Vivere Salon Cuts Real Good Hair

Being stressed for a number of weeks, reason why I was not able to tend to this blog for awhile, I managed to drop by an alternate salon for twice already. I used to go to Tony and Jackey, but that is another story (I’ll write this one up hopefully soon!)

I looked for several salons online and visited malls to decide on where to get my next cut. I heard of Vivere Salon online, and saw their Robinson’s Manila branch way before but never went for a cut. I was too infatuated with Korean hairstyles then, since it compliments my look. But then again, I have to get over it and move on.

While getting pumped up for school, I decided to get a cut in SM North where I pass daily. I passed by Tony and Jackey, and decided not to have my hair cut there. My relationship with them has always been a hit-and-miss. I don’t want to have a miss again. So I opted to try Vivere Salon located at the Lower Ground of SM North Annex.

Vivere Salon SM North Edsa Annex

Still having doubts on whether they cut good hair or not, I entered the salon and told the person at the reception table that I want to get a haircut. I told them that it was my first time there. I was observant since not all salons have the same rituals (Of course they do, but they differ in the execution).  I left my bag on the chair since there were no lockers and proceeded to have my hair shampooed.

They ask you whether you want it warm or cold. The water to be used for your hair, I mean. By no means, I always choose warm. I dont’ want to end up freezing there. After which, Benj Avellanosa attended to me. He was the same person in the reception table. I had no idea that he was a stylist from the beginning.

Benj Avellanosa, stylist

I posted a picture here from their Multiply site. He sure looks very different from this one.

I just wanted a haircut that is easy to maintain. I told him my lifestyle, that I always jog and swim. I wanted a haircut that suits what I do, and will never become a hassle to me. After a short monologue, he proceeded with his work. And it ended up very good. I looked younger, and feels lighter.

I can say service was good except that he had me wait for a number of minutes to attend to a very old lady. I just gave in since she’s old enough to be my grandmother.

———-

After almost two months, I came back for another haircut. Benj wasn’t there during the time I visited so I was assigned to a different hairstylist. I have no idea then what will I look like after. I just did my short monologue, and my hair cut turned out to be very good as well. Many people have already commented how they like the hairstyle and how it has the summer-y feel to it.

I was not able to get the name of the hairstylist, but looking at their Multiply site. I think it is Tom Cruz, not the hollywood action star.

Tom Cruz, stylist

I am very adventurous in having different hairstyles as long as it looks good on me. Kudos to Vivere Salon! You cut real good hair.

You can contact their salon in LG the Annex of SM north EDSA via landline (+632) 501 2158

2009 Christmas Wishlist

I wonder if wishes still do come true. Most of the time when I was still a child, I often dream of things to happen. Well, of course it’s fiction. It ain’t really going to happen. But during Christmas time, all of us relive the experience of wishing personal things that we want to have and events we want to happen.

So, I’ll pretend to be a child again and think of 5 not-so-childish things I want for Christmas (or at the very least, I want to have).

1.  Running shoes – Be it either Mizuno or Adidas, it doesn’t matter much as long as it fulfills its purpose. I regularly jog around our campus and the shoes I have been using (not even a running shoe) is already worn out. It has lived it’s life happy enough and would like to rest, and so I have stopped running as well for quite some time. I wish to go back to my regular exercise and I hope that it’ll be a long-lasting relationship with my *wishing* new shoes.

2. New laptop – I already have one, but I wish it’d be something smaller. Though I’d like to have something like a Mac, I want my wish to be more practical and feasible so I think that I will be opting for a HP mini, Toshiba or any brand that is durable enough for my wish. I just want my laptop to be stylish and not that heavy since I actually need to bring it to school more often than not.

3.  iPhone – I want to wish for something big once in a while. So I guess, I want a new phone to start with. I want to get my current phone away. It has been with me for quite some time now, and even got lost when I was at the beach. It dug itself through the sand. Maybe it is somehow telling me goodbye! And, I also want this (if ever I’ll be buying a Nike+) since it has some features, when bought with some accessory, which makes it act like a trainer for people who run.

4. Speedo trunks – I need a new one. I bought mine almost two years ago, and I just want to buy a new one to wear during my training. And, add some boardshorts to that for my beach and surfing trips. This will totally add up to my water sports experience.

5. Books – Give me the best ones, be it classical or contemporary. I liked the advice of Tom’s friend in 500 Days of Summer. It goes like this, “The best way to get over a girl is turn her into literature.” Go figure!

How about you? If you wished you owned an original limited edition Starbucks USB, then this might be your lucky day. Check NomNomClub.com right now to see details about this promo. Good luck!

7Stones Boracay Suites Resort Hotel

I have a good news to all beach lovers out there! If you’re looking for a new place to stay in Boracay, I just discovered the best place to go, the 7Stones Boracay Suites Resort Hotel, located at Bulabog Beach. This place will definitely complete newbies’ Boracay experience, and offer a new one for Boracay’s regular visitors.

To my windsurfing friends (and people who do kiteboarding), this is the perfect destination. Hey, it’s just across the door step since you’re located in a prime destination. Let’s bring our boards and sails to this Resort in Boracay. And don’t forget those swimsuits and board shorts to truly live up the Boracay adventure.

Price range starts from $126.00++ up to $750.00++ ($1 = 50 pesos). This may be a little high for some but they have complete facilities and services they offer to their guests. Not bad for a prime experience in a prime destination in the country. They also have a lagoon swimming pool, outdoor jacuzzi, and a swim-up bar to complete your vacation experience. Girls will surely love this, so guys bring ’em to this Resort in Boracay (you sure won’t regret it, wink!).

If you also plan to do other things such as parasailing, jet skiing, golf, and more, just talk to the concierge. They will be more than willing to arrange these fun activities for all of you. The 7Stones Boracay Suites Resort Hotel offers an action-filled Boracay vacation, or a relaxing and luxurios stay in your very own suite, whichever you like.

Good news does not stop there! Among the best things about 7Stones Boracay Suites Resort Hotel is that they are committed to preserving the environment. Resort operations are designed to be eco-friendly, and the resort has been designed and built to minimize the carbon footprint it produces. Think about relaxing and being able to help save the world at the same time, isn’t it a great idea?

You’re about to ask me how to get there, ain’t you? Below is a map image which shows the exact location of the Resort in Boracay. Just take a plane to Caticlan and you’re almost there.

The 7Stones Boracay Suites Resort Hotel, managed by the Fuego Hotels and Properties, is located at Bulabog Beach, Balabag, Boracay Island. For more info, visit their website or call them at (036) 288 16 01.

Yugatech Christmas Contest

Starting this week, Yugatech will be doing a series of different contests for their “YugaTech Great Gadget Giveaway” with a major theme around it. It will be really simple and have easy mechanics. This week’s theme is “Merry Tweetmas”.

Round 1 Mechanics are as follows:

1) Follow @abeolandres and @talk2globe on Twitter.

2) Post a tweet “Just entered to win a Modu Phone. Quick! Go follow @abeolandres and @talk2globe and retweet: http://bit.ly/6e2q7O #thanks2yugatech”

Hey, they’re giving away a Modu phone, 10 Globe Tattoo and 20 Php500 prepaid call cards randomly. That’s 31 winners in all for the Twitter giveaway.

If you don’t have a Twitter account but own a blog, here’s another way for you to join in this week’s giveaways:

1) Blog about the “YugaTech Great Gadget Giveaway”. Include the photo I posted here and link to this contest page.

2) Don’t forget to include in your post the mechanics for the Twitter contest above.

3) Leave a comment here with the URL of your entry.

For this one, Yugatech will give away another Modu phone, 10 Globe Tattoo and 10 prepaid load cards worth Php500 each. That’s 21 additional winners for a total of 52 winners this week.

Lastly, for YugaTech readers who don’t Twitter or blog, here’s one for you:

Leave a comment on this contest page with the answer to this question — “If you’re stuck in an island with a phone and only have one call left, who would you call and why?“.

Ten most witty or creative answers will each win Php500 worth of prepaid load cards from Globe.

You can join in any of the 3 separate giveaways above but you can only win once for this round. If you win twice or on all 3, you get the bigger prize.

That’s a total of 62 lucky winners this week alone. This is just to warm you up for that grand prize. Go and start spreading the word!

Brought to us by

Seamate Fun Dive

Last weekend, a group of 10 young people decided to go for a dive along the stretch of Bauan, Batangas. So, we headed off to our default stay-in resort, which is just around a kilometer long swim away from the infamous Dive and Trek Resort.

Just around 2 hour bus ride from Quezon City, then we arrived in Lemery, Batangas. It was a long bus ride for me, since I didn’t get to sleep much during the ride, and I was also under the influence of alcohol the night before. My friend, on the other hand, drank alcohol just before the bus departed the station. Hence, he had the bus stop twice just to pee because he drank too many before the trip.

The weather was very much friendly to us for the whole 2 days. Before we decided to go to the resort, we had to purchase food and alcohol at the marketplace to complete the fun beach experience.Bought some couple of bottles, and then we’re done.

We arrived at the resort before noon. The sun was up above. Current was not that strong and waves were perfectly fine. A perfect chill dive that everyone likes. Had to review some fellow first on their skin diving skills first though, but all turned out all right.

All was set. Everyone has their own set of equipment. However, we forgot to bring an underwater camera. Though we have no still photos of our underwater experience, it was still a very great experience.

We had to swim to the nearby resort (Dive and Trek) to get a better view of the marine life (and scuba divers, as well). We moved freely underwater while enjoying the company of giant clams, colorful corals and fishes, and pawikans. Our group saw 4 pawikans, but I only saw two. I swam together with the other one which was a rare fun experience.

The morning after was good enough. It signaled that we have to come back to Manila, and re-live our not-so-ordinary lives again.We packed up our things after sleeping during that one hell of a windy night.

On our way home, we stopped by the Conti’s residence in Batangas, and had our lunch there. Thanks for the food Tita! And oh, we met their pet parrot and tried teaching him the pekpekpekpek song, but we had to leave early to reach Manila just in time.

We will definitely go there once again Seamate! See you soon!

The UP Marine Biological Society (UP MBS) is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote awareness of the marine life through the sport of skin diving and principles of environmentalism. Check out their homepage at  http://www.upmbs.blogspot.com

Pictures by Ian U.

The Chronic Mentally Ill

A lot has happened since my last post, and I really need to post the interesting new experiences. Let me start with this one!

Last week, my friend and I were lucky enough to be given permission to get a feel of the National Center for Mental Health, located in Mandaluyong City. We were told by our adviser to do some observations and have a tour within the hospital, which we religiously did.

Though we had to wait for almost two weeks for our letter to be approved, it was worth it. Not all people get to go inside an institution like this, and not all are even given the chance to have contact with the chronic mentally ill. And so, we went there an hour earlier than our schedule to show some professionalism (and we were told to come in earlier because a doctor will be accompanying us).

As we entered the premises of the hospital, the statue of Sisa (the crazy woman in Jose Rizal’s literature) welcomed us. The figure of a woman who looks for her two children, Basilio and Crispin, has become the representative figure for the patients of NCMH. More so, as we entered the Pavilion 2, a painting of the same statue can be found at the entrance. In the painting, around 8 mentally ill men were with her, which actually exuded a very creepy ambiance in the hall, which made my friend pull me so we can already proceed to our destination.

We came in and waited first at the Training Office located in Pavilion 2. The first thing we noticed was the architectural design of the pavilion, as it was similar to the building of the Philippine Mental Health Association, located in Quezon City. The center of the infrastructure is a spacious garden, while rooms are scattered on its perimeter creating a pentagonal design. We don’t really have any idea why it was created that way, and when we asked the doctor during the tour, she said that it may be coincidental.

While waiting for the doctor who will be accompanying us, I had the chance to sit beside an outpatient woman who was diagnosed to be a bi-polar. I was extremely observant (since this was really our purpose)  and, at the same time,  felt very awkward and uncomfortable to sit beside her. It was really my first time to be actually that close with a bi-polar person, and signs showed that she is mentally ill. She talked about menstruation and her educational background. She said that she was a college student who studies Journalism from some reputable college, which made me even more curious.

My friend said that I looked totally uncomfortable during the event. Good thing, it was just quick. People at the Training Office then made us wait outside since they were already crowded inside the office. After 30 minutes more of waiting,  Dr. Montevirgen arrived and gave us a smile. Hey, she’s very friendly and accomodating!

She gave us a tour inside the Out-Patient Pavilion where we saw patients together with their family, who are undergoing an Acute Crisis Intervention System to see whether they are going to be confined in the hospital. It was a totally different experience to see how a mental institution works. We saw both men and women being observed. There were extremes, people who do not seem to be mentally ill, and people who at a first glance you’ll consider to be very mentally ill.

The tour finished earlier than what we expected so I asked Dr. Montevirgen if she can give us a tour at the Acute Adult Male Pavilion, which was right across the street. And as accommodating as she was, she confirmed and told us that we can see the other pavilion. My eyes sparkled with joy. This is the real experience.

We entered the Acute Adult Male Pavilion, which is Pavilion 1. We had no idea what to expect, at the very least. It was totally different from the other pavilion. Patients were wearing blue gowns or uniforms. Most were inside a communal cell or ward, while others were freely roaming the premises. But those who are free were said to be already okay and harmless.

There are more than 8 wards inside the pavilion, having 50-70 patients per ward. No beds nor chairs can be found inside the wards. Only patients. Plastic mats for sleeping are given when it is already time for them to sleep. I cannot even entertain the idea of me doing nothing for the day standing still while looking at space.

As we go from one number to another, it can be noticed that cases become more severe as the number gets greater. This includes some undesirable smell and the illness of the patients. Some patients were also tied into wooden beds. They have become violent, hence the punishment.

But, we also saw some patients wearing a different color, that is green. They were already totally okay and have recovered from their sickness. The hospital just needed to contact their families so they can be pulled out. They also received rewards (beds) and were able to socialize with some interns inside the building.

After the tour, we had some conversations with two other doctors, Dr. Lee (or was that Lim?) and another doctor that I can no longer remember (I’m sorry). They even explained to us the current conditions of the patients of the hospital, and suggested some topics that we can research on for our study. All of them were very welcoming and very helpful.

It was a totally great experience. A rare one indeed. I hope to get to experience to live inside the hospital for a month, or even just to visit the premises for a whole month. I experienced the real feel of a mental hospital, and it is totally different from what media shows it to be.

No pictures were taken due to confidentiality.

A Trip to a Different Kind of Soirée

My friend was having a hair problem, and so he asked me where he can get a new hair cut. I believe that hair does big things in improving a person’s self-esteem and presentation towards others. And, I have been looking at different sites online which new salon I will be trying this time.

And so, I asked my friend how much his budget was. I can give so many suggestions which may just be downplayed because of lack of budget, that’s why this was the very first question I told him. Then he said that he does not plan to spend more than 300 pesos for a new cut. Due to this requirement, I had pretty few options I can offer him.

Then, I decided to bring him to Soirée Salon located at 138 Katipunan Ave., Bgy. St. Ignatius, Quezon City. It’s just near from where we will be coming from, so I opted for this one. Also, good reviews and feedback online contributed as well.

My friend and I decided to walk the length of Katipunan starting from the LRT station. We actually thought that it was not that far. But we were wrong. IT IS FAR. It took us more than 20 minutes to reach the place just by walking. Well, it’s fine with me since I am used to running 5 kilometers in a day. My friend though got a little moody on the way there. I’m not to blame, it was his idea after all.

After that intense walking session, I saw the Monterey and Ching Santos sign.  They were more visible than the sign of Soirée Salon. We were happy that we didn’t actually got lost in our way there. As I was walking towards the salon, my friend almost stopped me and told me that he thinks the salon only caters to women. I said no and pushed him to open the door.

Warm greetings welcomed us as we entered the salon.  The receptionist was very much hospitable and accommodating. Her name is Christine (not sure about the spelling, though). I asked her name when we were already leaving the premises because I was a little too sociable that time, and I wanted to make friends.

I was actually more enthusiastic than my friend when we were in the salon. His only purpose was to get a hair cut. My purpose is to get a feel of the salon and inquire as well of their rates since I plan to have a new hairstyle and have my hair dyed as well. The rates they have given me during my actual visit was cheaper than what they told me through SMS. They told me that hair color just costs 800, and hair cut is 200 when I visited them. The price they told me via SMS was a little higher.

Soirée Salon & Spa had two floors. The actual salon is located in the second floor while some spa services are done at the first floor, I think. I scouted the salon area and noticed that there were only limited number of seats (around 5) for salon clients who wants to have their hair done. The area allocated is just right. Not too cramped and natural light enters the room too! The room actually gives a refreshing ambiance with its cooling green walls, inside plants, and their attendants who were also wearing a bright colored attire.

We asked for Ken to do my friend’s hair because I have read positive feedback about him. He graduated from Tony & Guy Academy in Tokyo, Japan so I wanted to see how he cuts hair. Ken looked different than how I imagined him to look like, but that is a different story.

After my friend’s cut was done, he gave a thumbs up to his new cut and to his new experience. He told me that he was amazed to the attention he was given and how his hair was styled. He thinks of coming back there after two months to be a regular customer of the salon.

Hooray for a job well done! I was able to provide a new salon and hairstylist to a friend. Now, me thinks of having a haircut and hair color. I am not yet sure where I will have mine done. Maybe, I’ll try a different salon first to have more options in the end.

Visit their website http://soireesalonandspa.multiply.com/ or call them at 911 8772 or text them at 0922 850 0069.

Talk the Walk, Walk the Talk

While walking to my next destination, I decided to shot some pictures of the place where I frequently spend the night jogging and running. I noticed that it was a perfect day to run because of the very fine weather. No rain. No harsh sun. It was perfect. Excited as I was, reality shook me off as I remembered that I still have a class until evening.

Hence, the perfect weather may not always be the perfect time to run. I still have to wait another 3 hours before my feet gets to feel my worn out running shoes. Though it’s worn out, it is still wearable and does the trick when I run around the oval.

Though the UP Acad Oval is a great jogging place, having its own bike lane through out its length; For many, it is not just the perfect place to run. It lived long the best, worst, most fun-filled, cheesiest, and even the craziest experiences of people who pass this landmark everyday.

You cannot just only see different buildings and landscape which comes along with it. But you also get to meet and interact with a lot of new people. And, you can never miss Zorro. You still haven’t completed the Acad Oval experience if you have not yet either seen or talked with Zorro. (I’ll just write another article on him alone).

After my class ended, I immediately went to run some 2 rounds of the Oval. It was a bit darker than usual. Then short after, I realized that there was a celebration along the University Avenue celebrating the Pailaw or Lightening ceremony of UP Diliman.

It didn’t finish there. I just became aware a while ago (while jogging)  of the upcoming run to be organized by Ateneo on the 6th of December. Now, I’m torn whether or not to join any race scheduled on the said date. This needs more brainstorming and decision-making for me, and some extra bucks if I decide to go then.

And oh yeah, everything turned out well almost… until the instance where I almost got injured because of a 1 year-old kid who just blocked my way. Thanks to my reflex, nothing happened to both of us. I just hope that parents or guardians always have their attention with the child or children they are taking care of. Since everything turned out okay (the child and me), I decided to just run again hastily without even looking at the child’s parent due to my dismay.

A Ferry in the Pasig River

A couple of days ago, my friends and I decided to leap over the Pasig River Ferry. Others frown upon the idea of riding a boat that travels the stretch of the river, but we were not afraid to try this new experience nonetheless.

Unfortunately, we had very little idea of the route and trip schedules of the ferry. This didn’t hinder us at all. We scheduled a day when we will be riding this water bus, and made sure that this will happen.

At last, we arrived at the first station in Intramuros, Manila. Plaza Mexico to be exact. We were lucky indeed because we just came at the very right time . If we were any minute late from the time of our arrival, the ferry would have departed without us. There’s no VIP in this cruise for sure! Once your late, even for a fraction of a minute, you will really need to wait for an entire hour just to be able to reach your next destination.

And so, we were lucky. Or so we think. We literally have even less idea of what to expect in the ride. From Manla to Makati, it already took us an hour to get there (Read: We were still halfway). No food. No potable water. Nothing. Just the company of each other. At least, I had company or we would have gone crazy over that two-hour ride.

Honestly, we already expected the worst to happen since it is Pasig River that we are talking about here. But there were really no odd smell anymore and less trash than what we actually anticipated way before the ride. It was ‘cleaner’ than before. Still, I wouldn’t suggest bathing, swimming or even diving in the river. Though I saw some people doing these, it really is not advisable and it kind of freaks out other people, including me, to see people doing such activities in the Pasig River.

As we departed, I even saw men trying to fish with a pole. I read somewhere that ecologists noted that life is already impossible in Pasig River, but I guess there is still hope. I would have wanted to come near the guy and ask him what kind of fishes does he get from the river, but the ride already took a toll on me and decided not to bother the ‘fisherman’.

To the Ferry Service, we suggest that you play some tunes over the radio or even put a TV monitor in the vehicle. I bet that passengers are hell bored in the trip. Even I, a first time passenger, fell asleep during my fun experience. Also, it is a little hot inside the ferry, though it is air-conditioned. But, kudos for putting up another ferry service as an alternative transportation in Metro Manila.

After this experience, we went back to Trinoma via the MRT along Guadalupe. We dropped by Gourdo’s and Starbucks for a rest. And, I got a memorabilia from McDonald’s that same day (Happy!).

This ended up in a school documentation, which we plan to tackle more on by the semester. This new experience opened up the eyes of other people on the potential of Pasig River Ferry as a means of water transportation. Thus, I see more Pasig River Ferry Trips ahead of me. By then, I’ll definitely say no to abstinence, and become ready to bring foods and beverages next time.