Rochkirstin | com

Author: Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco

  • Review of Fish and Co. (Greenbelt 3, Makati)

    Review of Fish and Co. (Greenbelt 3, Makati)

    Last weekend marked the half of December. Mostly at this time, I have mixed emotions on the coming days leading up to the holidays. At one end, I’m excited, looking forward to the short vacation when I can spend more time with my family, my boyfriend, my friends and myself. On the other end, I dread the fact that this break would also make way to adding weight on and basically, fats—which I utterly don’t welcome.

    I thought I’d already gained some pounds. Last night I stepped on the weighing balance and felt a sigh of relief when I saw my weight didn’t change at all. Yes!

    As a girl with an insatiable love for interesting food, this end-of-year extravaganza of luncheons and dinners would be deadlier for my long-standing goal to eat reasonably and stay fit in all seasons. It’s quite hard to avoid the minefield of treats offered in the holidays, and pushing them away when someone already has placed food on my plate is equally hard. But if this someone is Mommy or Louie, then it would be easy to pass food back to their plates to show my generosity in return. 🙂

    Last Saturday, I was glad that three of my friends from college also gamely took care of my leftover. We dined in at Fish and Co., Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati for our year-end party / Christmas celebration. It was indeed another fish-tacular experience! Here are pictures to whet your ravenous appetite.

    Some Trivia

    Did you know that Fish & Co. started its business as a mid-level casual dining restaurant in 1998? It opened its first branch in Plaza Singapura, Singapore during the peak of the Asian regional financial crisis. Fish & Co. had managed to grow its business nonetheless and built branches in other parts of the world, namely: Malaysia, Indonesia, Middle East, Philippines and Hong Kong.

    In the Philippines, Fish & Co. has opened its door to the Filipinos since 2005 as a member of the Bistro Company. According to my research, Greenbelt 3 was its first ever branch in the country!

    Review of Fish and Co. (Greenbelt 3, Makati)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    I had eaten in Fish and Co., Singapore several times and once in the SM Mall of Asia branch. In contrast with them, this branch of Fish and Co. at Greenbelt 3 is not one that’s very promising in terms of atmosphere.

    Default contemporary wall decors were present, including the different kinds of colorful fish hanging from the ceiling. However, it was a no-cold zone; poor air-conditioning was notable. The restaurant had a laid-back and decent vibe, with plenty of outdoor seating and limited indoor seating in long but narrow space. Noise was tolerable across the dining area.

    Service: ★★★★★

    We came with a reservation so we did not have problems getting tables and chairs for 10 people. Waiters took our orders and served them fast.

    Food: ★★★★☆

    I probably would not have connected “fish” and “chips” three years ago. Before I had only been exposed to Chinese food, which are mostly home-cooked. When I had my first plate of Fish and Co.’s fish and chips, I thought it was a ludicrous combination. After some bites, it made great sense.

    Looking for something with relatively new taste from my last visit, I made sure to order a dish I haven’t tried. The seafood curry was my choice for the evening. It came with squid rings and fish fillet pieces which were not fried greasy but slowly braised in spicy red coconut curry sauce served on steamed jasmine rice. I loved it when its spiciness did not overpower the taste of the rest of the ingredients. I was just too full to finish them off.

     

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    There’s nothing quite like indulging in a restaurant with fish delights that are delicately seasoned and cooked to perfection. I will have no trouble repeating the seafood excellence that I enjoyed that night. Fish and Co. is a great dining place with friends and family. Just get ready to pay for at least PHp 250 per dish plus the 10% service charge.

    In my case, I paid for PHp 335 (discounted from PHp 395 because one of my friends holds a membership card that entitled us all to avail of the 20% discount) for the seafood curry. It was a large pan retaining the most flavorful of fish preparations, so I thought it’s sound to say it duly was worth the price.

  • Review of Caixa Resto and Bar (Inside Makati Golf Club)

    Review of Caixa Resto and Bar (Inside Makati Golf Club)

    After about two months of planning and preparation, we finally made it through our division’s Christmas party last night. Here are the summary of details of the party:

    Theme: Movie-inspired
    Venue: Caixa Bar, 7232 Malugay Street, almost perpendicular to Ayala Avenue, Makati City
    Time: 8PM-2AM
    Contest/s: Raffle Draws, Christmas Tree Making Contest and Costume Contest
    Presentations: The New Hires’ Performance Number and Rock-eoke (live karaoke)
    Attendees: All ITS Employees, on-the-job trainees, vendors and some customers

    Caixa is a Spanish-inspired bar and restaurant sitting inside Makati Golf Club, adjacent to classy restaurants in the square. Caixa is actually pronounced as “Ca-ha.” And according to my research, it is translated to “bank” in English.

    We had a very hard time locating the place because of the lack of familiarity with the roads and streets in Makati. With an e-map on hand, we still had to stop and ask people around the vicinity for directions.

    We reached Caixa after about an hour. As we found long queues in the food and photo booth sections, we first looked for a table and familiar faces to group with, saving the time for eating and taking of photos for later. When most had settled onto their seats, I got up with my iPhone camera and began covering the event like a secret agent with a mission. And that mission was to review Caixa Bar! 🙂 Here it goes…

    Review of Caixa Resto and Bar (Inside Makati Golf Club)

    Ambiance: ★★☆☆☆

    The only lights that were on were the bright and colorful spotlights to the front area (a.k.a. the stage). The stage was taken by the rock-eoke band named “The Johnny’s” (part of the package offered by Caixa) with microphone stands and the drum set.

    The entire bar was packed with tables and chairs with tiny spaces to move about. We had to squeeze in and walk real slowly while saying “Excuse me.” to those standing (because there were no enough chairs to sit in). Funnily, I overhead ridicules about the name “Caixa” turning to “Kasya”—a sarcastic way of saying that we can all fit in.

    I wonder if bars are typically and should be like this; I haven’t been to any drinking bar before.

    There were about 10 tables at the center proper of the bar, each paired to six to eight chairs.

    At the back of the bar was the drinking table manned by two bartenders. It was ‘U’ in shape, filled with drinks/shots in different colors. There were high chairs intended for those who wished to sip big amounts of unlimited liquor and be wasted for the night, overlooking the ground before the stage.

    Air conditioning was okay despite the size of the mob. There was a separate smoking area for the smokers, a space less chilly with white lights on.

    Rest rooms were situated at the far right corner of the bar, beside the drinking table.

    Two blocks of cement which (I guess) had to be part of the structural architecture of the room were blocking the view of some people (including me) at the back to see the stage.

    I must say that Caixa Bar’s size failed to house all of us 150-200 people. Perhaps the good side to it is that it appeared like a cozy and intimate place where everyone can rub their elbows with everyone else. And that’s where the spirit of Christmas comes along?

    Service: ★★★★☆

    Bar staff were in maroon uniforms, so it was easy to distinguish them apart from the rest of us who were almost wearing all black for our costume. They were pretty attentive at all times. Food trays were immediately exchanged with new ones after finishing the last. There were no shortages of food or drinks, or at least none I heard of.

    Food: ★★☆☆☆

    Food entrees were not heavy for the stomach to contain. They were only pica-pica or snacks, consisting of: chicken fingers with garlic/sour cream, beef stew in sauce, pork chopped in bite-sized proportions, cheese sticks, white rice, tacos without any hint of crispiness topped with beef and cheese and sliced tomatoes add-on. For a vegetarian like me, none of these made up to my full definition of dinner.

    Drinks were aplenty: water, iced tea, Chivas vodka mixed with Sprite or orange, beer, Scotch with another ton of flavors, and tequila shots. With these choices, I still had to stick to my favorite—water!

    Price for Value: ★☆☆☆☆

    Each of us was charged at different costs according to our position in the organization. Because I don’t drink alcoholic beverages and don’t enjoy rock bands, clubbing and partying mad like this, I give 1/5 stars for paying PHp 1000 only for a light meal. It was certainly not cheap!

    The group paid a total of PHp 120,000 for the use of venue, unlimited food and drinks supply, rock-eoke band, and sound system.

  • I Won the SM Style Watch Dress Up Your Basics Challenge # 1!

    I Won the SM Style Watch Dress Up Your Basics Challenge # 1!

    Shocking to say the least, I won the first SM Style Watch’s fashion challenge for the petite!

    Prizes are: one magalogue (magazine-catalogue) of SM Ladies Fashion, one outfit and shopping vouchers which Mom has yet to claim on Friday.

    Always an Aspiring Winner

    If you have been following me through Twitter, you would know how much I’m a sucker for participating in online contests. It’s hard not to notice that I’m flooding Twitter streams with my entries to those contests.

    Whether it be a writing competition, random raffle draws and posting of comments, I am always ecstatic to see myself on the spotlight as the winner. Through luck and chance, I have won beauty products, gift certificates and vouchers in the past by publishing reviews and buying online tickets. Winning a sartorial challenge appeared to be at the bottom of my list of expectations. So I was tad surprised and felt really happy when I saw the Facebook announcement and poster from SM Ladies Fashion’s page:

    Actually, this was my first time to be featured for something related to the fashion department. The photo entry was taken by my sister one Sunday morning at the garden area of our house. She was patient to do several takes of me in several poses. 乖 right? 🙂

    Style That Fits

    In terms of styling for the outfit, I went with my usual getup nowadays: overall minimalistic corporate attire—white coat (Folio), black button-down polo (from Taiwan) tuck into black slacks (Ensemble), green platform heels (Parisian) and no accessories. Since I don’t own much basic causal clothing and almost all of my clothes now are for the office, this ensemble can also best represent what I wear every day.

    While I was preparing for the shoot, I noticed that most of the items in our closet are dark and monochromatic in color. In different shades, the only colors I have for the top are: black, gray, white, brown and blue. For the bottom (pants and skirt), I have the same plain and boring colors: black, white, brown. I’m not sure but maybe this limitation of color choices makes it easier for me to mix and match and choose clothes to wear on any given day. My most trusted strategy is to single in on one piece and then plot the rest of my outfit around it. But essentially, everything can just be paired with everything!

    I’m not obsessed with fashion but after going over the stuff we have, I think that some degree of playfulness and brightness should be injected in our clothes soon—in my next shopping spree. I imagine a lot of legwork left to do!

    Have you also reviewed the items in your closet? Are there patterns and commonalities among them? Do you plan clothes to buy before shopping? What are your best picks for fashion? Please share your answers in the comment section. 😀

  • Review of Blue Elements Wellness Spa (Congressional)

    Review of Blue Elements Wellness Spa (Congressional)

    Golfing, skydiving, yachting are all extravagant hobbies which many cannot afford. These are the activities that are mostly exclusive to the wealthy.

    But who says these are the only things that can make us happy?

    Aside from eating, indulging yourself to cheap treats can be enjoyable. For instance, getting a massage or spa service is one recreational activity that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

    Together with my mom and sister, I traveled to Visayas Street along Congressional Avenue and found Blue Elements Wellness Spa yesterday.

    Relaxation and “Me” Time

    What are we to do when even an hour becomes too much time to spare? With the daily stresses causing bane to our bodies, we have to find time to relax. Going for a massage is one good solution to knead out our tensed muscles and free us from mental burdens.

    There are many spa centers in our area. We also have masseuse who personally goes to our house by call reservations. We pay her PHp 200 for an hour of full-body massage.

    So we won’t go that far to Blue Elements Wellness Spa if only CashCashPinoy.com had not promoted this captivating deal: at PHp 250 (for an individual coupon), each of us availed of Blue Elements Wellness Spa’s ear candling and Swedish massage services.

    Ear candling lasted for 20 minutes, while the massage which took an hour. Original prices without the promotional coupons are PHp 300 and PHp 220 respectively.

    The Experience

    As we entered through the main door, we were greeted by three female staff who were all clad in blue top and bottom uniforms.

    Mom presented the printed vouchers. The woman behind the counter called Mom to note that two vouchers had the same reference numbers. One could not be used because this meant we only got two unique voucher codes.

    Mom was quick to respond and point her mistake out, and the staff felt sorry. In reality, this checking staff is either blind or just plain super careless without any good eye for detail. She failed to read the name of the customer and the reference code as a whole. Instead, she only focused on the last five digits after the hyphen!

    In five minutes, we were asked to get in to the massage area.

    Inside was very dark, with dim blue lights and insufficient air-conditioning. The room was arranged with mini rooms of massage beds divided by sheer curtains. When my visual capacity had managed to adjust in the dark, I could see more vividly. And I could also see the person lying next to me on the bed because of the translucence of the curtains.

    Male and female customers were not segregated, so there’s a fat chance that peeping toms can take all pleasure in seeing the person beside them. There were CCTV cameras installed on top of the corners of the room to monitor the ins and outs of people walking in the hallway.

    The room had a certain light scent of aromatherapy oil which did not contribute as a relaxing factor.

    There were no lockers to put our belongings. No proper instruction was given until we asked what we’ll do to prepare for the massage. One staff was even confused and first told us to wash our feet and go back to the waiting area. But immediately, another staff called her attention and corrected her directions.

    Mom and my sister laid on adjacent massage beds, while I stayed in another mini room as space was not enough for the three of us to be in one mini room.

    My masseuse asked me to remove my shirt and pants and wear the shorts (too big for me) provided on the bed. I placed my clothes and my bag beside my head, not knowing where to hang them. Of course, they could potentially be objects of distraction once the massage procedure begins. I thought the staff really lacked consideration on this. I had to request for hangers for her to properly put my things aside securely.

    Before putting on pressure, she would always ask me if her force was tolerable. She began from the back of my legs and feet, my back from the shoulders to the pelvis area, the front of my legs and feet, both arms, chest, and head. The massage was fair but not really much satisfying than what what we’re used to.

    Next was ear candling which I was more excited about. It was my first time to have my wax in both my ears sucked up by ear candles. I saw the hard formation of the ear wax afterwards but felt no difference in hearing. I thought I could hear sounds more clearly and loudly.

    When the ear candling procedure was done, the masseuse offered me a cup of tea or hot water. I chose the former. She left the mini room and returned with the complimentary hot tea and a small flowery purse which I wronged as a giveaway. I did not take the purse and did nothing with it.

    Later I learned from my mom that it was supposed to be where customers give tips to the masseuse. Oh, if I had known, I would not bother to give any tip as well.

    Will I Recommend Blue Elements Wellness Spa?

    As you’ve reached this far, you may have guessed the answer is “No.” The sense of fulfillment was inexpensive, and their overall performance and presentation was okay. But they are not worth going for considering the proximity of distance and the rate of enjoyment I experienced. Without the discount, their services are surely not worth the price.

    Blue Elements Wellness Spa Services

    If at all you’re still interested to try Blue Elements Wellness Spa’s services after reading this review, note the following details:

    Open hours: Every day, from 1PM to 1AM (Last call is at 12AM.)

    Treatments/Services and Rates:

    Blue Elements Body Massage: PHp 350 (one hour)
    Pinoy Hilot Body Massage: PHp 320 (one hour)
    Stone Massage: PHp 450 (1.5 hours)

    Swedish Massag: PHp 220 (one hour)
    Chi Thai Massage: PHpt 199 (one hour)
    Shiatsu Massage: PHp 199 (one hour)
    Foot Massage: PHp 199 (one hour)
    Foot and Hand Reflex: PHp 180 (one hour)
    Foot Spa: PHp 199
    Foot Spa and Pedicure: PHp 300
    Pedicure: PHp 100
    Manicure: PHp 100

    Address: 21 LRI Building Congressional Avenue Quezon City

    Contact Numbers: 02-6229450; 0917-5403456; 09224618939

    Thanks for reading! 🙂 Feel free to share your experience with Blue Elements Wellness Spa in the comments section below.

  • Christmas Party 2012 with Workmates at the Korean Village

    Christmas Party 2012 with Workmates at the Korean Village

    In advanced celebration of Christmas, the Network and Software Development and Implementation teams of our company had a casual dinner at the Korean Village in Nakpil Street, Malate, Manila.

    Everyone had to contribute PHp 400 for the Christmas buffet. The dinner consisted of extensive Korean dishes.

    Everything was good but nothing deserved special attention.

    Christmas Party Program

    I was originally asked to lead the prayer but was instructed later to host the program. I did not see it coming but without hesitation, I took on the role to get the actual party started.

    We began drawing raffle numbers and giving away Starbucks PHp 100 woth of gift certificates to individual winners. Next, we asked two volunteers (in pair) from each team to play Pinoy Henyo. Words related to Christmas had to be guessed: Bethlehem, Christmas caroling and castañas (chestnuts).

    The second game was what I call “Pass the Calamansi,” where four players in a team should hold a spoon containing a calamansi with their mouths. They had to walk around a chair before passing on the spoon to their teammate. When everyone in the team has finished their part, they must shout “Merry Christmas” at the same time.

    The third game was one especially arranged for the boys who were up to the challenge of drinking a bottle of beer. Eight guys competed for the PHp 200 worth of Starbucks GCs. They had to gulp the beer as fast as they can.

    Later, because of the crowd’s cheers, the drinking battle was upgraded to challenge the best of two, where two guys had to drink three bottles of beer consecutively. Cementing their ability to stir up a coveting crowd, the contenders sportingly continued to drink even if they were already tad tipsy. The winner got PHp 2000 as his cash prize, while the other won PHp 1000. Still, it wasn’t not bad!

    After the major raffle prizes were given, the heads of the department concluded the last agenda of the program by sharing a few words of thanks and encouragement.

    As a whole, the night was not very elaborately planned. Nonetheless, we finished off happily with great food, fun games, raffle draws, karaoke-singing and small chit-chats among guests.

    This was my first Christmas party this year and was my first Christmas celebration with my SM workmates. I still have about five to attend to with colleagues, friends and family in the upcoming days ahead.

    There are only 15 days to go before Christmas! Have you started your countdown yet? 🙂

  • Review of Kogi Bulgogi (Lucky Chinatown Mall, Binondo)

    Review of Kogi Bulgogi (Lucky Chinatown Mall, Binondo)

    The Philippines has been invaded by the Koreans in the last few years. This is not an invasion of our territory in a bad way but one that we’re pleased about. In fact, Koreans were the top tourists in the Philippines last year. Over 100,000 of them already are residing in our plains permanently.

    In a nutshell, their cultural references are being shared to us little by little. And we are accepting and embracing them now as part of our mixed culture. Joining many others, my family and I are also happily riding the Korean wave. There are the likes of Korean makeup and beauty products, Korean hairstyle, Korean fashion, Koreanovelas, K-pop and Korean food that we’re all fond of. We have not eaten Korean food for a long time (over a year); so I felt obligated to bring my family to a Korean restaurant last Sunday.

    Specifically, we went to the branch of Kogi Bulgogi in Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo. This maybe is the nearest Korean restaurant from our house—and the first outlet of Kogi Bulgogi in Binondo area. I have tried eating in their branch in Eastwood City, Libis with my IBM colleagues back in 2010, and it was a great!

    I was not writing reviews back then though. Now would be the perfect time to do a proper review thus.

    Review of Kogi Bulgogi (Lucky Chinatown Mall, Binondo)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    The interior was designed with a very modern yet zen ambiance—spacious seats inside and outside, sufficient white spotlights for lighting, artificial green plants, and peaceful background. It gave us a unique gourmet experience.


    Service: ★★★★★

    This branch of Kogi Bulgogi is crewed by more than six sharply-dressed friendly Filipino servers who greeted us ann-yeong ha-se-yo 안녕하세요 and kam-sa-hamnida 감사합니다 before and after meals. In summary, customer service was A++++!

    They explained the menu to us plus their recommendations. They were also patient when we could not decide on what to order. We didn’t have to wait for our food for several minutes, considering that cooking Korean food can take a longer time for the many different side dishes that go with it. They stopped by once in a while to check up on us. They gave us four cups of tea and four glasses of chilled water. They were super fast in refilling the side dishes (twice at max).

    Staff members deserve a special pat on the back for such exquisite team service. They did all these excellent tasks without charge!

    Food: ★★★★★

    Before entering their premise, we had to conduct three checks. First, as always, was if they have vegetarian-friendly dishes. Second was if viands are budget-friendly. Thirdly, they must have good-looking pictures; else, my mom would not bother to order based on text-based descriptions only. :)) Three markers passed and so we continued placing our orders.

    Upon gazing at their menu, I was spoilt for choice. After several minutes spent for decision-making, we ordered: Spinach & Golden Mushrooms (buttered spinach with golden mushrooms), Nude Kimbap (8 pieces of seaweed rice roll with meat, egg and vegetables), Salmon Bibimbap (smoked salmon with raw egg and vegetables–carrots, radish, cabbage and bean sprouts in claypot), Bulgogi Dub Bap (beef bulgogi marinated with sweet sauce) and Chicken Ssambap (rice with bite size chicken and lettuce).

    Complimentary Korean side dishes or the banchan consisted of two sets of young corn, okra with tomato catsup, kimchi (fermented spicy radish), braised Korean tofu, glazed sweet potatoes, seasoned bean sprouts (kongnamul), stir-fried dried and sweetened anchovies (myulchi bokum) and a mix of diced vegetables with cream salad.

    Sorry, this time I would just go straight to the point and describe the food in three words: YUM YUM YUM! At the end of the meal, we were way too full, super satisfied.

    Price for Value: ★★★★★

    Damage to the budget was PHp 1058 for those five different enticing Korean dishes in huge servings. Individual prices were very reasonable and all worth it! Everything is highly recommended. If you’re craving for Korean food, just come here and don’t think twice. You can thank me later! 🙂

    Kogi Bulgogi
    3F Lucky Chinatown Mall, Reina Regente St. corner Dela Reina St., Binondo, Manila
    For inquiries, call (02) 755-3084
    Facebook

    Other branch:
    2/F Eastwood Mall, E Rodriguez Jr Ave Bagumbayan, Quezon City
    For inquiries, call (02) 470-6884 to 85

  • How to Win Yourself Back and Get Over Your Anger Management Issues

    How to Win Yourself Back and Get Over Your Anger Management Issues

    This is dedicated to all those who are going through hard and testing times.

    Allow me to ask you to read the following with your eyes slowly and feel the message resonate in your heart and soul:

    If you’re strong enough to take that blade and draw it across your skin.

    If you’re strong enough to take those pills and swallow them when no one’s home.

    If you’re strong enough to tie that rope and hang it from the ceiling fan.

    If you’re strong enough to jump off that bridge, my friend.

    You are strong enough, to live.

    These lines are from I Wrote This For You in the post entitled “The Things I Would’ve Said.”

    I have been an avid follower of the blog since 2008. It’s where I get inspiration in finding relevance and meaning in some of life’s unexplainable incidents.You may find the same, too.

    Now, enough small talks and let’s get straight to the point here:

    You feel burdened when you are in a clash with other people. But it’s even worse when who you’re in conflict with is yourself. If you consider yourself as your own enemy, if you don’t like how things are going lately and blame yourself for everything, if all in life now is anger, I hope this post can tame your fire.

    Anger Management

    When you are devastated, getting yourself hurt will way too often be your liking. Just when you feel nobody cares, you are filled with blips of resentment, nearly erupting like a full-fledged volcano. At this time, you may even explode and turn into the Hulk.

    The thing is if you turn yourself to be this seething person over the edge, you spark more negativity into the air. Just like any other emotion, anger comes with physical, biological and physiological effects. When you get angry, your energy hormones increase, and your heart rate and blood pressure shoot up.

    There’s also the adrenaline surge that prepares you for drastic physical action, and your pain threshold levels also go up, ready to draw blood at the slightest provocation.

    That’s not a healthy situation to be in, especially if you are inflicted with heart disease or hypertension. An angry outburst can be the proverbial straw on the camel’s back. To make things worse, being angry doesn’t just affect you but also those around you.

    Here are five suggestions on how to keep peace:

    1. Identify and acknowledge. Recognize your grievances, and admit to yourself that you need to simmer down. Accepting that you’re having “anger issues” can help to hugely decrease chances of violence and conflict. If you can’t be as calm, try your best to concentrate on the causes of the anger.

    2. Open your mind. Tip: You can use your ears and heart but don’t let the anger control you. Before you act, make yourself listen to others and most importantly, your heart. Ask yourself, will you want to act like this too an hour later?To make sure you won’t have regrets, take a step back before making judgments. Learn how to trust your inner sense.

    3. Relax! Letting yourself cool down before taking any action can change the outcome drastically. Most of the time, people lash out in the spur of a moment and regret their actions later. Maybe in a day or two, the problem at hand wouldn’t even bother you anymore.

    4. Give peace a chance. Give God a chance. The Scripture says, “Do not let your heart be troubled,” and “let your requests be known to God.” Take authority over your anger or fretting attitude, for “it leads only to evildoing” (Psalm 37:8). Stand, instead, in faith upon the promises of God. Peace is our shield and the Word of God our weapon. Therefore, capture negative, unbelieving thoughts that would magnify problems rather than magnify the Lord. Our Father knows what we have need of before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8). Cast your burdens upon the lord. Trust that He will make a way.

    5. Stay faithful. Anger can have an incredible ability in paralyzing your potential. It keeps you away from launching out and motivates you to be skeptical about faith. These negative feelings make you short-sighted, making you focus on the past only and not on the future.

    Bad things happen ~ but life goes on.

    It is not long before we go are gone…

    Yes, life is ugly at times. But believe that God is there in the midst of it, giving us grace and strength to get through it. No matter what our circumstances are, we can trust in God’s character. We can trust in His good plans for us. We can trust that God is always in control and that He is bigger than our circumstances.

    Faith in God’s goodness is not destroyed by hardships. On the contrary, life’s storms create an opportunity to grow deeper into God’s character. When we do, we will discover, to our glad surprise, that God is good all the time.

  • Why I Decided to Get Orthodontic Braces – The Big Reveal!

    Why I Decided to Get Orthodontic Braces – The Big Reveal!

    Pacquiao vs. Marquez. Tito Sotto vs. bloggers. Obama vs. Romney. For all of the great debates that have been controversial this year, no brave soul has dared to tackle traditional metal braces vs. Invisalign braces and feature it as a trending topic in the country.

    I know most people are already familiar with traditional braces. What about Invisalign? It’s not yet a popular choice in the Philippines. Actually, it’s a fairly newer method of teeth straightening which I discovered only last year in Singapore through Xiaxue’s blog.

    It was tempting to opt for Invisalign—those clear plastic aligners—because they appear almost invisible. Moreover, the shifts and transformation process of the teeth can be 5-10 times faster. What wearing traditional braces can accomplish in two year’s time can be done in like 10 months. I just could not spend that much of money (average of 6000SGD) just for teeth cosmetics!

    Also, from what I heard, aside from the price, one major disadvantage of using Invisalign is that it has to be removed when eating and/or drinking. This is unless you want the thing stained. So if you’d be an obedient patient, you must abide by the golden rule: Don’t consume any food with them in.

    I imagine putting them on and off in the public…and I think what an embarrassing act it will be, especially when dining out with friends. It’s also strongly advised not to drink hot water (even if color is clear), else you will put your teeth at extra risk.

    Invisalign can work for those with minor dental issues and may not work for everyone. For these reasons, I chose to go with traditional braces. Same result will be achieved anyway…

    Since I was in college, I have been wanting to put braces on my teeth. No, it’s not for aesthetic display as some people wear braces as accessories. They are for real—to straighten my misaligned teeth.

    A lot of people don’t notice but I really have an imperfect set of teeth, sadly. The problem is not overcrowding, a serious overbite, or having wide spaces that make my teeth appear like they are enemies. It’s just that my first and second premolars on the right are like hiding at the back of my canine. They grew at an odd angle.

    The flaw is so evident especially when I smile with all teeth flashing out. (Don’t you agree?) I get bothered by this every time I look at myself in the mirror and on pictures.

    I also have crooked lower incisors that are shaped like a ‘V’ or a ‘butterfly,’ as dentists call it. This one is less prominent though, because I can hide it when I smile or when I talk.

    I waited for years until I get the perfect timing. I thought I’d have massive headaches and toothache when I have dental braces on. I could not compromise on having an irksome feeling while I had to keep my fitness to concentrate on my studies as a student. Also, I would not have the time to visit the dentist’s clinic for regular monthly checkups back then. I was too busy.

    A year and a month after college graduation, I had my two left (upper and lower) impacted teeth pulled out. They were not hurting, but my dentist advised to pull them out else my other teeth will be pushed and they will become an eyesore after some time.

    And just last March, the remaining two right (upper and lower) last molars were also taken out as well. This was already in preparation of the application of braces on my teeth.

    * Deep breaths *

    That time, I just came back from Singapore. I still had not applied for jobs in Manila, so I spent the [vacation] time for healing after the surgery.

    When the wounds were completely healed, I managed to secure a consultation in the orthodontic clinic. To avoid the wait list, Mom and my sister went with me to our dentist-of-all-times. He offered a good price so I could not refuse anymore.

    I knew definitely that having orthodontic braces will be painful at the start. But I made the leap to fill my mouth with metal. The day was May 28, 2012.

    Every last week of the month, I am scheduled to have the rubber wires adjusted for tightening. After every adjustment, I would take photos of my teeth only to see if there’s any improvement. I’m really in close anticipation that they will move as I wish them to.

    Of Braces and Discomfort

    The most difficult part is eating. I had become too conscious when I know I have bits of food stuck on my braces with each bite. It’s also rather impossible to chew on crackers, an apple and other hard and rubbery solid food. During the initial two weeks, I only ate soft food to avoid pressure on my teeth. I’m lucky to have my Mom who cooked me delicious soups, porridge, mashed potatoes and vegetables and bought me jelly, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

    Second hardest is talking. The top part of the buccal tubes has small “antennae” that would often touch with the inside of my lips. When irritated, they hurt like crazy. I thought the feeling would remain that way and felt glad that it didn’t. I had experienced bleeding gums, oh yes. My dentist was just kind enough to spare me a small box of wax for free to put on the affected dental tubes.

    The wax gave me much comfort. However, I wouldn’t want people in public to see me with wax on my teeth. They may think of it as some off-white dirt clinging on my fangs. It’s funny now when I realized that I wore wax during my job interviews.

    To reduce the swelling, another good practice I followed was cold compress and swallowing of ice.

    Smiles Change Lives

    Braces create not only nicer smiles to cameras and crushes but also contribute greatly to oral health. Straight teeth are more than just for attraction; straight, aligned teeth can make it easier to chew food and can reduce my insecurity about my appearance a big step down the line.

    I expect that these braces will be removed in the third quarter of 2013. *crossed fingers here* For now, they may not look the prettiest or the least conspicuous, but I hope that the result will be worth the effort and patience!

    Next update: Orthodontic Treatment and Braces are Worthwhile? – My Thoughts