Of Perfumes and Emotions

I have always been obsessed with scents for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, my dad would always bring home perfumes which my mom and I would wear. I remember being in love with Cool Water by Davidoff, Dune by Christian Dior, Anais Anais by Cacharel and No. 5 by Chanel. Of course, I'd use baby colognes and unknown brands, too. Scents didn't have to be expensive for me to love them, they only had to smell good! I can't really explain why I'm so attracted to them. I think, for some reason, smelling a good scent makes me feel happy.

Back then, I'd use whatever perfume or cologne was available in the house, as long as it didn't give me a headache. Recently, I've been learning about what they are made of. Terms like top notes, middle notes, base notes, accords, and olfactive notes now make sense to me. Perfumes are special and complicated concoctions; and I am amazed at how they are connected with your emotions--something I've read about a lot in the past but never personally experienced until recently.

A few months ago, after using a cheap, deo-cologne that seemed to irritate the noses of my co-workers (no more Bench for me ever again), I went on a search for my "signature scent"--a scent that I could always wear and people would associate with me. After spending much time at PerfumeEmporium.com and visiting a local department store, I found Bvlgari Blv Notte, and it was exactly what I was looking for. It was sexy and sophisticated, with notes of iris, galanga, vodka, and dark chocolate. It was described by Bvlgari as "Sensual and mysterious... an Eau de Parfum of uncommon refinement inspired by the captivating atmosphere of night time. As dark and enchanting as the night... a sensual oriental Eau de Parfum. The mysterious and enveloping aromas of Vodka and dark chocolate awaken an exquisite warmth that enchants and entices the senses." When I smelled it at the store, it was love at first whiff! I had found my scent.

Little did I know that my love affair with Blv Notte would not last. You see, I started using Blv Notte during a really emotional time in my life. Now, three months later, with only a few drops left on my first 75ml bottle, and just as I am recovering from that stage of my life, I smell Blv Notte and for some reason, it's as though fears and insecurities are triggered deep inside me all over again. It's hard to explain, but it's definitely there... and I have a feeling that if I want to move on, I need to stop using Blv Notte. It is a wonderful perfume, mind you. I would recommend it to anyone. But this just proves to me how powerful scents are. They can take you up, or down... forward into the future, or back down memory lane.

I am definitely on a Bvlgari phase now, and I look forward to the future with Omnia Amethyste by my side--a fresh, floral fragrance that makes me happy. To Blv Notte, I'm sorry to have parted with you so soon. But just like the person you are intertwined with in the story of my existence, you will always have a place in my heart. In so many ways, you were a first in my life.

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Farewell, Stephen...

Stephen Gately
17 March 1976 - 10 October 2009

I grew up during the era of the boy bands. Take That, Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Ultra, Caught in the Act... there was a ton of them. But I only had one favorite--Boyzone.

We all know teenage girls have their obsessions. Mine was Boyzone. I literally adored them. I loved their songs even though I knew some of them were really not that special. I'd defend them against the fans of their biggest rival, the Backstreet Boys. I got devastated when some of them got married. And I was an official member of their official fan club. That's how big of a fan I was.

Last week, Stephen Gately, one of the members of Boyzone, passed away while on holiday in Mallorca. He was only 33 years old.

I am no longer a screaming adolescent who obsesses over boybands, but I was still affected by his death. Boyzone will always remind me of my growing-up days, and their songs will always be meaningful to me. They bring back memories of friends and innocent days gone by.

Boyzone was going to have a World Tour next year. There was a very big chance that they would have come to the Philippines considering their fan base here. I wanted to see that; to pay tribute to this boyband who had such an impact in my life. With Steve's death, that tour may never happen--and that, I have to admit, is the saddest part for me.

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Life in the Big City

It's my fifth day in Manila and although it's not home, I can say I'm getting used to it.

Our training starts at 8:30 in the morning and ends at 5:30 in the afternoon. Every day, I wake up at around 6:30, take a shower, leave the hotel at around 7:30 and take the 15-minute walk to the Starbucks branch at the Standard Chartered building in Ayala Avenue, which is in front of the SMART Tower where our training is held. I'm not a coffee person, there are minimal choices for me at Starbucks, so I've had Green Tea Latte every morning since Monday. I love it, though, and I'm starting to like Starbucks, even though they do not have free WiFi access. What's amusing is that the people at Starbucks already recognize me and my companion from Ateneo de Davao University.

Unlike Dumaguete, where you can find Internet Cafes on every street, I'm finding it hard to hook up to the 'Net in Makati. I really don't know where I can find free WiFi (the hotel we're staying at is not posh enough to have it), so I decided to purchase the Smart Bro wireless Internet kit, which will supposedly allow me to access the Internet anywhere there is a Smart signal. It cost me 1,995 pesos. I tried it yesterday inside the Smart building, and it worked extremely well, but when I used it at the hotel, it was almost useless. I thought there was something wrong with the service, but I found out that it worked fine on my roommate's laptop. Hrm. I'll have to double check later and try to figure out what's wrong.

Despite the bling of skyscrapers, humungous malls, and posh restaurants here, I still feel lucky to be based in Dumaguete, where work is only 10 minutes from my house, I can drive around in my car, beaches and resorts are just 20 minutes away from the downtown area, and I don't have to ride a bus or jeepney to go anywhere. It's good to experience the big city life once in a while, but not all the time!

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ADIS Adventure

As I write this entry, I'm sitting at the basement of the SMART Tower in Ayala Avenue in Makati, using a computer that virtually has all entertainment and networking sites blocked. The fact that I can't access Facebook, or even Yahoo! OMG, is somewhat annoying, but I'd like to look at it as a blessing in disguise. After weeks of not being able to blog, I'm practically forced to do so.

What am I doing in Makati, you might ask.

Last week, I was informed by our dean that I was going to be sent here as a representative of Silliman University to SMART's Application Developers' Intro School (ADIS) Trainer's Training. It's a two-week long training of SMART application development practices that I, in turn, have to teach to my students in the upcoming semester. It's my first time to be in the Manila area alone. I was quite apprehensive about coming here, but I was not about to turn down an opportunity such as this. I've always wanted to be sent to trainings, I was not going to let the chance pass.

I arrived yesterday on the morning flight of Philippine Airlines (ticket shouldered by SMART, yay). I told my parents that someone would be picking me up at the airport so they would not worry, but I actually had to take a taxi by myself to the hotel where I was designated to check in. (If you read this, you can't tell them!) I had a couple of Iranian friends on the same flight (one of them was my ex, actually, hahaha) and they helped me find a cab. Fortunately, the taxi driver was a blessing--he was really kind, and I arrived at the Makati YMCA Hostel safe and sound.

I will be here for two weeks, until the 30th of May. I've already met great people, and I'm sure we will be learning a lot of things. Surprisingly though, I already miss Dumaguete, which has never happened to me in past travels. Maybe it's because this is the first time I've actually had to go anywhere NOT for the sake of having fun. I really  feel bad about the events I will miss, such as the Faculty & Staff Retreat that my colleagues will be having on the 28th, my friends Jonas and Lobelle's wedding on the 29th, and the already planned outings that will have to be pushed back into later dates because of my absence. I guess that's life, though. Not everything is about having fun, and despite it all, I am still very much grateful for this experience.

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Apo Island

The Philippine Society of Information Technology Educators (PSITE) held its annual convention for Region 7 last week at Foundation University in Dumaguete. The event was attended by IT administrators and teachers from Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental (no participant attended from the 4th province in the region, Siquijor). Not being able to participate in the past, I took the opportunity to join the event, because I really am just a newbie and need to be exposed to more IT trends and topics. The event lasted for 3 days, with the third day allocated for the outing where the participants could explore local sights and interact with each other in a fun atmosphere.

The area for the outing was Apo Island, a volcanic island 7 kilometers off the southeastern tip of Negros Island. I have never been there before, so this was a good chance for me. The island is tiny, with a diameter of only 3 kilometers and an area of 12 hectares. They do not have a steady supply of electricity on the island, their only source of water is rain and deep wells, and there are no vehicles as well, but Apo is a top tourist attraction in this area of the Philippines because of the marine sanctuary that surrounds the island. It's a great place for people who want to dive and snorkel, as it is consistently ranked as one of the top 100 dive sites in the world.

To get to Apo Island, you need to board a pump boat from the fishing/market village of Malatapay in Zamboanguita, located 30 minutes from Dumaguete, or hire a boat from any of the resorts in the area. The boat trip to Apo from the mainland takes 30 minutes as well. As we only had a few hours to spend on the island (you have to make the boat trip back to the mainland before late afternoon as waves get bigger during that time of day), we immediately did the main activity for non-divers in Apo--go snorkeling! And it was wonderful! You can find corals with colorful fishes very near the shore. My only wish was that I had a waterproof case for my camera so I could take underwater pictures! After snorkeling, we went to an area where you could supposedly find turtles, and we did find them! I'm happy to say I finally saw a real turtle, not just a Nat Geo one!

Of course, everywhere I go, my main goal is to take pictures of scenery. Here are some photos of Apo for you:

While it is true that there's not much to do in Apo except swim, snorkel, and laze in the sand, being there evokes a peaceful feeling. This is a place where you can't have Internet, cable TV, or airconditioning. It's a place that brings you back to the basics of life... and that's what makes it extremely special.

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Summer Heat

When it's summer time, there's no other great thing to do but hit the pool or beach! Last week, I went with my parents and cousins to a resort named Bahura. They have the biggest pool area in my province and an over-all great ambience, so I had fun!

Bahura is located in Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. For 500 pesos (around $10), you can enter the resort for the day, get a free lunch, and swim in the pool as much as you want. They have awesome rooms as well, although I have never personally stayed there overnight. A visit for the day, however, is totally worth it.

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Lost and Found

We had visitors for lunch today, so this morning, my mom went to a shop to buy roasted chicken, or lechon manok, as we Filipinos like to call it. Because she did not check her bag, little did she know that she left her wallet at the place! Imagine her shock at around 6pm tonight, when someone called at our gate and said, "I'm here to return your red wallet!"

There are still good people left in the world after all! Who would have imagined that in a third-world country with a lot of people in poverty, you would have a lost wallet returned to you? Her wallet contained IDs, an ATM card, cash worth 2,700 Philippine pesos (around US $56), US bills worth 105 dollars, some loose change, and random foreign bank notes. Nothing was taken. The man who returned the wallet even apologized that the cards got messed up because they had to search for our address.

My mom likes to think of it as God returning a favor to us, because a couple of months ago, my dad had picked up a cellular phone that someone left behind in a comfort room at the Bahrain International Airport. Not wanting to give the cellphone to airport staff who might keep it for themselves, my dad took it home, so that we could try to find the owner using the numbers stored in the phone. When he arrived, we were able to immediately pinpoint that the owner was also a Filipino because the phone had a Globe Telecom SIM card. We had to go through a lot of trouble, however, because the phone was locked with a password. So my parents had to bring the phone to a repair shop to have it unlocked. Fortunately, they were able to unlock it. We found the number of the owner's mom in the address book, thus we were able to contact him and send the phone to him. I don't know how many people would have gone through the same trouble to return a cellphone, but it looks like my parents' efforts were not put to waste. Because when it was our turn to lose something, it was also returned with the same effort.

I'd have to say that there are two lessons to be learned from this story. First, don't lock your SIM/cellphone with a PIN! It really is quite useless, because if someone really wants to unlock it, they will still be able to do so. On the other hand, if you lose your phone and it's password-protected, the person who finds it will not be able to easily return it to you. And of course, don't keep anything if it's not yours, especially if it is of value. There is always someone up there watching your actions, after all!

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Awesome BBC Documentary

I saw this awesome video on the web today about a recently discovered colony of flying penguins. It's amazing! Watch it.

 And since you watched that video, you need to watch the second one as well:

Brilliant, eh? Happy April Fool!

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I Want My Brown Rice

Asians love rice! As you can probably imagine, China consumes the most rice per year. But lo, and behold! The Philippines is not far behind. Even being a teeny-weeny country, it was number 8 in the world from statistics I found for 2003-2004, after China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma. Everyone I know here eats and loves rice--white rice that is. Now, white rice is long and white and pretty and yummy, but did you know that it is much, much inferior to brown rice?

Brown rice is unmilled or partly milled rice, and can be considered as somewhat whole grain. This is a type of rice where only the outer covering of the grain--the husk--is removed. Rice becomes "white" when layers of the rice kernel, not only the husk, but also the bran and endosperm, are removed. During this process, a number of vitamins and minerals are lost. It has been found out that the milling process that turns brown rice into white destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Isn't that a lot you are missing out? Brown rice is also rich in fiber and selenium. We already know how good fiber is for us. It helps us maintain a healthy digestive system, is  supposed to help keep weight in check, and can help prevent colon cancer by reducing the amount of time cancer-causing substances spend in contact with colon cells. Based on what I have read, selenium is a very important mineral that helps in various body functions, and aids in the prevention of not only certain types cancer, but also of heart disease, and for decreasing the symptoms of asthma and the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. And if you have a problem with cholesterol, the rice bran oil found in brown rice has also been proven to help lower that.

Now, why am I suddenly becoming an advocate of brown rice, you might ask. Well, I've only been eating brown rice for a couple of months. I've known long ago that it's very good for you, but my family and I never switched, until I started reading healthful articles on SparkPeople and all over web earlier this year. I want to make people realize how good it is! And really, when you read something like what I just mentioned in this post, why stay with white rice? I am going to admit that it's a little bit difficult to switch, because when you eat brown rice for the first time, it tastes like cloth. But don't worry, once you get used to it, there's no turning back. Honestly for me now, it's white rice that tastes like cloth. Plus, brown rice makes you feel full faster, and for a longer period of time!

The problem I have right now is that: There. Is. No. Brown. Rice. For. Sale. In. The. Supermarket. There are only two supermarkets where I live (owned by the same company), and they have had no stock of brown rice for over a week. Because not a lot of people eat brown rice, there's very little supply. So uh, that's the ulterior motive for writing this post. I'm going to advertise brown rice so more people will eat, and more people will sell. And I'll be happy! Because I really do want my brown rice!

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BPInoy in Dumaguete

My parents got invited to an event  in Dumaguete hosted by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) for clients receiving remittances from expatriates overseas, as part of their BPInoy program. Since my dad is not yet here, I accompanied my mom to the event which was held last Friday at the Spanish Heritage. They stated in their invitation that they wanted to share some business opportunities with us, so I thought it was going to be one boring day. Fortunately, I was wrong. It was totally fun!

The main thrust of the event was to tell the guests about certain services BPI had available to bring the bank closer to their clients. They had some people tell us about these services, and they showed a video about how money should be managed by families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). They also presented a business opportunity.

Having an account at BPI myself, I certainly am no stranger to their services, especially what they are heavily promoting right now, BPI 24/7 Banking. I've been using this service for a number of months now and I absolutely love it! With BPI 24/7 Banking, you can do your banking transactions (paying bills, checking account balances, transferring funds) online at http://www.bpiexpressonline.com. Most banks have this service so I'm sure this is not new to you. But what I love about BPI 24/7 are the services they offer using BPI Mobile. Yep, that's banking on your cellular phone! Transferring funds from one account to another and checking balances on your phone are even less hassle-free! I've been using it a lot to pay for purchases I've made on eBay Philippines. Aside from that, I can also use the money from my account to fund my GCash wallet and reload my prepaid cellphone. There's only one catch: you need to be a Globe Telecom subscriber. That's no problem for me though, since I've always been on Globe. Unfortunately, BPI and Globe are not paying me for this plug, although I did win P100 worth of load at the event, and my mom won a cellphone. LOL. But I really do love the service! I would recommend it to every Filipino with a BPI account.

Erik Santos

Oh, did I forget to mention that the Philippines' Prince of Pop, Erik Santos was there? Since his dad is also an OFW, he is the BPInoy endorser.

BPI - the oldest bank in Southeast Asia and consistently the most profitable in the Philippines
GCash - a service of Globe Telecom that allows you to send and receive money using your cellphone

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