To find a great recipe, I relied on this gem of a website: Connie Veneracion's Pinoy Cook. So far, I've already used five of her recipes for Korean Beef Stew, Fish in Chili and Garlic Sauce, Chinese Sausages with Kangkong and Sweet Soy Sauce, Chicken 1-2-3, and now, for Bangus Belly Steak. I mean, I followed each recipe to a tee and none of them did disappoint.
They surpassed all expectations and now, my husband thinks I'm an amazing cook! ;-) I served the Bangus Belly Steak last night for dinner. It was soooo good that we forgot we were eating healthy! ;-) Hahaha! ;-) The dish is ridiculously easy to cook too. When you follow the recipe, you'll be wondering why you'll have to fry and then bake afterwards. Why not just fry the fish and top it with the sauce right? Well, there's a science to it. The sauce seeps better into the fish when it's baked. This whole procedure enhances the flavor. Just follow it through. But you might want to add more onions. Maybe 2 more? The onions go soooo well with the bangus and the sauce. Everything is so tasty! Just make sure to keep basting until all the sauce is gone. And use Knorr Seasoning for the light soy sauce ingredient. It turned out great! Yes, even for an amateur cook like me! ;-)

Now allow me to brag about my kitchen "prowess." ;-) Feast your eyes on my Bangus Belly Steak. Yum!
If Jojo has that cholesterol level to be mindful of, for me, it's more of my circulation. I have a history of cancer on my mother's side too so I really have to work hard on prevention. Another friend suggested that I drink cranberry juice. I researched on it and found out that cranberry juice does not only help cure UTI, but it also acts as an anti-carcinogen, anti-oxidant, and prevents the formation of dental plaque??!?? We are sold! ;-) We rushed off to our favorite grocery store -- Metro at Market, Market. We were a little hesitant to buy just pure cranberry juice. It might be too tart and bitter for our taste. So we thought we'd try out cranberry juice mixed with something else. We found one. We got Ocean Spray's Cran-cherry juice. It's natural, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and very low in sodium! Yay! And the bottle promised that it would taste good too.

So what's the verdict? It did taste good! I know it's a weird comparison. But to me, it tasted like red wine! ;-) I love it! We try to drink one glass a day. Jojo is surprised when I even remind him about it. It just says how much I truly like it. Not just because we have to be healthy and all. But because it's really good! ;-)

Well, so far, it seems like Jojo and I are not making too many sacrifices for the sake of healthy-living. I guess you really don't have to. It's time that we disassociate healthy with "yucky" food. You can have the best of both worlds, can't you? ;-)

Cellphone Makeover!!!

Are you getting bored with your cell phone? Want to spruce it up for free? Just click on this link and have your choice from THOUSANDS of themes, wall papers, ring tones, and games for your phone! Or you can even choose to personalize it yourself by creating your own voice tone, effects, and background! It's a great website and I can guarantee that you'll be amused for hours! ;-)

We learned about this website from my husband's officemate. I'm not one to enjoy fiddling with my phone. In fact, I've never read a manual for anything in my life! ;-) I just don't have the patience. ;-) But I was honestly getting soooo bored with my phone. So sick of the "built-in" ring tone choices (Sony Ericsson greeting) and the same theme (Clarity) which I see and hear day in and day out! My husband, Jojo, came to the rescue and explored this website for me. All he had to was choose the type of phone to upload to and pick from the choices that will automatically come up. The hard part, really, is in making the choice. There's just too many to choose from! But once you have made your choice, you can easily transfer the file through bluetooth. Turn on the bluetooth on your laptop and on your cell phone and you're good to go!

Now I have about 20 themes saved on my phone. For today -- Monday, I chose the Animated Butterfly theme. I'll change the theme depending on my mood tomorrow. ;-) The games saved on my phone include Same Colors, Othello, Quiz for Fun, Rollercoaster Rush 3D, and Speed Machine. I haven't gotten to it yet but I plan to get a Virtual Dog too. ;-)

David Choi's "Only You" Album

David Choi is another of Jojo's discoveries online. Korean in nationality, he's apparently lived in LA all his life as a singer and songwriter. He won a bunch of contests, namely the John Lennon Song Writing Contest and David Bowie's MashUp Contest. But it was his Youtube videos which brought him popularity and made him a sensation. I would classify his music and voice as a mix of Jason Castro, John Mayer, and maybe a bit of Jason Mraz too? A more apt description would probably be calling him the male counterpart of Colbie Caillat.

His music has that indie vibe and are mostly accompanied by a guitar. The songs are cute, heartwarming, and overall -- just "feel good" music. Kinda like the songs that you would hear as background for Korean movies like "Sassy Girl" or something. ;-) Currently, his songs are filed on my iPod as "biking music." The kind that I enjoy listening to on a sunshiny day, while on a bike, without a care in the world. ;-)

Check out the Youtube videos below to get a taste of his music. I honestly love all of the songs. But from the 14 songs in the album, I would say these two are my "favoritest": ;-)





Are you loving David Choi yet? If you are, I found this SITE where you can download his whole album and a few extras. Enjoy!

Talking About Secrets...

There's just something truly liberating when you share a secret that you've kept so long with a friend. Or there's just something totally liberating with sharing them. Period.

Or if you're on the other end, there's nothing more intriguing than being told a secret to. You think you know people. But all of us -- at one point or another, really aren't how we make ourselves seem to be at times. Our thoughts are our own and facades are brought out when we relate to certain individuals.

People are complex creatures and I really don't think that anyone can say that they live mundane lives. I believe that beneath the facades, inside our homes, and deep within our hearts, we all carry secrets. These can be silly secrets, shocking ones, juicy, intriguing, or even painful. But the reality of it -- whether good or bad, these secrets can be a burden to carry. Now, cyberworld has thought of creative ways to let the whole world in to your secret. That is, without letting them know who you are. Liberate yourself and at the same time, stay anonymous. It's an interesting concept.

And for all of us who enjoy intrigue and juicy secrets, it's a great way for us to be let in on these secrets. And that's without being accused of gossiping or being labeled as nosy. "We don't even know who they are!!!" ;-)

Here are the sites for your reading pleasure:
Post Secret
Secret Zen
Secret Chest

A lot of these are quite poetic. Some are entertaining and some can be painful to read. But you have to agree about one thing. Going through these sites help us develop empathy. People have reasons for being the way they are. And really, people just aren't how they seem. There's an inner world beneath these facades. We all have our own stories.

PS: The postcards above aren't my secrets, by the way. Just so you know. ;-)