Jentleheart

With the emergence of the PISO fare offered by various airlines, Filipinos have taken advantage of going on vacations practically any time of the year. And what makes them all go crazy is when they find a really cheap fare going to some international destinations such as Korea. Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand just to name a few. We know that although we may have saved a lot with the airfare, still we need to worry about the place where we would be staying and the amount of cash that we need to bring. If you have a deep pocket, then money matters would be the least of your worries. But to those who would just like to be in another country and experience another culture which may be different or a bit similar to ours, then every peso surely counts. But first of all, what do you intend to do once you reach your desired destination? Will you be interested to visit famous places or would you just be mall-hopping and be having countless selfies to be shared on Facebook and Inst

Gadget insomnia......the culprit. But, whose fault is it? Our lives have never been the same again. Especially those who live in the city where life moves so fast that sometimes, one can feel not being able to catch up. A very busy day starting with the heavy traffic going to the office, to hearing your boss blubber all day until the time you get off from work only to be caught in another traffic. But despite all these, some people still find time to take extra hours keeping themselves busy and fail to have a good sleep. The cause of all the tossing and turning may be sitting on your lap. In a recent study from Bringham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, researchers found that dim light, such as the light emitted from a laptop, iPad, e-reader or smartphone, could suppress your body’s production of the sleep hormone melatonin. The net effect: You feel more wired than tired. Low-level light can stimulate special non-visual photoreceptor cells in the retina, ultimately making you mo

I know that there are a lot of people who just love chocolates – milk, white, and the dark. Although I am not too picky when it comes to chocolates, I mostly like the dark ones. I remember my first favorite dark chocolate – the Meiji Dark Chocolate. My dad, who was almost always out of the country when I was younger, would bring us an assortment of chocolates from everywhere. I remember my younger brother at age 3 or 4 years old, he would climb the refrigerator just to get chocolates. Too young to even read if the chocolates had liquor on them! LOL This week, I have received some chocolatey stuff that made me heavier by 10 lbs just for the last three days! It has actually lost my appetite to eat other food since tasting all these chocolates made me full. I got three different tempting chocolate goodies that I want to share with you. Crave It! Cheesecake on a Stick We have all been accustomed to eating cakes in slices. But just last March of this year, Mercato in

Choosing the kind of restaurant I would dine at would be of three criteria: type of food, location, and price. I like Japanese food, Chinese food, a bit of Italian and Mediterranean. Actually, I am not very particular about the kind of food for as long as the price is affordable and it would not require me to travel more than one hour just to be able to eat. Luckily, I live in an area where there are a lot of restaurants to dine at plus, the convenience of having some of them delivered instead is a great relief. I grew up loving Japanese food. This is probably because my dad was a great influence since he studied his M.A., Ph.D. and post-doctoral degrees in Japan and maybe subconsciously it made me a bit closer to my birthplace. I was born in Kagoshima City, Japan. The year? Oh, we don’t need to mention that here! LOL My dad would prepare Japanese food sometimes when I was a kid with the whole Japanese set-up. My siblings and I just grew fond of eating tempura (I

Since I was probably 5 or 6 six years old, I have always had this motherly instinct. I may have been so young to realize that during those times. but I remember being always looking after my smaller classmates (Yes, smaller, because I was a bit taller than they were). This was probably me being the eldest, as I was always told by my parents to look after my brother. When I had my first child, most of the first-time moms may have been in a panic, but, since I had my mom and mother-in-law to help me to take care of my baby, it was not as difficult. They have prepared to become a much better mother when the other three children came. We try to provide the best care to my children. And I always tell them that they are lucky that they have their own home to live and have been given the best education that we can provide them. I remember when I went to fetch my youngest child from school and we took a public transport, a jeepney. There have been instances when there wer

I grew up where my dad would make us a schedule on who would do the chores. There was also a schedule on which subjects to study every day. For a kid, it may seem a bit harsh knowing that most of your classmates may not be experiencing the same. But, being a parent now, I have a better understanding of what they wanted us to develop – responsibility. In the afternoon, we need to take a nap, as instructed by my parents (which, I often end up pretending to be sleeping) but, I would be watching the television while my Yaya dozes off. Saturday mornings was always a special day. I get to watch my favorite shows – Voltes V (Yup! My brother and I even had a matching shirt and shorts), Sesame Street, Care Bears, and a lot more. (Yes! I am old!) We were contended watching these shows and would sometimes imitate a scene- very typical for kids. As time pass, so was the entertainment. In the early 80’s the Betamax was very popular. I remember watching about 5 VCDs every w

I am the kind of person who loves reading books that help inspire people. And it has been a way for me to express how I feel about certain situations through writing an inspirational blog which I have written more than 4 years ago. I have read “ Chicken Soup for the Soul ” and “ The Purpose- Driven Life ” and have treated it as my “heart softener” – a reminder of reality. They are books that have helped me go through my everyday struggles, to have a better understanding of what life is and to be happy despite everything that may not have gone the way I planned. I came across an e-book entitled “The Warrior Mindset”, written by Armando Bartolome . He is one of the well-sought business consultants and the man behind the success of a lot of big companies in the Philippines including Mang Inasal, Julie’s Bakeshop, and Fiorgelato , just to name a few. Being in the business for so many years, he did not only focus on how to help build the business of the people who sought his

Some people may be too scared when they are asked to put their money to proper use. The fear of being scammed due to the many companies that have taken away huge amounts of money from others may have been the primary reason of failing to invest. It is safe to say though, that investing money is the best way that could help secure the future of any individual. The only thing that one should be aware of is to know whom to trust. Our OFW’s are the common target of some businesses today because they know that the money they send to their families are much higher than what they would earn if they would have worked in the Philippines. It is truly a sad fact on how some Filipinos opted to serve other people from other countries instead of providing their service to their motherland. But what can they do if there is not enough job for them or the mismatched skills have also become one of the causes? An OFW, whose thoughts are focused in providing a better future for their famil