Life, Day by Day

It's my brother's birthday today and so for his present I am writing about his favorite obsession...running.  Ever since he discovered running, my brother, "the running doc", Dr. Roberto Ledesma has not only run countless marathons and even got featured in FrontRUNNER magazine, but he is also the originator of the Silay City Marathons.  His latest? The Mt. Patag Eco Adventure Endurance Trail Challenge, a   34k / 42K (solo) and 42k (relay) marathon to be held on November 3, 2012 in Silay City.  It is the only full marathon in the country with a non-stop ascending route that ends on top of a mountain. 

One clear outcome of the Masskara Festival of Bacolod was the emergence of masks and mask makers from the time of its inception. Today, there are many kinds available in the market during festival time, a good number coming from China, but none of them could compare with those made by mask maker par excellence, Jojo Vito. Last October 15, I was very lucky to be invited to the opening of Kara, an exhibit of limited edition masks conceptualized by Jojo Vito and Anton Manso, Marketing Consultant of Jojo Vito Designs Gallery.  The display is inspired by the theme of the 2012 Masskara Festival, “Celebrating the good Life in Bacolod”.  Mayor Bing Leonardia with Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Masskara Chairman Mr. Eli Tajanlangit did the ribbon cutting. The exhibit is sponsored by of SM City Bacolod and located at it's North Wing main entrance until October 22, 2012.

This year, Manila’s undisputed nightlife venues – OPUS and REPUBLIQ will again invade Bacolod City for a very exclusive Masskara party experience! Proper Production, GROOVE INK, World Wide Womb & JIVE Crew bring you “The Masskara Roof Deck Party 2012”: two nights of nonstop dancing with the country’s hottest DJs – Bombi Balquiedra, Manolet Dario, John Monreal, Arnel Genterone, Angelo de Dios, Martin Pulgar, Chewy Ramos, Mars Miranda, DJ Nina, Funk Avy, X-Factor, Santi Santos & Karl Ty! Get crazy at the OPUS White Party on October 19, Friday and go wild at the REPUBLIQ Neon Party on October 20, Saturday at the Roof Deck of L’Fisher Chalet Hotel!

I always believed that I was a person who knew how to use credit cards correctly, and so when I was earning enough money, I applied for one.  Well, I was so wrong.  By 2010, I had incurred enough credit card debt that would have enabled me to buy a new car.  But that is getting ahead of my story. Before I begin telling my credit card saga, I would like to make mention of Diner's Card Corporation , the very first company that gave me my very first credit card in 1988. Many years later, I would realize that among my many other credit cards (I had 6), it was the most friendly and had great customer support.  When it was time to close down all my accounts, Diner's gave me the fastest response and facilitated an installment process that was painless and stress-free. All the others get a double, no make that triple thumbs down from me. And so, here are the hard lessons I learned regarding credit card use. Hopefully these will inform and warn potential card holders be...

Now it can be told. Guest, clients and visitors of MERCI food products can now enjoy the services of their newest baby, the MERCI Shuttle Bus! The air-conditioned MERCI flagship 31-seater bus is the newest value-added service of CM & Sons Food Products, the company behind MERCI products.

Who would have thought that what began as an over-the-counter pizza store in Greenhills Commercial Center in 1971 would become this big?  As a student  at the University of Santo Tomas in the mid-70's,  I was very happy to see that there was a Greenwich branch in España right near the overpass!  If I remember correctly, it was  besides the St. Paul's Bookstore. I would go there at least once a week to give myself a pizza or taco treat (yes, they used to sell tacos).  This love affair ended in 1980 when I came home to the province and it was not till the '90's when they opened a small branch in Bacolod that I got to eat my favorite pizza regularly again.  As different malls started to sprout in the city, the store also established branches there.  In 1994, Greenwich was bought by Jollibee Food Corporation and from then on, it continued to grow bigger and better.  Aside from the varied pizza offerings, their menu began to include pasta, rice a...

The Multiply marketing team came to Bacolod City last August 31, 2012 to meet with bloggers and merchants alike. This is in line with their transformation from a social networking site to e-commerce.   I already knew from e-mails and other blogs that the Jakarta based (formerly Florida, USA until early 2012) company will now be focusing purely on e-commerce effective December 1, 2012.  When I first heard about it, I was a little sad but after this meeting, I understood the reasons and merits of the change. Those of us with a Multiply account need not fear that our photos, videos and blog posts will be lost  because the Multiply team will inform and guide all their members with what to do with these.  We then have an option to close our account or transform it into an online shop. I chose to close it down but at the same time I opened not one but two online shops.  Of course, I did not really know what to do with them until I attended this session with th...