doing an outreach activity is nothng new to me, but doing such activity in a school set-up is something new to me. i grew up where charitable activities were done at the suburb areas, home for the aged, street children vicinity, orphanage, etc. but never have i experienced doing it in a school. 

entering a public school's classroom for the first time was really shocking coz i was not aware that public schools have very poor facilities. i think the ambiance really is not conducive for learning. its crowded, and the table and chairs are somewhat dilapidated, and its topsy-turvy to the nth level. plus, the teacher's deck, its as if a typhoon passed by it! its sad to know that there are teachers who really doesn't know the meaning of cleanliness and worst, doesn't mind at all. its so stressful to think about it. :(  ... i realized that im very blessed to have been able to go to good schools and now, to be able to share some blessings to our less fortunate brothers and sisters. 

anyways, that didn't stop me and my team from bringing joy, in the simplest way we can, to these grade 3 students of Oppra. no money can ever repay the genuine smiles that these children gave to us. its very heart-warming. they are just so adorable! so here i am, in action, leading "the boat is sinking game"! hahaha! thank God i'm equipped with teaching skills to get the attention of these children as i used to teach elementary students before, in a private school. :) ..  by the way, im also the camera man! hahaha :)

usually, it should be us manning the whole activity, but then, these children gave us an impromptu surprise. they showcased their dancing prowess to us! amazing how good they groove! :p

now, its not only the children who can groove, some of my teammates showcased their dancing skills too! watch as cherm and aki groove to the tune of "teach me how to dougie"!!! hahahaha :) hear me say, "luod kaau ka aki!" hahahaha :)

in this next video, my teammates starts to distribute the goodies that we've prepared for these kids. I feel like we're the Aquino siblings doing the distribution! hahahhaha :)

this concluded our outreach activity last Dec. 20, 2011. it was FUN! to the readers of my blog. i hope its not too much to ask to do your share of sharing your blessings to our less fortunate brothers and sisters during these festive season. :)

tight hugs,
AC

dec 17, the day after my birthday was our christmas party! Leo (colleague at work) and i agreed that our outfits peg for the party is to wear shorts. so we did, and we ended up wearing the same upper, polo shirt! hahaha :) .. leo is also fasyon! :)

we spent our team's christmas party at a colleague's house. it was a homey old house with old furnitures. i remembered the house of my grandparents. it has the same old sophisticated ambiance. anyways, we hired a caterer for this party and they've prepared this different cuisine. the chilli crab was to DIE for! hahahhaa :) all the food choices were sumptuously yummy!

after having a sumptuous dinner with my colleagues, we then proceeded to the open area outside the house to start playing games! hahaha... we played "trip to jerusalem", pinoy henyo and lots more... the funniest game was pinoy henyo. it was uber hard if you ran out of categories that you can think of! hahahaha! look at our faces as we played the games! lol :)

this is the "trip to jerusalem" game that we did.. if you notice, its a battle of the giants! hahaha... me and leo's finesse is no match to them! hahahaha! :)

next is the "act me a scene" game. where we are given a scenario which we'll portray. the best portrayal wins the game. it was fun! guess what scenes we were portraying! hahaha :p... my team won the this game though! hahahaha :)

next is the "pinoy henyo" game. it was only leo who was able to guess the answer! the others, including me, ended up running out of categories that we can think of! hahaha ... this game, believe me, raised all our voices to the highest level. we were all roudy during the game! brings back the child in us! hihihi :p

after the games, we had our exchanging of gifts. :)

that concluded our team's christmas party! hehe :p

tight hugs,
AC

spent my birthday in a very conventional and simple way, with people who are dearest to me. many would assume that im a very 'maarte' type of person. well, yes, im maarte in so many ways and im also simple in so many ways... hahaha... my adaptability is very extreme! :) when i woke up on the day of my birthday, food is already ready to serve and haven't changed my outfit from the previous day! hahaha... i spent it with my nanay-nanayan and my uber gracious landlady, ate liezel. by the way, setting is in a hawk food station "carinderia", where i usually practice my packing skills! hahaha... i take orders of people, and i also practice my cashiering skills! hahahaha.. funny, people who buy food from this station calls me "sir"! hahaha... they often think that im the owner! hahaha... i just reply, im just having my OJT here! lol :p.. now, im very good at packing viands of different types... weee! :) ...its been a long dream of mine to have a food business, same as this. in God's time, i'll have my own coz i love to cook! :)

didn't take pictures early on while the crispy pata was still on the table coz by the time i sat on the table, i was really uber hungry. i just signaled everybody to start pounding on the food! hahaha.. and they did! apparently, the crispy pata was the first one to be devoured. the cook here makes the best crispy pata in town, so far! i wasnt expecting it to be that good. well, this hawk station really cooks the best comfort food. luv it!

my good friend, cody, called me up at around 9pm today (Dec 15) and told me that he has a favor to ask me, and wants to meet up at around 12am. i asked cody what his favor was but he told me that he'll tell it to me when we meet up. by the way, cody and i work at the same company, separate buildings though. i was really wondering what cody's favor was, but i was thinking that he might borrow cash from me for an emergency or for whatever reason....hahaha... but i told myself, cody is so frugal when it comes to spending. its unlikely that during the festive season, he'll run out of funds so easily! hahaha... not unless, there's an emergency. then, cody pinged me thru IM, 15 mins before 12am, asking me to go to their building. so, i got hold of my atm and went straight to the building where he is currently situated with a sense of emergency. hahaha :)

Lo and behold! when i went to cody's station, he has a cake for me and greeted me "happy birthday", exactly 12am, the day of my birthday (Dec 16)! im so touched! he's the sweetest, super! i really wasn't expecting it! What a very wonderful surprise! :) .. click on the pics to have a larger view. :)

Cody, Cods - how his friends call him... his chubby physique (dont kill me for this term ses! haha) carries his equally chubby charming heart. a truly nice person, inside and out. brutally honest in all aspects! hahaha... a self-proclaimed "ginggang" but  definitely not a dishwasher ! hahaha :p ... has a gift of gab... lets out hilarious punchlines, all the time! a person who prioritizes his family, above all else (i salute you for this, ses). believes in love still, amidst love's complications on sponsorship. chos! hahaha :p ... the person who memorizes all the jeepney routes and street names of Cebu. im telling you, he's so good in geogrpahy, and has a very keen sense of direction, of which im  the complete opposite! lol :p... the person who cajoles me to ride a jeepney at times, when he deems it that its already OA to ride a cab when the travel time is so short and the destination is just straight ahead! he rants at me! hahahhaa :)

we've been friends for the longest time. i've known  him to be really simple with simple joys. but today, i was shocked to find a sporty bag in his workstation. i did take notice of it and he said it was his... i was like, soooo.. oh, oh, oh...i told him "ur becoming fasyon"! hahaha...before, he doesnt carry any bag or pouch in the office. but now, he is learning to accessorize! i think his outfits peg for today is "sporty". love it, ses. experiment more, be daring, come out of your shell! hahaha :)

THANK YOU for this birthday surprise, ses! our friendship means so much to me. Same here, im looking forward to more years of fun and friendship with u. luv u to pieces! mwah! i'll see you tom! :)

tight hugs,
AC

The estate of Elizabeth Taylor auctioned off her entire jewelry collection—valued at $30 million.  Christie’s auction house sold her complete jewelry collection in New York last Dec. 13-14, 2011.

A pear-shaped white pearl once owned by European royals and Hollywood movie legend Elizabeth Taylor sold for a record $11.84 million at auction in New York on Tuesday. Known as the Peregrina pearl, it has been portrayed in art for centuries.

The painting of Queen Mary, by Flemish artist Hans Eworth. In the painting, the monarch is wearing a giant pearl - known as La Peregrina - which was bought for actress Elizabeth Taylor, 400 years later. 

La Peregrina pearl - which is the size of a pigeon's egg - was given to Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, by her future husband. 

It would be hard, however, to match the beauty and history of "La Peregrina." Apart from its remarkable size -- 203 grains, the equivalent to 50 carats -- and association with the Taylor and her equally glamorous husband, the pearl comes with a story matched by few necklaces.

Discovered in the 16th century in the Gulf of Panama, one of the first recorded owners was King Philip II of Spain. It passed on to the Spanish queens Margaret and Elisabeth, who proudly wore the pearl in 17th century portraits painted by Velazquez.

The treasure went into French hands in the 19th century when Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, briefly ruled Spain. Richard Burton paid $37,000 at auction, outbidding a member of the Spanish royal family. 

This emerald and diamond necklace by Bulgari went for $6.1 million, catapulting over the pre-sale estimate of $1-1.5 million.  

below are more of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection. Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection is the so-called, "Crown Jewels of Hollywood". Click on the pics for a larger view. :)

The sale of Taylor's belongings follows a public viewing that attracted thousands to the New York auction rooms. "It is by far the greatest jewelry collection to be offered in a century," said Marc Porter, chairman of Christie's Americas

i love jewelries. its one of my vices in life. its effect on me is like a magnet! hahaha... but then, its a wise investment coz its value doesn't depreciate. but i cant afford this kind of collection! this is too way over the top! lol :p

tight hugs,
AC

Manuel Reich, father of missing Swiss student Alex Reich, has put a P200,000 reward for any information that will lead to the whereabouts of his missing son who has not been heard of since September 22, 2011. Alex's last contact was a text message saying "I’m in a white car - coming soon" as he made his way to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Manuel Reich, father of 24-year old Alex Reich, appealed to the Filipino people to help them look for his son who has been missing since September 22, 2011.

Alex’s last contact was on the night of September 21, when he texted his friend “I am in a white car – coming soon!” They were supposed to come to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City for the American Idol Live concert. There has been no contact from Alex since.
“I’m sure something happened, I’m also sure he’s still alive,” Manuel Reich said in a press conference Tuesday.

Reich said that they have not received ransom demands so they do not believe he has been kidnapped.
Verena Mathis, first secretary of the Swiss Embassy here in the Philippines is closely coordinating with the Swiss Police led by Jurg Jordi and the Philippine National Police (PNP).The PNP’s Police Anti-Crime Emergency Unit (PACER), Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and Interpol are all working in together on the case. Local police however, did not speak before the press.

They have published posters and flyers as well as put up a website at www.alexmissing.com to help find the missing foreign national.Mathis has expressed their commitment to support all efforts that will shed light to the whereabouts of Alex.

Alex arrived in the Philippines on August 5, 2011 to learn English in a school in Quezon City. He was supposed to stay for just a couple of months to take English lessons.He visited the Philippine twice before. He visited Baguio and Cebu on those two separate occasions.

Alex has been described as blond and having blue eyes, slim and 5’9” tall. He has a tattoo of a samurai mask on his right arm and piercings on his nose and ears.He lived in an apartment in Torre Venezia, Scout Santiago cor. Timog Avenue in Quezon City.

Katrin de Guia, one of Alex’s close friends, described Alex as handsome and very friendly. He would talk to people on the jeep and even to security guards at mall entrances, she said.“Masiyahin, pala-kaibigan, madami alam tungkol sa Pilipinas, mahal na mahal ang Pilipinas [Happy-go-lucky, friendly, knowledgeable about the Philippines, loves the Philippines a lot]” she said about Alex.

Reich is very hopeful that they will be reunited again saying “we are familiar with the kindness and friendliness of the Philippine people and are hoping for additional, valuable information.”

Reich further said that the reward will be given to anybody who has information that will lead to Alex. They may contact telephone number 02-727-0000 or send an email to [email protected].

as promised, here are the videos i took during our christmas party's team presentation. they ROCKED the house down with their moves! who would ever think they dance like this?! lol :p ... listen and watch without prejudice! lol :p... ENJOY!

First up is Marshal's team, with Sandra and the Surfer Boy and the cast. dont know their names! sorry! lol :p ... Marshal is my shark, he doesnt know, not until he reads this blog of mine! hahahaha... i know you'll read this marshal! by then, you'll know! hahaha :) ... sandra, the intro dancer, is so graceful... love the lifting parts with Marshal, as in! :) ... the surfer boy's stripping was SEXY! wish i was one of the back-up dancers! hahaha :)

next is the team of Kalay and Eric ... listen to asha making loud comments at eric on the background! hahahaha :) ... Eric - you groove well my dear! :)

here's the team of nina! listen to leo making loud comments to cherm at the background! hahahaha... you dance so well, cherm, as in! :) ... because of the loud cheer from the start, you cant hardy hear thte music! watch them dance the famous, conga! :) Louis (guy in white) is also graceful... bata (the guy with a forehead band and a wig - cheers were for him, too! lol :)

last is gwapo's team... why i called this gwapo because i had to focus him on video for Leo's sake! well, he's also cute and very adonis! yummy! lol! actually, i  also  dont know his name. notice how i focus all the video to him... he's the one with the black jacket on. if he'll read my blog then he'll know that Leo's  head over heels with him! hahahaha! by the way, i gave him my vote as the best dressed male of the night, by Leo's request (to give it to him personally while he's on stage - its Leo's dare! of which i obliged), and he was just stunned receiving the ticket from me, no comment at all, he just point black stared  and received the ticket from me! hahhaha :) what can you say, leo? lol :p ... drool on this vid, ses! lol :) ... mr. gwapo - next time, say thank you! lol :p

these are the only videos i took for the night. wasn't able to record my team's presentation as im one of the performers. forgot to request someone to record a vid of our presentaton. lol :p

i hope you enjoyed watching the vids, coz i did! this is us, in our most candid and wild ways! hahaha :)

tight hugs,
AC

went home at around 3am today! :p ... exhausted but really2x had a great time with friends! last night, all eyes are fixed every time someone comes in the door of the venue, to see the get-up one has on! lol :p ... after posting the sketch that peewee (fashion designer) made for my outfit yesterday, this is how it turned out! so HAPPY coz its sooo fasyon! im bursting with colors! luv it, luv it, luv it! peewee's peg for me is a japanese inspired 80's outfit... peewee explained it well why my outfit was 'japanese kabuki' inspired (trivia) coz during the 80's, music artists incorporate japanese art in their video and outfits. the likes of Boy George of Culture Club, The Cure, Tears for Fears and Alphaville. also, japanese art blends well with new wave music! how can i go wrong with peewee's designs, tell me?!! :p ... peewee doesn't just put up a design just to be able to present one to a client. he has a story behind his designs! click on the pic to see the full view. lol :p

of course, i will not single out my friends who are equally fashionable too! here they are and their interpretation of the 80's fashion! soooo chic! :) click on the pics to see the full view. :)

by the way, our christmas party was held at Harold's Hotel, at the Roof Deck! and the view was spectacular. it would have been a plus if the waiters all looked good! hahaha! apparently, my friends only had an eye for one! just had to let it go... lol :p .... after the party, we headed to formo, to complete the 80's feel and wave, and we partied so hard! :p

my next blog will showcase each team's christmas presentation! watch out for it! :)

tight hugs,
AC

today marks our department's christmas party!!! yipee! so, our theme is "THE 80's" .... i was not so fashion conscious before, not until i reached 3rd year high school where i discovered my penchant for beautiful things, and realizing what looks good and what doesn't on me... lol :P

Anyways, i had a dilemma during the time when the theme was announced because i was never aware of 80's fashion... lol... best way to deal with this problem is to consult with a pro! so, had to consult with a fashion designer since there's only 3 weeks left before the event proper! :) the only designer i know and whom i am confident and comfortable with is, Peewee Senining. currently the Consultant and Fashion Designer of Gaisano Metro Ayala Branch. i texted peewee for an appointment and after he knew the duration prior to the event, and after checking his schedule, he accepted my request. then i went to his station in Metro Ayala, fabrics department, to discuss the design. he is one of the nicest person on earth. very accommodating and collaborative! :)

 during the recent Queen of Cebu 2011, he bagged the award, BEST IN FUN WEAR! this was his creation. (Peewee, correct me if im wrong though with the title and the pic. Grabbed this in your album. lol!!!)

Peewee was introduced to me through a common friend. i asked him before to come up with a semi-casual attire for a wedding that i'll be attending (sorry i dont have a full view of what he created for me since i was sitting most of the time! hahaha). nevertheless, i SUPER LOVED it! :) ... many complimented my outfit that day! lol :P...take note, it was my first time to wear tapered pants (peewee insisted) and it looked good on me! i was ever since a straight cut fanatic! lol :P

now, im going to let you see a preview of what peewee has created for me for today's 80's themed party! so LOVE IT to pieces! real pix of the costume will be revealed tomorrow, after the party! hahahaha :) ... so, here it is! :) my first time to wear skinny jeans! i so love you peewee for the dare! hahahah :)

i know most of you will have their company party this festive season. so, spread love, dress to impress, and be thankful for all the blessings... :)

tight hugs,
AC

MUMBAI—Bollywood actor-producer-director Aamir Khan has become a father for the third time, using a surrogate mother, his publicist said on Monday.

The baby boy was born at a private clinic on December 1, the spokesman said. The child was “very healthy” and now at home with Khan and his film-maker wife Kiran Rao in Mumbai, he added.

“It was a baby through surrogacy. It’s the first baby he’s had with Kiran… Kiran had a couple of miscarriages in the past so they had medical reasons to try out surrogacy,” he told AFP.

The Mid-day newspaper’s website said that Khan and Rao had released a letter confirming the birth, saying that the baby was “especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty.

“Due to medical complications, we were advised to have a baby through IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) surrogacy and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that everything has gone well.”

Khan is one of Bollywood’s most popular and successful actors, through hits including “Lagaan” (Tax) in 2001, “Rang de Basanti” (Colour Me Saffron, 2006) and “Three Idiots” (2010).

In recent years he has pushed the boundaries beyond Bollywood’s traditional song-and-dance formula with films like the satirical “Peepli Live” (2010), with an emphasis on high-quality script-writing.

Khan, 46, has two children from his first marriage to Reena Dutta. He married Rao, 38, in 2005.