Archives for December 2010

Meralco Maliwanag Ang Pasko Grand Lighting Ceremonies

Meralco Christmas Tree

For someone who is living in Pasig,Meralco’s Paskuhan Village and Nativity Belenis hard not to miss. The Nativity Belen made out of recycled copper wire is just amazing. And for someone who has been living in Pasig, every Christmas, we had a feast of lights, color and hope. For some reason, we never had a chance to get up close and personal to the said attraction. But this year, it was a different story. I had a privilege not just to be up close and personal but to witness the grand lighting ceremony of the said display.

Meralco Maliwanag Ang Paskotheme for this year is UNITY or PAGKAKAISA. Aside from the traditional giant replica of theNativity Belenand Meralco’s Paskuhan Village, Meralco Ortigas Compound offers a ride on its life size electric toy train around the candy colored Toy Town with a life size (robot size) Robot on the side. The grand lighting ceremony also gives way to the introduction of Meralco Bolts as Christmas Goodwill Ambassadors.

And once again, Meralco invite their costumers to unite and brighten up their homes and spread Christmas cheers to their community. TheMaliwanag Ang Pasko decor and lighitng campaignstarted in 2006, a campaign that seeks to encourage Meralco’s costumers to spread the beauty of Christmas by decorating and lighting up their houses. For this year’s campaign,Meralco will recognize 9 of the brightest and best decorated homes all over Meralco franchise.Each house will be awarded 25,000 Philippine Pesos. Same as before, Meralco will donate the same amount to the chosen partner charitable institutions. The partner charitable institutions this year areCaritas Manila, Laura Vicuna Foundation and Childhope Asia. Interested Parties may join the campaign by calling the MaP hotline (1-800-10MaPasko or 1-800-10-6272756 for provincial entries and 885-7049 for Greater Manila costumers). Or you can log on to MaP website,www.maliwanagangpasko.com

Meralco Maliwanag Ang Pasko Grand Lighting Ceremonies was hosted by Wilma Doesnt and Jojo Alejar. The ceremonial switching was headed by Meralco Executives including Meralco CEO, Manuel V. Pangilinan. Also present were guests from their partner charitable Institutions.

Aside from the fact that I was there to witness the ceremony, I am ecstatic because that day, I was able to test drive or test shoot my new lens! I had so much fun that day that I promise to bring the kids there so they can experience it too.

Oh I love this display the most. In fact, I thought it was a real Meralco man doing some repairs before the Ceremony.

Meralco’s Paskuhan Village and Nativity Belen is open to public from 7 PM to 10 PM on weekdays and 7PM to 12 PM on Saturdays.

Fight Against Child Violence

Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until monday (Dec. 6) there should be no human faces on facebook, but an invasion of memories.(FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD VIOLENCE!)

For a mother of four kids, it’s not hard for me to just change my profile picture, it says fight gainst child violence, so be it. But what does it really mean? To create awareness, I think. But where it begun? Who initiated it? And how can changing your profile picture to a cartoon character will help infight against child violence?

In my search for the culprit, I first look in the website of Unicef. I knew there was one last week,National Day of Prayer and Action for Children in Makati City.UNICEF joins religious leaders to launch global initiative to promote exclusive breastfeeding. Clearly it’s about breastfeeding and not fight against child violence (I will ask some people if Unicef initiated it). I can’t find a site that offers explanation on how changing the profile pic will help in fight against child violence.

When you say it is to create awareness, it is to make the knowledge be known to public. It is to make the public understand a certain issue and in this case, child violence. So how can this profile change campaign creates awareness? Is it the curiosity that arises from other users? But really how many users will take time to research or even read about Child Violence? Or is it a way to show you support the Fight Child Violence? But what is Child Violence all about? And after the given time frame? What happens? Will the number of child abuse cases be lessen?

This maybe another case of social networking hype, but it’s fun nonetheless.

On with the more serious topic:Child Violence.

Based onRepublic Act No. 9262 ,Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children, Act of 2004; “Children” refers to those below eighteen (18) years of age or older but are incapable of taking care of themselves as defined under Republic Act No. 7610. As used in this Act, it includes the biological children of the victim and other children under her care.

Violence is an act or a series of acts that result in or will most likely result in physical, sexual, psychological harm orsuffering. This harm includes (but notlimited) the following:

Physical
Sexual
Psychological
Economic Abuse

Physical violencecan be easily identify. It refers to acts that is done physically.Sexual violenceon the other hand refers to act that are sexual in nature. But how can one say that is sexual? Below are some acts that are considered as sexual abuse (again fromAnti-Violence Against Women and Their Children):

Rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness, treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks, physically attacking the sexual parts of the victim’s body, forcing her/him to watch obscene publications and indecent shows or forcing the woman or her child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, forcing the wife and mistress/lover to live in the conjugal home or sleep together in the same room with the abuser;
acts causing or attempting to cause the victim to engage in any sexual activity by force, threat of force, physical or other harm or threat of physical or other harm or coercion;
Prostituting the woman or child.

But the acts are not limited to the mentioned above.

Psychological violencerefer to acts that results to mental or emotional suffering.

There is no exact day for fight against Child Violence but November 19 is theInternational Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

FUNKYFEET Not-quite-shoes

Babies and shoes just don’s sound so good to me. How can I give them shoes when in fact, I myself never really like it. I can’t breathe when I’m in closed shoes, what more my baby. But of course, it’s also impossible to take them out without anything on their feet.. It feels so wrong.. and socks are so bedroomy. So when I discoveredFUNKYFEET Not-quite-shoes, I just knew I will love it to pieces. These are socks made from imported cotton but looks a lot like shoes. Check out their collections:

Box of Little Miss Mary Janes– light pink, light blue, light yellow, pink and white
Box of Fashionista Flats– black, blue, pink, purple, light pink
Box of Super Sneakers– red, blue, orange, green, light blue
Box of Li’l Loafers– chocolate brown, olive green, black, dark blue and mocha
Box of Retro Ruffles– black, grey, red, pink and blue
Box of Bows on my Toes– turquoise and lime, grey and yellow, fuschia and purple, black and red AND lime and hot pink

Plus their new PATTERNISTA styles sold in sets of 3 pairs in a box:

Candy Janes– classic Little Miss Mary Janes style embellished with Pink Hearts, Rainbow Dots & White Stars.
Skaterboy– edgier shoe socks based on popular skater shoes topped with Checks, Skulls and Spaceships.
Safari Steppies– Iconic & wild! Leopard, Giraffe & Zebra printed flats with dainty bows.

Funkyfeet socks are ideal for babies 0-12 months old.

Make fashion headlines now!Get your own set of Funkyfeet for only P500/5pairs or P320/3pairs here.