A Short Trip to Nagtabon Beach

I was so thrilled that Nanay was finally home with us (from Manila). So I asked the whole family if they wanted to have some visit at the beach, and they said YES! Nagtabon Beach is a pretty awesome beach located at the west coast of Puerto Princesa City.

I've been to this place a few times, but purely work related. This time around, I was really excited because I'm with the fambam and my girls surely will have so much fun at this beach.

We arrived there a bit earlier and the rain was heavy with gusty wind. Nonetheless, the little girls all jump off the van and went ahead to the shore and play at the sand while it's raining.

The girls just played around at the shore and just wait for the heavy rain to stop before they went wet and wild at the sea. Big waves, as in big tall waves were present that time because of the gusty wind brought by storm Lando.

Mikyla and Moirah are definitely loving the beach, stayed there that long, only the heavy rain made them go off the beach/sand.

We brought a lot of food and drinks for the whole gang. I remember paying Php300.00 for the cottage and our entrance fee.

Grilling areas are available if you guys want to make some ihaw-ihaw there, just make sure you bring your own coal to fire. :)

They also have a spacious parking area there. The only down side of this beach resort is that they only have one comfort room/changing area, that is not really convenient if there are a lot of guests/visitors coming in 

None the less, we all enjoyed that short trip and will definitely be coming back with the rest of the family!

Mikyla's First Communion

Another milestone for my first born. She's been waiting for this moment to be a full pledge Catholic. 

Thanks to her Mommyla and Lolo for her outfit. :)

Vine's CO2 Laser: Scar-less and Flaw-less You!

Scarring is part of the body’s healing process but scars need not stay on your skin forever. The same goes with skin hyperpigmentation. But through innovative solutions discovered by dermatologists, many patients are now faced with several alternatives on how to improve their skin condition.

One of the latest methods out there is the fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment. According to Dr. Emehly Sevilla of Vine Holistic Medical Aesthetics, both young and old may undergo the treatment.  In fact, her youngest patient was seven years old. Indications of the CO2 laser treatment include deep scars, big pores, stretch marks, fine lines, and skin conditions like syringomas, milias, warts, keloids, melasma, freckles, and hyperpigmentation in the face, underarm, under butt, knees, elbows, fingers and toes. It can also treat dark lines and ‘chicken skin’ on underarms.

Aside from erasing marks and blemishes, it is also a good anti-aging tool and can be done along with other treatments. Vine’s extensive and simple programs work in synergy for optimum effect. Dr. Sevilla said she erases wrinkles with fractional carbon dioxide laser and proceeds with the Botox procedure.

“If the patients do not have skin problems but want to tighten their pores, wants to have skin rejuvenation and remove fine lines, fractional carbon dioxide laser can do that. It’s a good maintenance as well. Even some 25-year olds already have mini-lines on their forehead because of the lifestyle today, so this treatment is the answer,” said Dr. Sevilla.

In the past, doctors only based their evaluation on the visual and history of the patient (background of what really happened) to know how deep the problem is. With the new fractional carbon dioxide laser machine, its skin analyzer can accurately assess the skin problem and recommend the ideal operation. It can tell if the skin is moist or dry and will set itself to the safest setting that the patient needs. However, Dr. Sevilla said that the new machine can also be set manually if the doctor wishes to. 

"If you overset the treatment for a certain problem because you’re only visually only looking at it, it may cause inflammatory hyperpigmentation that will leave dark marks,” noted Sevilla.

The advantage of fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment is that it is measurable, precise and safe. “The problem with peels is that you cannot control its absorption. There are patients where you put this percentage and they would absorb and peel so much, but if you apply the same percentage to other patients who have thicker skin, they won’t peel that much,” explained Dr. Sevilla.

Furthermore, she said that with needling procedures, doctors can only base on the visuals and history taking so it may not be precise.

For safety, the doctor, nurse and patient wear goggles during the whole procedure which usually lasts for 15 to 20 minutes. If the area to be treated is near the eyes, they use micropore tape so that the eyes remain closed.

“Laser is okay with treating eye bag area but for safety reasons, we don’t recommend treating on the upper eyelid (on top of eyeballs) even if the depth can be controlled,” remarked Dr. Sevilla.

Before the procedure, anesthesia cream is applied on the skin. It takes 30 minutes to numb the face and one hour for extremities. A slight discomfort may be felt on the first session. But none of that will happen in the succeeding sessions, said Dr. Sevilla. She explained that the tip of the machine emits air and distracts the patient from any possible pain.

The procedure will leave the patient with pinkish skin. To go back to their daily activities, patients need to undergo cryoporation before leaving the center to close the pores, relax the skin and infuse more serum. Post laser cream is given to enhance cell repair.

After getting the laser treatment, avoid eating chicken, seafood and eggs. Do not wash the face or put on makeup for at least 12 hours after the treatment but sunblock lotion can be used as long as the skin has already absorbed the serum. Patients can come back for another session as early as two weeks but normal protocol is a month.

However, not everyone can just go and get the procedure. Contraindications include chronic skin diseases like psoriasis, allergies, fungal infection, eczema, rashes, measles and chicken pox. “Treat the skin problem first before doing the laser. But if the area to be treated is far away from area with disease, laser can be done,” related Dr. Sevilla.

Vine Aesthetics is located at Unit 2H Mezzanine Level, Grand Hamptons Tower II, 1^st Ave. cor. 31^st St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For inquiries, call tel. nos. 09178590642, 217-2687, 843-3023, email vineaesthetics@gmail.com or visit www.vineaesthetics.com.

Passion Beyond Recognition — Success from a Legend’s Perspective

Passion beyond recognition — Success from a legend’s perspective

The Agora Awards, hosted by the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA), ushers its 36th anniversary through a showcase of another breakthrough in the marketing industry—The Agora Circle Conference. To be held this coming October 21 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, the gathering will feature former winners of the reputable Agora Awards. The assembly is set to be another inspirational and educational session, with the past winners sharing first-hand stories on how they developed their winning marketing strategies.

Agora BEST Talks chairman Donald Lim shares that the PMA decided to revive this initiative as an inspiration for marketing professionals and students. He says, “This year, we decided to revive it, because we saw that people are really looking for avenues to learn more about marketing, its trends and innovations. They really wanted to get in touch with new marketing tips.”

This year’s Agora Circle Conference follows the theme “Fifty Shades of Marketing Darker” and takes off from PMA’s “Fifty Shades of Marketing” held last July.

The conference will be open to members of the academe, industry professionals, and students. Speakers will be discussing topics that are of interest to the local marketing industry such as topics on branding, entrepreneurship, social responsibility, and technology.

One of the speakers to be featured at the Agora Circle Conference is advertising legend Emily Abrera, who received the Agora Award for Marketing Management in 1995.

Abrera, who is chairman emeritus of McCann Erickson Philippines, quipped that the Agora award she bagged was totally unexpected.

“It was a nice thing to have at that time. Years later though, you discover that an award is simply a recognition of something you’ve done at a certain point in time.”

She elaborates, “What you do with people, talents and skills, and what you do later on after you have left the field you were comfortable in, I think, is a greater measure of how well you have used your knowledge.”

Abrera joined McCann-Erickson Philippines as creative group head in 1978, and became executive creative director in 1981. In January 1992, she was named president/chief executive officer of McCann-Erickson Philippines, acknowledged as the leading advertising agency in the Philippines since 1987. In January 1999, she assumed the chairmanship of McCann-Erickson Philippines.

Under her leadership, McCann rose to prominence for its creative products, social awareness programs, and business success. She is among the few creative talents who have held top agency position, as highlighted in August 2002 at the Ad Summit by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies-Philippines, where she was honored as one of the “25 Mavericks in Philippine Advertising.”

Although she has since retired from the advertising business, Abrera is involved with Foundation for Communication Initiatives Inc. (FOCI), a non-profit advocacy and development communications group.

With success after success under her belt, one would think Abrera knows the industry like the back of her hand. When asked about the advice she has for newbies, however, the advertising legend gave simple, heartfelt words.

“Follow your passion. That was how it was for me so it never felt like work. It continues to be my passion today.”

She closes, “I manage to use what I’ve learned and what I know for something good, something that could benefit a greater number of people. We’re happy when we can do that.”

For details and reservations, visit www.theagora.ph. For information about the Philippine Marketing Association, visit philippinemarketing.net.ph.

Grape Seed Oil: Immunity Booster

ATC Grape Seed Oil

We are all up on the daily grind, we wake up early to start our day and sleep late at night. A lot of people are obsessed with building and creating stability in their careers. It can be a love- hate relationship when it comes to building our careers, we love to see how far we’ve become with our respective careers but also hates the stress it brings. 

ATC Grape Seed Oil contains Oligomeric Procyanidin, an antioxidant that is 50 times more potent than Vitamin E and 20 times stronger than Vitamin C. It has the ability to protect our bodies against free radicals which damage cells, allowing us to have healthier and more radiant skin. Don’t let stress take over, feel great everyday with ATC Grape Seed Oil.