A Touch from Above

June 02, 2013 – My Sunday rituals were put into a halt when we got a call from my uncle that Father Joey A. Faller, who is known for his gift of healing, will be back to visit my Lola. As some of you might know, my lola has been in the hospital for almost 5 months now. If you don’t know who Fr. Faller is, check out his life story here: http://www.joeyfaller.org/

I know a lot of people would have to line up for hours just to see Father Faller, so without any second thoughts, I dropped everything and went straight to the hospital where my lola was.

He started to pray over lola who was very sleepy due to the strong meds, then he also prayed over my aunt, my mom and my cousin.

After giving me his blessing, he asked if he could see my hand. According to him, sudden “glitters” would appear if the Virgin Mary was making her presence felt. He did the same thing to my mom, my aunt and my cousin. Unfortunately, there were no signs or “glitters” on mine which made me a bit sad. As I asked him how come there were no "glitters" (pic below) he answered “parating palang”.

He only stayed for a few minutes and went on his way. He left us feeling blessed and spiritually healed. My encounter with Fr. Faller also created a big question in my mind, of what could “parating palang” mean? It has been days since he said those words and until now I'm still thinking about it. I'm not sure if I'll see him again but hopefully I will. Could it be God's plan to leave me hanging so I could figure it out for myself? 

I’m ending this post with a short prayer because I believe only He alone can help me find the answer “Lord please clear my mind and enlighten me so that I may follow your path. Mama Mary, come into my heart so that I may see what it is that I should do.”

I know that one day it will be revealed.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

I just realized today is his birthday -- Happy Birthday Fr. Joey! Thank you for touching our hearts =)

Luxe A-List Desserts: Matignon Choco Luxe

It was my big bro's birthday last June 11 and we were on the look out for a cake for the birthday boy. We ended up trying Matignon Choco Luxe: a double-layered chocolate fudge cake filled with caramel and topped with chocolate ganache, and decorated with sliced chocolate and chocolate curls. (Price PHP 500)

 

The intricate design on top and the white chocolate stripes on the side made it look elegant and posh which is perfect if you would like to give this as a gift.

Everytime I eat chocolate cakes, I ALWAYS make sure that it has some caramel in the middle, and I was very happy to see that in my first slice. Having that thin layer of caramel makes a lot of difference. Probably because it breaks the chocolate flavor? Honestly, I'm not sure. All I know it makes my chocolate cake yummier and that's all that matters. =P

 

 

It was heaven at first bite =) While others like it light and 'airy', I prefer it really moist like this one.  I felt like it just melted in my mouth. The chocolate frosting had the right amount of sweetness that would make you want to eat more. (Diet fail!)  

 

This is how the cake looked like minutes later (minutes palang ha!) We were all like ants slowly finishing it off.

 

In your next choco craving, or if you have a sweet tooth in search of a good treat, try this awesome cake from Goldilocks Luxe A-list Desserts. Call them at 7276505 or 5705206 or drop by their store at 439 Shaw Boulevard Mandaluyong City

Website: www.luxealistdesserts.com.ph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zenutrients

When buying beauty and bath products, do you often check the ingredients if it contains harmful chemicals? Now you don't have to worry, Zenutrients offers a wide range of products that are all-natural and effective. They have a lovely store at the 2nd floor of V-mall Greenhills, and they also have small kiosks in other malls.

 

 

One of their bestsellers is the gugo shampoo which according to their site 'contains extract and pulp of dried matured gugo vines. Gugo has been used by Filipinos even earlier than the year 1500. It contains saponin, a plant hormone that is credited for its cleansing and hair growing properties.'

According to their staff this is best for those who have thinning hair and this prevents hair fall.

Their #1 bestseller is the Special Blend Massage Oil with Ginger. If you're the type of person who loves a good massage at home, this one is for you. It costs around P350 for a 250 ml bottle.

Next in their bestselling list are the scrubs. I'm not really into scrubs since I'm always in a hurry to take a bath but I changed my mind when I learned that using body scrubs have a lot of benefits. The most popular one would be Coffee which some say helps to reduce cellulite. They also have Green tea - nature's best anti-oxidant, Oatmeal and Goat's Milk and a lot more.

They have All is Well which is their wellness product to breathe in for headaches, travel sickness or dizzyness.  

I bought my second bottle of Aloe Vera Conditioner P250. I think I mentioned in a previous post that this product is easy to rinse and it lessened my hair fall. Plus, it makes my hair really soft when it's dry. Some people still juice out aloe vera leaves as part of their beauty regimen. I just opted for the more convenient version since we don't have aloe vera in our backyard. =P

I also gave in to my body scrub curiosity and tried their Sweet Pea and Honeysuckle (P 225) which smells like Victoria's Secret perfume with beads =P

 

I'm not sure if their kiosks carry all their products, but this branch at GH seems to be complete.

According to their staff, they will be opening a bigger store at Kapitolyo so watch out for that. 

Since their store at V-mall is a bit hidden, you may seek assistance from the concierge desk for directions.

You can also check out their website http://zenutrients.com/ for their products. However, some of the new items are not yet included.

Special thanks to JK for letting me know about this place. Have a fun weekend! =)

Crepes and Crafts Afternoon

Bonjour! Welcome to Paris -- not! We just went to La Creperie at Little Baguio, San Juan after a filling lunch at Everything at Steak with my good friend Kai.

Kai and I ordered Mango Hazelnut au Chocolat which was a bit huge for our sweet cravings so we decided to share it.

I have never tried chocolate crepe before and I was happy to see that it looked really good.

Just when we thought we were too full to finish it....

... it's gone! (we just can't get enough hehe)

Its a small cozy place near Jose Abad Santos St, a perfect place to chill, have dessert or coffee and read your favorite book. It's not crowded, relaxing French music fills the air and the smell will just make you hungry =P

Right after, we headed to 10A Alabama's Arts and Crafts Fair. We got lost around E. Rod at first but the gate was a sure sign that we found the place =) 

Inside the house, you would see pieces from Resurrection Furniture. I loved the yellow retro speakers (left) and the colored vanity table. 

Everything was just too cute!!!!

I have a new favorite artist - Jamie Bauza!! I wanted to purchase all her typographic pieces like "Almost Famous" (upper left) but I still have to finish fixing my room. I got her number just in case =)

Quirky items will surprise you like the chess set with keyboard pieces, the lamp made of Red Horse bottles, the umbrella lamp, the disc bag and the wall art made of color pencils.

There were also other useful items like leather bags and wallets, and adorable accessories.

Meet the krafty pirate who can create live watercolor portraits. You can also buy from him handmade wallets made from comic book pages which can be cute gifts for comic book fanatics =)

Talk about sisterhood of the travelling shorts (upper right photo) .You will definitely standout wearing these embroidered shorts. Unfortunately they are too short for my patas =P

Personalize your room with these wall decors. Engrave your name or your initials in these framed cement. (upper left photo)

 I loved the wine cork board (bottom left) and the antique accessories. There were also cute magnets to pimp your ref/ board with. =)

Kai bought her designed corkboard from Sitting Pretty. A perfect and useful piece to add color to your bare walls. We also bought washi tapes from HeyKessy. I wanted to buy a lot of washi tapes because the prints were just so cool but need magtipid so we only bought a few. =P Stamp Right Now also had cute stamps which you could use for your journals, planners and letters. 

More cute butingtings" and handmade stuff from Artefact. The cards made me miss those good old days when e-cards and email were not a thing yet.

Yehey!! A fun-filled Sunday! Till our next crafternoon Kai! =)

Live Like We're Young

 

Once in a while, I reminisce about those days when I was still a kiddo. I miss those days when all I have to worry about is homework and get passing grades. When dull moments can be fixed by an ice cream cone or a toy. When life wasn't too serious and there were no complications. I was inspired by a blog post (sorry I forgot the link) about bringing that magic back. So I decided to do something spontaneous and fun to relive the glorious days of childhood.

It's true that growing old is not defined by your age but by the lack of enthusiasm within you. Life is indeed too short not to enjoy it. =P Happy weekend folks and lets all unleash that kid within us =)