A: THINGS WE CAN DO FOR OUR MOMS THIS MOTHER'S DAY! :)

I have shared in my entry about the Women I look up to how big of an influence my mom is to who I am today - like most moms are to their children, right? I can go on forever about the good qualities my mom possesses, about the lessons she taught me, and the dreams she helped me reach. She is my hero, the wind beneath my wings.

In my 24 years of existence, I have seen how my mom dedicated her life, time, and love to one else but me. She worked hard to support my studies, she put a roof over my head, food on the table, and gave me the kind of life that some parents could only dream of giving their kids. And to her and the things she did and provided me, I will be forever grateful. 

I guess it is quite obvious why the beginning of this blog entry is all about my mom. Well, if it's not so obvious, then it is because of Mother's day! I am sad that I will not get to be with her this mother's day, but if I can, then I'd make sure I make the day count and make it memorable, it is after all the ONLY day that is dedicated to moms like her. I say that because it  seems like it's always "daughter and son day", it's always us who are the focus. So let us all put our moms in the spotlight, and at least on the day dedicated to them, make them feel like the star that they are! Here are some way we can celebrate mother's day with our mommahs. Some of these things are very simple and quite ordinary, but I bet most of these things, we have never tried doing.

1.    Take her out on a fancy resto

My mom is a very simple woman. She enjoys fast food meals, eating at food centres, some good old home cooking, and you know the rest. But, I know she also enjoys some nice fine dining from time to time.

Try to look for a nice restaurant days before the day you plan to celebrate mother’s day with your mom. If you plan to take her out on the evening of mother’s day itself, then I would suggest you book reservations as well. It can be heartbreaking to get to a restaurant only to find out that you have to wait for hours just to be seated, or worse, you cannot eat there at all.

If your mom is that kind that likes to try new types of food and is game for some adventure when it comes to dishes, then take her to a place that serves meals that you know she has not tried before. It too can be a nice way to share a "first" if you too have not tried eating in that resto before. But if your mom would rather enjoy the dishes she's familiar with, then take her to a place that serves meals that she likes. Only this time, try to look for the most popular restaurants for her favorite dish/es.

2.    Take her to a spa or a salon

Basically, take her to a place where she can be pampered and experience just full relaxation.

If us young ladies deserve pampering, our moms do too! In fact, I think, they deserve it way more than we do. One nice nail salon that I can recommend is CaliforniaNalls and Day Spa at Market! Market! in Taguig City. Although the store unit is quite small, the seats are very comfortable, the ambience is relaxing, and their attendants are very pleasant.

Spas in the Philippines are almost everywhere. You can choose from the most famous ones or maybe try the newer ones and sign up for membership! You can also take mom to a dermatology clinic and let her receive pampering there while getting rid of any unwanted “stuff” on her face. Or maybe take her to a massage place and have her choose from the wide variety of types of massages that every massage place now has.

3.    Take her to the movies

This should be a no-brainer. In fact, I think, there should be a law that dictates that every daughter/son, once they can already afford to buy movie tix, should take their folks to the movies at least once a month, or whenever their parents's favorite star's movie is showing.

This mother’s day, taking our moms to the movies can be the easiest idea for anyone. If you can book tickets ahead of time by doing it online, then make sure you book tickets days before your plan date with your mother. But if not, then you can always go to the movie house early to have your seats reserved.

4.    Take her window shopping

Again, another very obvious way to say, “thank you” to mom would be to take her shopping, but if you do not yet have the means to buy her anything, then you can take her window shopping. Believe me, most moms would really appreciate the time you will spend with them. It can be a good way to catch up on the gossip with mom too! Haha!

5.    Buy her something new

I know I have mentioned in tip no.4 that if you do not yet have the power to buy mom anything new, then you can always just take her window shopping. And while it is always nice to make sure you always make time to be with your mom, once you start earning money, it will not hurt to spend a few hundreds or even thousands to buy her something nice. Something you know she’d really like. Something she would really love to have, but will never buy using her own money. Surprise her! Add in a cute ribbon and a card with a sweet message, and you have a really memorable mother’s day gift.

6.    Take her on an out-of-town trip

Instead of buying her a souvenir you bought from Palawan, why not take her there instead?  Let her shop for pasalubong she would like to give her friends. Let’s all admit it, most of us would rather go to different corners of the Philippines with our friends than parents. If that is 100% true for you, then this mother’s day is the time to at least give our "bonding with no one else but my friends" addiction  a break.

Even a quick trip to Tagaytay would be appreciated, I am positive about that. Prepare food, bring blanket to sit on (is this still how they do it there? Please correct me if I am wrong) to have that picnic aura, and take tons of pictures!

7.    Go out-of-the-country

Now this, I have already crossed out on my list. Last year, I took my mom to Singapore as my mother’s day gift to her. It was her first time to fly out-of-the-country, and I could tell from the look she had on her face that she was very nervous and excited about it. The feeling was priceless.

Now for this one, unless you stay in the country where you plan to take your mom, then you will need to save quite an amount of money. But of course, the trick is to get suggestions and gather feedback from people who have already gone to the country you’re planning to visit. Ask about their approx budget, what kind of hotel they stayed in, what kind of food they normally serve, and of course, how safe the country is.

8.    Do a make-over

I don’t know about your mom, but mine is pretty simple. She doesn't change her look that often. So this mother’s day, we can all try to do either an overall or just a simple makeover. Maybe have her have a haircut or her hair dyed. Or maybe have her try nail art, or gelish nails,  or a change in wardrobe. But remember, you are doing the makeover to make her feel happy and confident, not to make YOU feel happy about your purchases.

9.    Cook for her

If you plan to stay in and watch rented (and by “rented” I really meant illegally downloaded. Haha!) movies at home with your mom, then might as well cook for her! You can either cook a main dish or maybe go for dessert that you can dig into while you watch a movie.

If you're not very good at cooking, then you still shouldn't worry about a thing. You can always go online, or better yet go to Youtube, and search for the dish you would like to cook or the dessert you would like to make. If you stick with the measurements and the steps, you are sure to receive 5 star mark from your mom. I know I did! ;)

10. Clean the house for her

Mother’s day should also be considered as the day when our moms wouldn't need to work a muscle to do any kind of household chore. But dirt isn't going to clean itself, so what else to do but do the chores ourselves! We all may never be able to clean as nicely as our moms could, but a little sweeping and mopping inside the house would be appreciated, I bet. You can also do a little house makeover and change the positions of the furniture a bit. Place some décor that wasn’t there before, change the drapes, and arrange picture frames and other house displays.

11. Buy her something online
For people who are far from their moms just like me, we still have a way we can make our moms feel special on mother's day. Purchase a gift online! It is best to do this weeks before mother's day to make sure the delivery will not be so late or if lucky, will be exactly on mother's day. 

It is nice to make sure to make our moms feel special on the day that is dedicated to mothers, but what will be nicer is to treat her like it is always mother's day. Why wait for May when you can accomplish all the things above on her birthday or Christmas, or on an ordinary Tuesday? And I believe that how we spend mother’s day with our moms is not about where we can take them or what we can buy for them, it is still, always about the effort we exerted, and the thought that will count.

I would of course like to dedicate this entry to my mom, I love you to pieces, to inay Laki, to all my cousins who were all like mothers and sisters to me, to mommy Nolie who wasn’t only a mentor but also a mother to me, to my mommy Ron, mommy Min, and to all those who frowned upon my bad deeds and helped me become a slightly (haha!) better person. Me loves yoooo!

To all the moms all over the world, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Spread the love! – A

A: What I LOOOOOOVE about Singapore

Singapore is known to be a "fine" city, and while it is true that there are a lot of rules that you will be fined on if disobeyed, once you get to stay here, you would understand how and why it is after all, really a FINE city. No pun intended.

It was more than two years ago when my boyfriend and I first came to SG for a 4-day vacation. Boy did we love what we saw from the time we stepped out of the plane! There were three things that amazed me/us the most about the country: it's clean, it's organized, and it's safe. And these things, alongside many other aspects, made deciding to come back here to try to find a job a lot easier. Now, it has been more than a year since I started working here, but Singapore still surprises me with the beauty it can offer. This country is truly one of those places you should not miss to visit, and here are just some of the many reasons why I say so:

DON'T WORRY, BE CLASSY

If you like sporting out your pricy gadgets, expensive blings, and designer items without worrying about someone trying to steal them from you, then Singapore is the place to be.

Have you ever seen anyone reserve a table in a food centre by leaving her Louis Vuitton bag on top of it? That is what I call, reserving a table Singapore style. I really love the fact that I can be carrying around a zipper-less bag and still not worry that someone may try to stick his hands inside and take something important from my bag. And though the government is still advising everyone to be vigilant as crimes can and sometimes do happen, the security that I feel while in this country is just incomparable.

Carry your gadgets anywhere, anytime, and not worry about anything!!! (Special thanks to my friend who didn't think twice about modelling for me, Nikki Shayne Del Rosario! Ü)

ONE CARD TO RULE THEM ALL

I hate needing to make sure I have exact amount of money to pay for transpo, and that is why I am thankful for Singapore's EZ-Link card! I can take buses, trains, and cabs, and not worry about how much loose change I have. All I need is one swipe of the card! How convenient is that?!

Singapore’s EZ-link card makes travelling hassle-free. Passengers just need to tap the card on what I will call as the "EZ-link machine" and fare will be automatically deducted. And if you’re already running low on credit, you will know right away because the machines will show you how much money you have in your card every time you alight a bus or exit a train station. Train stations have loading stations for the card, all you need is to “top-up” and you’re good to go!

PARK HERE, PARK THERE, PARKS EVERYWHERE

Singapore, as I would quickly describe it, is a country filled with nice buildings. And though it cannot offer you mountains for some trekking activities or beaches for your summer getaways, it can give you nicely landscaped parks good for jogging, walking, cycling, roller blading, and other activities that require clean and even roads.

To name a few, there is Punggol Waterway Park, Punggol Park, and Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park. These parks are the ones we usually visit to enjoy some outdoor physical exercises. I learned how to turn left and right on my bike while cycling in Punggol Park, my first bike accident happened in Punggol Waterway Park (the park is not to blame, I was not using my head. Haha!), and my first laser tag experience was in Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park. 

TO THE LEFT, TO THE LEFT

Have you experienced running late for a meet up or for work and you got on an escalator and you had to weave through people to get to reach your floor? Too much of a hassle and can easily ruin a good mood, right? Well, not here in Singapore. Singapore takes the “keep left” phrase seriously. You can observe that while walking on the streets, through the cars on the road, and even in escalators. And it makes reaching your destination a lot easier. The usual sight in malls would be people getting on an escalator and going for the left side and keeping the right side vacant for people who prefer to walk up or down the escalator. 

SOOO CLEAN

Again, let me say, I am so amazed as to how clean this country is. I enjoy looking at people here as they try to find the nearest trash bin for their small pieces of litter. It's priceless to see how they are concerned in keeping their environment clean that they will make an effort to put where garbage is supposed to be. And though there are a lot of street sweepers in Singapore, it is evident that Singaporeans and other people living here have that respect for their surrounding. If you’re lucky, you will be scolded by a local if you get caught littering, and you’d deserve that.

MEGASTRUCTURES! C'MON!

A boat-shaped structure on top of three buildings aka Marina Bay Sands. Now that's something you don’t see everyday. Come to Singapore and see extraordinary infrastructures. The Merlion, the durian-shaped Esplanade Convention Centre, the flower-shaped museum, and who knows what else they will build in the future. These buildings are so nice we make sure every loved one who comes here for a visit will have a photo taken with those landmarks in the background.

Photo sources: www.atlantis-lodge.com, upload.wikimedia.org, www.inhabitat.com, www.zdistrict.com

RESERVED

Now though Singapore is a fast-paced country, it takes its time to make sure people who should be given more priority are always taken into consideration. Buses, trains, and even pedestrian crossings, have given priority to the elderly, kids, pregnant women, and the disabled. I personally love the sensor they attached on top of the button you press for crossing the road. The sensor they attached is for the elderly to tap their EZ-link cards (for the elderly) on to get longer crossing time. Reserved seats for the elderly, pregnant, and disabled are plenty in trains and buses as well. People usually avoid sitting on those seats even when there are no any elderly people or pregnant women around.

Singapore may be a small country, but it has a huge and colorful history behind it. And it being a melting pot of many cultures and races makes visiting the country and meeting its people a lot more interesting. 

Spread some Singapore-lovin!

- A! :)