Every Mom MUST have MUSTELA

Motherhood is the foremost facet of my being. When I became a mom, my life didn't just stop at being a mother. In fact, Motherhood has revealed the strength, the wisdom and the energy I never imagined I could ever have. 

One of my most favorite #TBT snaps of my baby boy!

Whenever I hold my son, Godric Matthew, I whisper the same words I used to say to myself back when he was in my womb, "My Greatest Blessing." And to this day, he keeps growing, changing, developing a personality that makes me think, was this the same noisy infant I cradled in my arms before? All I know is that I love him more and more each day. I can fully embrace my being, while I embrace his whole being, and do my best to help him soar on his own one day. 

Apart from his plump baby cheeks and that heavenly baby scent, I miss shopping for baby stuff! But I am proud and confident - and most of all thankful, that I was able to - get him the best baby essentials, especially during the first and most crucial months of his life. And I am proud to say that I also use something that he uses back then until now, MUSTELA skin care products!   

 

I love MUSTELA products, but I was more than thankful when I met the beauty and brains behind MUSTELA, Atty. Sharleen Cu-Unjieng! She was so generous to send me a sample pack after we met at the MOTHERCARE CIRQUE DU BEBE Baby and Kids Fair, which I emceed for (I will write a separate blog post on that). 

Atty. Sharleen may be quite the achiever (so humble too, as she is quick to say, "Call me Sharleen lang...") she is both a lawyer and a businesswoman, successful on both counts. But I saw that it is being a Mother to her 3 amazing kids that gives her the most pride and joy! She also shared the best things about motherhood, with tips on how to best care for babies' sensitive skin. 

Gotta love that tagline: "Protect today for tomorrow." And one of their bestsellers, and also my best friend, is the skin freshener, which my son and I love to share and spritz on especially now that I enrolled him in Soccer Camp!  

I am so proud of my son, who knows what he wants, and knows how to get it. I enrolled him last minute in Soccer school because I thought he should take Math and Writing courses first, but he was hell bent in being part of a Soccer Camp. And I am amazed at how at ease he is with the field. I know that PROTECTION does not mean that I should physically be there for him all the time. It is also about equipping him with the abilities to plow his way through whatever field. And I heard from his coach he stands out, and his love for the game really shine through. And of course it helps that apart from sipping water, my mom and his yaya sprays him with our favorite MUSTELA product to make him feel refreshed in an instant!   

Thank you very much MUSTELA for helping take good care of my handsome son's beautiful skin! From his sensitive baby skin and now to his active soon-to-be-a-soccer-star skin! Oh, and I find it funny and nice that my son's favorite soccer outfit - in blue - is also the same color as Mustela's logo and packaging material! We're part of Team Mustela!!!

Soon, I will be writing too about the fantasy-come-alive, the Mothercare Cirque du Bebe Baby and Kids Fair! As a teaser, I'd like to add my son's cute and rather Cotton Candid snap... What do you think? He may have grown a lot from the first photo, but he will always be my charming, handsome man! 

My bumper sticker below shows a few of the many amazing things my son has taught me: Infuse great love in whatever I do, no matter how trivial it may seem, until it grows into something great... Keep my focus and invest only on the things I value - and on those alone... Try to be patient (I have yet to really learn this, but I am trying!)... and my favorite? Not to pray for a lighter load, but to pray for more strength, faith and determination for every challenge that comes my way. 

Are you Vitamin D deficient? Unilab's FORTI-D Media Launch

 

Thrilled and thankful to be part of the exciting media launch of UNILAB's newest health supplement, FORTI-D (Colecalciferol). It was held at Bar One, Holiday Inn Hotel, Ortigas Pasig City. And below were my few shocking realizations: 

1. Vitamin D is not really a vitamin. This substance just stimulates/ activates the body's own natural ability to produce Vitamin D, which is essential for calcium absorption.

2. The best time to soak up the sun and activate your body's natural ability to generate Vitamin D is during noontime. Yes, when the sun is at its hottest, and the exact same time we all avoid (in order to avoid Migraines and Skin Cancer!) 

3. Light-skinned people can generate Vitamin D better than those with darker skin. Given that, in the free blood testing, I learned that I am Vitamin D Deficient! And you may be, too! Thank God for FORTI-D, the answer to hard-working, Vitamin D deficient people like you and me! 

Glad to meet a lot of blogger friends including Enzo, of juanmanilaexpress.com. Please click on his blog too! He is one of the most well-regarded bloggers in the country! 

Photo above shows me thinking, "Hey no fair! My hosting contract did not include mandatory Vitamin D testing through blood-letting with Photo Op!" Photo below shows me happy after the lovely nurse finally got some blood samples... wasn't as bad as I thought! I didn't faint after all...    

Thank you Forti-D for letting me take part of such a fabulous, empowering and eye-opening affair! 

D can stand for Deficiency, Downfall, Desperation, Delusion. But it can also be the first letter of the words, DREAM, DRIVE, DETERMINATION, DILIGENCE, DESTINY. 

It all depends on how we perceive things, and how we perceive things is how we will turn out to be. Choose your visions well, for this is the mold of the future, the shape of things to come.

As for me, I may thrive in a challenging world (plus I am vitamin D deficient and sickly, LOL) but my determination and drive in the write direction founded on my devotion and faith in God, will see me through.  

Thank Q, Quezon City for a memorable Women's Month Celebration!

To this date, the jingle of the Quezon City Women's Month Celebration still rings a pleasant sound in the ears of my mind. It goes, "Bida, sa QC ang kababaihan..." It is LSS every single day! Just goes to show how memorable and pleasant it was to be part of this amazing celebration, led by the beautiful and smart Vice Mayor of Quezon City, Joy Belmonte. 

Above shows me with this lovely and well-loved Public Servant, during the culminating activity - the Quezon City Partners Night, which was also her Birthday Celebration! I certainly had a lot of fun, being the host of this significant event and party! 

Of course I had to take a Selfie with Speaker Sonny Belmonte, the father of Vice Mayor Joy! 

But prior to this mesmerizing evening affair, I also had the honor of being the Master of Ceremony of the empowerment talks held at the QC Municipal Hall Building, in celebration of International Women's Month. Below shows me introducing our speakers for the day-long sessions. I facilitated a series of seminars, talks and fun activities with Women renowned in the fields of Leadership, Arts, Entrepreneurship and more!  

All of the topics addressed issues closest to a Woman's Heart. We tackled everything from Time Management, Tips in starting your own Business all the way to Power Dressing and even Makeup! 

Thank you so much to the ever-reliable and smart team of Creative Juice and their boss, Super Mom, Wife, Blogger, Entrepreneur Ms. Janice Villanueva of Mommy Mundo - check her amazing blog by following this link  http://janicevillanueva.com/ . 

To end this post, I just love the freebies for all the QC Women's Fair talks - shawls! My favorite accessory - giving me comfort and flair at the same time! With this lovely new shawl, I continue to echo the unforgettable, award-winning line in my forever favorite song from the hit Disney movie, Frozen, "The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway..." 

Boardwalk Gem Awards with KC Concepcion

It was a day of excitement and inspiration when I was emcee for the Boardwalk Gem Awards, held at the Metrotent, Metrowalk. Plus, I got to meet the lovely and sweet KC Concepcion, one of the few celebrities I truly admire, all thanks to her class, wit and sincerity. 

It was immensely inspiring to meet the Boardwalk GMOs who were able to turn their lives around by being dealers of these high-quality Boardwalk products. This is an annual get-together of GMOs where the top performers are awarded with cash prizes, plaques and a ton of other amazing gifts from Boardwalk. 

Above shows me with KC Concepcion and the President of the company, Mr. Bernardo Madera, prepping for the awarding ceremony. 

Above shows Mr. Madera presenting a plaque of appreciation to a motivational guest speaker. GMOs are assisted by boardwalk from sales, marketing and even holding occasionally talks such as this one, driving them to exceed their limits. 

I am so glad to be part of this, where I got to meet a lot of people from all walks of life and from different parts of the Philippines who all came together to witness this much-anticipated annual affair, and of course, meet their idol, and Boardwalk endorser, KC Concepcion (and who was my co-host too). 

A lookback at being part of Senator Koko's Campaign and Victory Party

Way, way back (was it 2006? 2007?) I was part of the senatorial campaign of Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel. Yellow is not my color, but being part of it made me wear yellow in aspects more than just wearing a yellow shirt. 

I shared my writing expertise and also took part in a few rallies and activities. It all gets murky when you recall the tale of how Koko Pimentel finally got his rightful seat in the senate. It was long and arduous but he made it. So I would like to share a few snaps of his Victory party... 

I emceed the victory party with Jojo Alejar. 

The symbolic candle-lighting and Thanksgiving prayer with his allies including Grace Poe.  

Also present was Ms. Shalani Soledad Romulo. 

This event showed how resilience and faith in God will lead you to wherever you deserve to be. And politics aside, I am thankful for being part of this event, and somehow, this journey. (But other than this, I despise politics, corrupt government officials and especially hate how big an amount is cut from my paycheck each month for taxes - which have never benefited the Filipino people directly!) 

My Unforgettable Gig as Barbie for the Fairy Secret Party!

When I was young, I dreamt of being Barbie. And waddayaknow!?! I got to be Barbie for a day! In fact for several years now, I have been emceeing for Richprime Global Inc. as one of their official character hosts, and SM Supermalls as Barbie! 

During the same day, before hosting for SUN CITY's Anniversary Party in my blue gown (see post below), I was Barbie in Pink! Plus I had wings, too! 

The kids and we adults had so much fun as these Barbie gals (over 150 Barbie princesses) sashayed down the Barbie runway in their best Fairy getup! 

Of course, the Kids at Heart - the lovely Moms, got to play games and win Fabulous, Pinktastic prizes too! 

Can everybody say, "We Love Barbie!!!?!"

And before I wrap up this post, just a bit of fun, Pink-tastic Trivia: Did you know that BARBIE's real name is BARBARA MILLICENT ROBERTS? 

www.marylaineviernes.net

Sun City: Hong Kong's Online Sin City blazes through the Philippines!

One of the most memorable anniversary and awards night I've emceed was for Sun City. This was where I've met a lot of famous (and some controversial) personalities, and every part of the program was really interesting!

The fact that a lot of Chinese from both Mainland and Hong Kong were there - and who had an entirely different party culture - was a tremendous learning experience. I had to scheme to get their attention for they were partying on their own, gambling the night away and already drunk halfway through the program. It was a riot, and a rather fun one. This was, in a way, not as wholesome as the other events I emceed for, as high rollers were present, and money was rolling through the tables, and my list of raffle prizes kept piling on, thanks to the generous - and inebriated - online casino patrons who really made this bash memorable! 

Smiling the night away! I had so much fun and got to sing a few Chinese songs too! Well, just two, Pengyou and Yueliang Daibiao Wode Xin (The Moon Represents My Hear) that I memorized so I can also take part in Chinese events and weddings. 

I don't really care about what people say about Manong Johnny - Juan Ponce Enrile - and on my left there, that lovely lady is his former Chief of Staff, Atty. Gigi Reyes. 

These lovely ladies above were among the guests who flew all the way from Hong Kong. I believe they are related to the young man who owns Sun City online casino, and a string of many other  big Hospitality and Entertainment - related companies in Southeast Asia, especially in Hong Kong and Mainland. They were really sweet lovely, and we were exchanging compliments in Mandarin! 

Notice the Glitter Tattoo on my face? I got this because prior to this fabulous Sun City anniversary party and awards night, I emceed a PINKTASTIC Barbie Party in SM Megamall! Yup, I sometimes do 2-3 events on one day. But I never wish for less work. With thanks, I pray for more strength and grace, to keep up with the boundless blessing I continue to receive. 

"Each time the Sun rises, its warm rays remind me that Things do not get easier... 

I ONLY BECOME STRONGER..."