Yoshinoya Lunch out with the Miss Earth 2013 Pageant Contestants

I had always admired young ladies who join beauty pageants because it takes more than just beauty to join one. Guts, confidence, intelligence, elegance, required height, regal bearing and poise are required in order to earn that spot--or at least pass in a local or international beauty pageant. But more importantly, I admire those women who join beauty pageants with a purpose--such as the Miss Earth Beauty pageant. My blog correspondent, Rica recently represented Purple Plum Fairy in a luncheon with the Miss Earth 2013 contestants held at the Yoshinoya Glorietta branch in Makati. 

Yoshinoya, for those not yet familiar with the brand is the fun yet casual Japanese dining hub in the Metro which first opened in 2001. Owned by Century Pacific Group, who's recognized as the master franchiser in the Philippines, Yoshinoya serves its delicious original Beef Gyudon bowls along with other well-loved dishes in the Yoshinoya menu. Yoshinoya continues to feature affordable Japanese meals in a fast food setting. Thus, it is no longer a surprise that the Miss Earth 2013 candidates also enjoyed the same sumptuous Gyudon bowls when they visited the Yoshinoya Glorietta branch recently. The Miss Earth 2013 candidates from different international countries went gaga over the Yoshinoya affordable Japanese fare. And for a moment, the ladies seemed to have taken a break from their strict diets as they've heartily indulge in Yoshinoya favorites such as the Kani Salad, California Maki, Gyudon Bowls and Yoshinoya's signature iced teas.

It was indeed an unforgettable experience for Yoshinoya customers who were dining at the time as they had the rare chance to meet the Miss Earth 2013 candidates up close and personal, some lucky guests even had the chance to have their pictures taken with the ladies. Our blog respondent, Rica even said that it was probably difficult for the Miss Earth 2013 candidates to mingle with the guests since they were all wearing at least four inches heels! And aside from that, some do not even know how to speak in English. But they were all such a good sport to the point that they had all agreed to play a simple game for the same of fun. The Miss Earth 2013 candidates joined in a relay game where they had to get the marshmallows from a bowl using a Yoshinoya chopsticks. "Watching them play and have fun during the game made me realize that these girls are just like us. They giggle and laugh a lot. They were really a good sport because doing such was truly far from the glitz and glamor that usually comes with beauty pageants. And that is really something else," shares our blog correspondent, Rica. 

According to Rica, she's grateful to have had the chance to somehow get to know the Miss Earth 2013 candidates. Doing so had given her a new perspective on beauty pageant contests and its contestants, plus she got to know a thing or two about the countries that these girls represent. "Miss Philippines was very sweet, she actually resembles actress Angel Locsin in person. Miss Canada looked like a Barbie doll while Miss Colombia loved having photo opps with her and Miss Ecuador is such a towering beauty and was really nice," adds Rica. 

The bloggers who came were more than thrilled to rub elbows with these awesome international beauties from the Miss Earth 2013 pageant. Some were even sort of starstruck knowing fully well that these ladies were not just beautiful, that there were something between their ears, and though they're being looked up to, they could also be very down-to-earth. 

Do watch out for the upcoming Miss Earth 2013 Grand Coronation night happening on December 7. Good luck to all the ladies! 

Visit any Yoshinoya branch near you--Yoshinoya has six branches in Metro Manila: SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM North Edsa, Robinsons Galleria and Glorietta 1. 

Purple Plum Fairy wishes to thank Yoshinoya and Ms. Cha Sy of http://www.travelonshorstring.com

World Education Exhibition 2013: Study Abroad—Get Advices and Tips fromEducation Experts

They say that when one dreams, dream B-I-G. Best-selling author Paulo Coelho once wrote in his book The Alchemist: “The universe conspires to help you achieve your dreams.” I could vividly recall that back in high school, one of my dreams was to become an exchange student in another country. At the time, studying abroad was my ultimate goal—I even made correspondence with foreign friends, asked around and made inquiries on how I could get myself into a foreign university or campus. It was really in my wildest dreams to be whisked off in a foreign country to study. As a young lass, I was eager to learn more about life—to understand more about culture, customs and traditions, I was interested in the arts and I wanted to make more friends. But when you’re a girl with fifteen summers, it’s either a case of people not believing you were serious about what you’re talking about or you still need to know a lot more and do your research on studying abroad. In my case, my Mom was not very receptive to the idea especially since she found out I needed to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exams.

 If you do have plans on studying abroad and take the road less traveled like my favorite author, Robert Frost, fret not because there is HOPE. Help is within your reach. Studying abroad isn’t exactly a far-fetched dream. There’s IDP Philippines to help and assist as you go through all the hassle of finding the right university that’s perfect for you. IDP will match you with the right courses and institutions. Since 1984, IDP Philippines has been the trusted name for students looking for education overseas. The counselors at IDP provide personalized service to students. They would advise them on the best possible ways to achieve their education and career goals. Best of all, IDP Philippines is an accredited IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test provider and has been the leading test center in the country for the past 20 years.

What most Filipinos don’t know is that lack of knowledge and orientation on the processes of getting proper student visas becomes a hindrance in achieving their desire to study abroad. In some countries such as Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and US, IELTS are required. The said test is actually made up of four parts: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing—the IELTS determines the applicant’s level of English proficiency.

 IDP Philippines helps the prospective students to practice some of the things that are possibly on the test in order to reduce their anxieties about the IELTS. They give one more or less a feel of what level they are in terms of their English proficiency. IDP Philippines also offer assistance in visa processing and requirements, counseling sessions for prospective students who wish to study abroad but isn’t sure yet on what course to take. They also provide the list of best courses and institutions based on a couple of things like financial ability, relatives in the area, etc.

Take the first step towards your dream of studying abroad by attending the IDP Philippines’ 1^st World Education Exhibition on November 15, at the Marriott Hotel in Cebu and November 16-17 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Manila. The said events are FREE Admission, with FREE Seminar and FREE Consultations to participants of the event. If interested, please register at info.manila@idp.com or info.cebu@idp.com. Don’t miss this chance to learn more about studying abroad! Get tips and advices from the expert themselves. Studying abroad gives you not just an edge but also the chance to explore and see the world! Save the dates: November 15—Marriott Cebu, November 16-17, Dusit Thani Manila.

Ano DAW Nga? Deaf Awareness Week

I was invited recently to attend a talk in celebration of the Deaf Awereness Week dubbed as "Ano DAW (Deaf Awareness Week) Nga?" And to be honest, I never even thought I would learn so much from the talk. I had to admit, I knew a little about it, more so on how to take good care of our ears. Of course, I knew how to properly clean them alright but I had basically overlooked its importance and the healthy hearing habits that we all need to do for our ears. Allow me to share with you some stuff I had learned from the said forum so that you too could learn a thing or two about them. 

During the Ano DAW Nga forum, there was a woman named Bless Buan who had measles when she was pregnant with her child in her trimester. At the time, they were scared something might happen to the baby inside her because of her illness. "I remember being scared because I was aware my baby could acquire meningitis or any infection," recalls Bless Buan. Unfortunately, just as they had expected, the inevitable thing happened, the baby had been affected. But they had not known this until the baby turned two. When Brian was two-years-old, they were wondering why at that certain age he still cannot speak. They thought he was just having some developmental delay in speech until the doctors performed thorough tests on Brian. And that's how they found out, Brian is deaf. He's developed a profound hearing impairment from the time of his conception just as his mother Bless had her measles. As a parent, learning such things would certainly create a big impact on your life. You'll be concerned how your child will be able to lead a normal life. 

According to Dr. Joel Romualdez, a resident doctor from St. Luke's Medical Center, "Being deaf will cut you from the society. Bless was right, meningitis caused by ear infection, its prevalence rate is 18% of the child population in  the country."

"Bless' son Brian has an ear impairment and it was so profound that he needed a cochlear implant operation in order to lead a normal life. When you say profound, it only means zero sense of hearing and lowest possible to hear na. Cochlear implant is an electronic prosthetic device that enables individuals with sensorineural hearing loss to recognize some sounds and consists of an external microphone and speech processor and one or more electrodes implanted in the cochlea," explains Dr. Romualdez.

"The said operation was truly expensive. It costs a million per operation. One wonders how we were able to raise such huge amount of money. God is good. We sought help from all our friends, family and to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Nothing is impossible. Now each time Brian (now 10 yrs. old) speaks, I really am grateful," relates Bless Buan.

Dr. Alberto Martinez, President of Metro Manila Agencies for the Deaf, who has operated Brian, says that his group had been doing their part to let the public become aware and to take good care of our sense of hearing. The Deaf Awareness Week is in fact held annually, usually in the second week of November. "We conduct pre-hearing tests. World Health Organization says 50% of the hearing loss is preventable. Did you know that 8.8 of the population are hearing disable? Hearing loss certainly affects one's employment. The sad part is there's not much compassion to the hearing impaired," adds Dr. Martinez

In this age of communication, where interaction between individuals is important, public awareness and health is concerned. It doesn't affect just the individual. Back in 2004, St. Luke's initiated the surgery and newborn hearing screening. The law was passed in 2009 as part of the  Philhealth coverage. 

Early detection is important. Sign language should be taught, children are educated, nowadays, there is no such thing as deaf mute because they can speak. 

Dr. Gretchen Navarro Locsin, Pediatric otolaryngology, enumerates the different kinds of hearing loss: Congenital present at birth, part of multiple defects, part of syndromes like down syndrome, idiopathic

Acquired: occurs later

Infections, trauma, nose induced, age related

Handicaps of hearing loss depends on severity

Degrees of hearing loss:

Mild-may hear speech sounds but softsounds are hard to hear

Moderate-may hear no speech when the other person is talking at a normal level

Severe-hears no speech with other persons

Neonatal Hearing Screening

Picking up hearing loss at an early age. It is important so it can be treated/rehabilitated early.

Neonatal hearing screenng is now part of newborn screening package

NHS is covered by Philhealth.

Prevalence of hearing loss in phil. 2.4 percent, there are15/day or 450/month or 5,400a year prevalence of neonatal 

For preventive measures, Dr. Locsin says, "Breastfeeding is the way. Breast milk contains all the crucial nutrients for a baby's growth. It also contains infection-fighting properties. Don't you want the best for your child? Consult your doctor if you have concerns about breast-feeding. A good hygiene is equally important."

In this day and age of technology where you will see youngsters with ear gadgets everywhere, too much exposure to excessive noise is one of the leading causes of hearing loss. Turn down the volume. The tiny hair cells in the inner ear are easily damaged by loud noises, when one loses them, they never grow back! 

As a general rule, noise is damaging your ears if:

1. You need to shout to be heard over the noise

2. It causes ear pain

3. It makes the ears ring

4. You experience a loss of hearing for several hours or more after exposure

Symptoms of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss:

1. Ringing in the ear or tinnitus

2. Difficulty in speech understanding, especially high-pitched sounds

3. Decreased environmental sound awareness. 

Electrolux Introduces its Digital Brand Ambassadors via Wear Your Passion Campaign

Trusted brand Electrolux, known as one of the pioneers in  home appliance recently launched their new set of digital brand ambassadors to represent their newest campaign, Wear Your Passion Campaign.  Celebrity mom Cheska Garcia-Kramer, TV host/chef Rosebud Benitez-Velasco and mompreneur Janice Crisostomo Villanueva were chosen as they all embodied what Electrolux stands for.  "Their passion for their craft and credibility in their respective fields made them the perfect choice for Electrolux," says Andrea Pionilla, Marketing Manager, Electrolux Philippines, Inc. 

"The clothes we wear reflect the different hats we put on each day, but taking care of our clothes consume so much time and effort. With the help of new Electrolux Time Manager Washing Machine, all Moms like our brand ambassadors will have more time to pursue their different passions without worrying much about their laundry. Through the Electrolux Wear Your Passion campaign, we'd like to encourage every woman to make time for themselves and to flaunt their passions through the clothes they wear," shares Pionilla. 

Having grown up in the entertainment industry for years, Cheska Garcia-Kramer's trained how to properly manage her time wisely. With her busy schedule, Cheska knows how to balance work and family life. A hands-on mom to her three awesome children, Kendra, Scarlet and Gavin and a loving wife to PBA player, Doug Kramer, Cheska's top priority had always been her family. 

A passionate chef, Rosebud Benitez-Velasco spends most of her time in the kitchen whipping up delicious recipes but she makes sure to spend quality time with her children and husband. For Chef Rosebud, "Nothing is truly rewarding than doing what I love the most--being a chef, mother, and wife at home."

Parenting and breast-feeding advocate and mompreneur Janice Crisostomo-Villanueva joins the esteemed Electrolux ambassadors. The founder of Mommy Mundo, an online portal of family-focused resources comprised of an active parenting community of over 30,000 moms, Janice likes to share her passions with other moms and she finds joy in helping them. 

"Our digital brand ambassadors will not only share what they are passionate about but also encourage everyone to have guilt-free time doing the things that they love to do with the help of Electrolux home appliances,"adds Pionilla. 

For more info on Electrolux Wear Your Passion Campaign, visit the Electrolux page, www.facebook.com/thelittlewhitebook or follow@ElectroluxPH on Twitter and Instagram.

View Park Hotel--Your Home in Tagaytay

Tagaytay is the usual go-to spot for families in need of relaxation. It is a haven for tired, weary souls looking for some getaway but still near the proximity of the city. The good news: we've just found a place for you and your kids--View Park Hotel.

The first time I've heard of View Park hotel was when they partnered with Blogapalooza.  They gave away spa massage gift certificates to lucky bloggers who attended the said event and gave away free t-shirts to attendees! 

One of the most affordable yet classy hotels in the heart of the Tagaytay, View Park was ranked as one of the most recommended hotels in Tagaytay at Tripadvisor. View Park Hotel is ideal for travelers who seek great ambiance, comfortable with budget-friendly rates, and accessibility to Tagaytay's tourist destinations.

As it's quite a drive off Tagaytay's highway, View Park Hotel offers a peaceful, homey ambiance. All rooms and function areas provide space, equipment and amenities that you need either for personal or business stays. 

Enjoy the outdoors. View Park Hotel has a garden with gazebo. Take a dip in the pool. Kids can while away the hours in the kiddie wading pool as well. They also have ample parking space for your convenience. 

Spa services are also available for those looking for a spa treatments. And after all the touring and playing, your family can have a feast of the hotel's sumptuous dishes at the Red Lemon Grill restaurant or at Adam's Cafe.

View Park Hotel also offers swift and friendly service from their sincerely warm staff. For all these reasons and many more, View Park Hotel will truly make your Tagaytay stay even more memorable. 

Win Awesome Prizes from Electrolux by Showing Your Passion through OOTD

Electrolux believes that every passion should be shared. In line with this campaign, Electrolux Philippines recently launched #WearYourPassion OOTD Photo Contest in Instagram. 

To join, simply tell us what you are passionate about while sharing with us your Outfit of the Day (OOTD) and get a chance to win awesome prizes from Electrolux! So come on, if you're the passionate about fashion and love taking photos flaunting your style, take advantage of this contest and win fabulous prizes! 

Here's how to join: 

* Step 1. Follow Electrolux Official Twitter and Instagram accounts @electroluxph

*Step 2. Take a photo of yourself in your best OOTD that tells your passion

*Step 3. Post a short description of your passion and how your OOTD represents it.

* Step 4. Post your picture on Twitter and/or Instagram and tag @electroluxph and @purpleplumfairy

*Step 5. Don't forget to use the hashtags #VanceMadrid, #WearYourPassion and #Passionista

Hurry, what are you waiting for? Join now!!! Contest runs from October 21 to December 31, 2013

Good luck guys! 

El Sur Night Food Market in the South by Mercato Centrale Opening on November 23!

The Mercato Centrale group, organizer of the Manila’s most popular night food markets, is bringing back the Mercato Centrale experience to the South! Come and visit EL SUR – the NEWEST Mercato Centrale market that will be open in Alabang Town Center (beside Fully Booked) every Friday (4pm – 3am) & Saturday (12nn - 12mn) starting November 23 (Saturday)! 

A must-visit for foodies, food aficionados and those who enjoy simple and laid-back ambiance chilling out with friends and with a whole lot of food stalls to choose from that will satiate your palate, El Sur is the place to be! 

My Blogapalooza 2013 Business to Bloggers Experience

The very first Blogapalooza happened around two to three years ago if I'm not mistaken at the Top Shelf of Fully Booked in Bonifacio Global City. There were only about 150 bloggers then who were invited for the event. Too bad, I wasn't able to attend the said event because at the time I was probably preoccupied with a lot of things. But my blogger friends came and they had really wonderful memories of it. 

Last year, they were supposed to have the second Blogapalooza event, but for some reason, it wasn't pushed through. Ergo, when I've heard from my friend Daryll on her blog that there'd be another Blogapalooza this year, I immediately signed up and hoped to make it to the list. I've immediately marked the date red and made sure I'd be available on that particular day. 

 So when the day finally came. It was my first time to attend the much-talked about event for bloggers. The sad part was that I had to go there on my own, two of my friends who made it to the first Blogapalooza weren't available this time around. So I felt both excited and at the same time kinda scared going there alone with a crowd of strangers--I had no idea how am I going to fit in. I mean of course, I probably knew some of them online but one could never really tell if I'd be able to carry myself in such a crowd. Upon arriving at the SMX Convention Center of SM Aura, I saw Hana Abello--she's a fellow lifestyle/food blogger whom I have met countless of times in events, and although we weren't really that close, it was nice to see someone I'm familiar with. Being with Hana made me felt safe and more comfortable. 

I thought Blogapalooza would be some kind of a classroom type lecture where partner businesses would talk about their products/brands (because that's how it was during the very first Blogapalooza), but it turned out--it was an interactive one. There were different booths to check out inside the SMX Convention Center. Bloggers had that rare opportunity to meet the ones behind those businesses or at least get to know the brands/products or services. Hana and I spent our first few hours at Blogapalooza by dropping by these awesome businesses. The best part was that, for every booth you visit, aside from meeting new people (and possible prospective partners) you also get some instant freebies! And I'm not talking about just one type of business here--from toys (Richwell Trading) and cosmetics (BYS), services (Lulu Nails and New York Theraspine), advertisers (Ambient Digital), travel and shopping destinations (View Park Hotel, Megaworld Malls, and The Mind Museum), food (Tempura Japanese Grill, Congo Grill, Karate Kid, Gavino's Donuts, Plato Wraps, Chooks to Go, Hungry Juan, Figaro, Brown Bag Coffee and Chef's Noodles), kiddie attractions (LazerXtreme) to something for the the health conscious--Slenda and Wheat Grass drink...Actually, there were a whole lot more, I just couldn't quite enumerate them all. I might have missed some of the booths since there were a lot of things simultaneously going on at the Blogapalooza event. 

Hana and I both enjoyed dancing and playing the Kinect via an interactive motion play at the Bounty Fresh's Chooks to Go booth. We weren't able to grab the top prize of roasted chicken but we went home with an apron each which weren't bad anyway. Plato Wraps gave each bloggers a chance to sample their delicious signature pita breads from Dagupan, Gavino's Japanese donuts gave us an entire box of delectable  Mochi rings and balls (I super loved their Mochi ring in Pork Floss and Mochi Balls with Green Tea fillings!). Figaro gave us free flowing coffee throughout the entire afternoon, while WheatGrass gave bloggers the chance to sample their healthy grass drink and check out what it does to our blood circulation as well with a microscope-like machine. Hungry Juan gave bloggers free snacks of our street food favorite barbecue and isaw. Tempura Japanese Grill and its sister companies Karate Kid and Congo Grill gave us our free lunch and complimentary drinks. So we had a taste of their best selling sisig and california maki. 

The guys from The Mind Museum booth even exercised out brains via pick-a-question-from-the-bowl kind of game. Hana was a big help as the question that I picked had something to do with medicine, since she's a nurse by profession she helped me with it. We both got The Mind Museum notebooks as prizes. And while we were at the Blogapalooza, Hana and I both made a blog by answering "What gallery or exhibit is mind-blowing at The Mind Museum?" We were told that the first 20 bloggers who sent in their links on the same day wins 3 all-day passes at The Mind Museum + entrance passes to the Da Vinci Exhibit. We persevered despite the somewhat slow uploading of photos with the free wifi connection (PLDT actually gave bloggers a fast internet access but perhaps due to the volume of bloggers using them actually slowed it down). 

We were given free trial Enjoy Cards, good for use until March 2014. They also had a fish bowl where they've asked bloggers to pick a prize. I won a spa massage certificate from Tocarre Spa. They even said one blogger went away with travel trips. Such a lucky soul!  Meanwhile, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls also had a spin-a-wheel game where bloggers won prizes such as gift certificates for pampering, beauty services and cinema passes. I won a cute LINE stuffed toy from them which was truly adorable. Other bloggers I've passed by would say how lucky I am to have gotten such bear because they'd love to have one but got gift certificates instead. 

By the time Hana and I sat down on a seat she had reserved at the back near the stage, we listened to Happy Even After and Sex and Sensibilities founder and solo parent advocate Ana P.Santos as she shared her personal experiences with blogging and writing. I've met Ana before and I always knew she was all for women empowerment. It was followed by sexy siren FHM cover girl, Karen Bordador who said she got bullied a lot when she was younger and even received both bashing and marriage proposal online. But she was able to rise from all such things with courage and some girl power.

There was no dull moment in Blogapalooza. From time to time, Vince Golangco, the guy behind When In Manila and founder of Blogapalooza would award prizes to lucky bloggers who tweeted using the hashtag #Blogapalooza. Since Hana and I were seated near the stage, we've joined every chance we got. But seriously, I wasn't thinking much of the prizes, of course, it wouldn't hurt to get perks and freebies, but I guess they're more like some kind of bonus. Fellow bloggers know that each time we'd be attending an event, it was but normal for us to Tweet and share to our readers/followers what's happening to this and that event or update them where we are or what we're doing. So it comes as no surprise that Blogapalooza was trending on Twitter at the time. 

Bloggers got some sample toys from Richwell Trading simply by visiting their booth where they had given out Moon Dough small craft kits and dinosaur looking robot toys. On top of these, Mommy bloggers even had the chance to grab a toy of their own choice from the Richwell Trading sponsored prizes during one of the Blogapalooza Twitter contests--they had given out toys from V-Tech, Barbie, Uno etc. I guess I was truly lucky to have been in the right place and time when they had announced that so I was able to brought home a huge Barbie Beauty Salon set for my niece Icy! 

BYS also gave away awesome beauty loot for all the ladies out there--a box of lip gloss in various shimmering colors! View Park Hotel had given us a souvenir shirt with Blogapalooza imprinted in front. There was also a raffle where they had given away spa massage gift certificates, I've called it my day when I received an SMS saying I had won a gift certificate. Lazer Xtreme also gave out free games to the bloggers. I knew my adopted son Kyle would definitely be happy about it. 

Chef's Noodle, known for their delicious Korean fare also gave away sushi (cold rice dressed with vinegar, formed into any of various shapes, and garnished especially with bits of raw seafood or vegetables) sets to bloggers who signed up on their email subscriptions. Chef's Noodle also gave away Noodle gift certificates to first ten lucky bloggers who joined their Twitter and Instagram contests. Hana and I also won in the said contest. 

Whew! I must have done something good in the past to deserve all the things I had won that day. In fact, I even had to take a cab that night because the stuff were too heavy. It was indeed a great day for all the bloggers who attended the Blogapalooza. Believe it or not, but more than the freebies I have received, it was great to meet other bloggers whom I thought I'd only get acquainted online, yet I had the opportunity to meet them personally. Dovi for one--we were online and since we both wanted to see each other in person, I told her I was seated near the stage and she came over my seat to meet me. I've also met new blogger friends at the Blogapalooza 2013. Some of them I knew better by their urls, while some I'm familiar with their faces. 

Blogapalooza also gives online influencers like bloggers to help entrepreneurs to further promote their business. We were given freebies to help improve their brand/services or products. So that we can give constructive criticisms if necessary because we have experienced it on a first-hand basis. Blogapalooza is a venue for bloggers to get to know brands and businesses and at the same time help them to achieve their target market. As online influencers, I believe we owe it to our readers to give an honest blog review. Hence, it is also our job to let these entrepreneurs know what the consumer wants and we could do these by giving our personal views on our blogs. 

I no longer wonder why most bloggers considered Blogapalooza as one of the most anticipated events participated by folks from the blogosphere. I thank its founders Vince Golangco of When In Manila, Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet and Francis Simisim as well as all their staff for their efforts in putting up this event. I'd also like to thank all the brands, entrepreneurs and partners + sponsors of this year's Blogapalooza. That same night, we were also happy to note that the bloggers as well as everyone's joined efforts were able to raise Php82,000 on the Piggy Bank Movement for the benefit of those affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. 

It felt good that you were able to help in your own little way. Despite all the issues and intrigues that surrounds the blogging community, it's nice to know that we can all try to set those stuff aside just so we could help those in need. I went home that night with a smile on my face + feeling on cloud nine, knowing fully well that helping others wasn't beyond my means and because I'd make my family happy because I'd be sharing them the stuff I've gotten from Blogapalooza event.