Update!

Update from Capiz:

According to Tracy's uncles in Cogon, Panit-an, Capiz, there's about 3,000 people who are dead. The only relief goods that the province was able to receive was from Mar Roxas and PNoy and it wasn't enough for the whole province and it didn't reach the remote areas. Anyone who's been in the province knows that the seafood is it's prime product but no one in the province wants to eat the fish because they are scared it's been feeding on the dead bodies scattered in the area. They have no electricity and from Roxas City, only motorcycles can be used to go to the towns of Panit-an, Pan-ay and Pontevedra.

This province also needs help. If you have something to spare, please donate it. Tracy, Pia and I are accepting donations in form of the following:

>> blankets

>> canned goods

>> bread

>> candles and matches

>> water (lots of it!!)

>> hygiene kits (sanitary napkins, diapers for babies, toothbrush, toothpaste)

>> flashlights with batteries

>> used clothes and toys

>> generators

Your donations will then be shipped to Roxas City via LBC/Air21/JRS wherein we are currently organizing with The Boy Scouts of the PH-Iloilo, Iloilo Law Students, Purisima College, Capiz Medical Society (and just in!) Rotary Club and JCI Roxas City and some PRIVATE SECTORS. We will be monitoring this personally and taking full responsibility of the donations to be shared and given to the right people.

Drop off area are as follows:

- 9th floor unit 10 The infinity Bldg, 26th street BGC Taguig

- Tokyo Posh Rockwell Branch (beside Draft)

- We can also do meet ups in Makati (Greenbelt, Glorietta, Rockwell), Alabang Town Center, Robinson's Galleria, Manila (Taft Avenue-Pedro Gil) if ever you are too far away.

For immediate contact, text at 09088513397 (Tracy dela Cruz) 09088163599 (Pia Alviola) or 09178924628 (KC Cervales)

Please repost, reshare or donate your excess goods. Thank you.

Help Us Fill Up A Box For Northern Cebu and Capiz :)

The past three days have been very tumultuous as the Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) wreaked havoc upon Central Philippines, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless, thousands of people dead and a lot of properties destroyed.

Since most of us know how greatly devastated the province of Leyte is, I am taking this opportunity to bring some of the other devastated places to your attention since we hear less of these places. Photos courtesy of Task Force Yolanda Facebook Page

1. Northern Cebu

Daanbantayan

Bantayan Island

2. Capiz 

e.g. Roxas City - my daddy's hometown! :(

Ang Panublion

I followed Task Force Yolanda in Facebook because they focus on other places that receive minimal help from LGUs despite the massive scale of damages.

Right now, my mom and younger sister are collecting and packing our old clothes to send to these places. Even my mom's friends are pitching in so we can fill up the boxes that's available at home. So far we have almost filled up a large Speedbox with clothes. I would like to ask you to lend us a hand in filling up these boxes. Right now, these are the things that we are collecting, based on the basic needs:

1. Ready to eat food (canned food, biscuits, bread) 
2. Drinking water 
3. Medicines for cough, colds etc. 
4. Basic toiletries (i.e. soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo) 
5. Clothes and blankets

I would also like to thank my friend Tracy, who helped me out in this by posting Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in various social media to help us gather more relief goods for the victims of the typhoon. There were people who already pledged donations and with that I'm really happy.

You may email me at kristine_cervales@yahoo.com or send me a private message at my Twitter or Facebook accounts if you are interested in helping us fill up a box.

Here are some of the drop off points for donations if you also want to help out Task Force Yolanda:

TOKYO POSH EASTWOOD

3/F Eastwood Mall - Beside Me and You
Please look for Jocelyn

TOKYO POSH ROCKWELL
R2 Level, Power Plant Mall - Beside Draft
Please look for Joanne

ENERGY. / MARA CHUA MANILA
Unit 9-C Scout Rallos St. Brgy Laging Handa Quezon City
You can leave them with the security guard - There's gonna be a box there soon!

CEO FLATS
27 Canopus Street Cor Jupiter St. Brgy Bel Air Makati City
c/o Pauline Alviola

HABI SHOWROOM
Unit 217 FBR Arcade Brgy. Loyola Heights Katipunan Ave
(above Yellow Cab)

Rest assured that your donations will be delivered to the above mentioned areas. Thank you guys!

Let's Fly, Kids!

I'm thrilled to find out that AirAsia Philippines will be moving its flights from Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark to NAIA Terminal 4 in Manila. With this move, AirAsia is also joining forces with Zest Air and the partnership will be known as AirAsia Zest.

I've actually had a nice experience with AirAsia when I went to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. It's always known that low-cost airlines serve instant food and has a cramped leg room but to tell you the truth, AirAsia is not your typical low cost airline. You won't say that "you get what you pay for" because the leg room is just enough for your knees not to reach the backside of the seat in front. As for the on board meals, you can pre-order when you book your ticket. The meals are reasonably priced because the portions are just enough to fill you up. Let me just share the meal that I had:

Exhibit A: Roast Chicken with Barbecue Sauce - Not bad and it's not too spicy for my taste.

Exhibit B: This water container - I found it cute. Haha.

I can't remember how much our airfare was at that time but I remember it being cheaper than 2,000 pesos than the other low-cost airline that flies to KK. It may not be that huge but hello, it's still 2,000 pesos saved! Not to mention, the flight schedules are in sync with my schedule so I said YAY to AirAsia.

Other people may say otherwise but all in all, my experience made me consider flying with them again. However the major setback of AirAsia back then is that it's only based in Clark. I don't like the hassle of travelling from Laguna or Manila to Clark. Personally, this AirAsia in Manila thing is putting a smile on my face as it gives me many options whenever I want to fly somewhere...and hide. Haha.

AirAsia Zest flies from Manila to any of these local destinations: Cebu, Davao, Kalibo (Boracay), Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran, and Cagayan De Oro; and these international destinations: Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Shanghai, and Incheon. Although they still have limited areas, the best part of that is AirAsia Zest can take you to your destination at affordable prices.

That being said, along with my wanderlust and recent penchant for "top lists", I have made a Top 5 list of the AirAsia Zest destinations that I want to visit someday:

One Step To Break The Monotony

I think I will do just that. :)

Dati-rati

Whoever said that OPM is dead, sure does not know what they're saying. There are a lot of great songs by Filipino composers that are hitting the airwaves. Take this ultracute example, "Dati" written by Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana for the 2013 Philippine Popular Music Festival. The song was given justice by Sam Concepcion, Tippy Dos Santos and Quest.

In a shitty day, all I need is to play a feel good tune to chase the blues away. This song will do just that because it reminds so much of how simple things had been and the friendships that you made when you were a child. From Nintendo to Sarah ang Munting Prinsesa, this song has got all the elements of the 90's. Because yeah, you can take me out of the 90's but you can't take the 90's out of me. Songs don't have to be all about boobs, butts and booze. The simplicity of it all makes it tick.

Expect me to play this song over and over again until I start to get tired. Tee-hee!