More Value, More Life with Watsons
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 28, 2012
A lot of you may not know, but I graduated college with a diploma in B.S. Pharmacy. Ironically, I get sick a lot these past few months. It may have been caused by stress and me eating too much unhealthy food 😛 I have been looking for ways to change my lifestyle (well, bit by bit), to use products that are beneficial to health and to start exercising.
Coincidentally, Watsons, one of the drugstores in Manila launched a campaign called “More Value, More Life“. The campaign focuses on what we value in life and how Watsons values us. Christine Jacob-Sandejas, Paco Sandejas and Venus Raj are some of the brand ambassadors and here are what they have to say about the things they value and how they found value in Watsons:
Christine Jacob-Sandejas says:
My family is really my life. It gives me joy to take care of my husband and five kids – keeping all of us healthy is a top priority. It’s a reality though that healthcare is rather expensive especially with a fairly big family such as ours. It’s good to know that we now have more choices when it comes to branded and generic medicines like what Watsons is offering.
Paco Sandejas says:
To a woman like my wife (Christine Jacob-Sandejas), only the best lang talaga. We’ve been married for 12 years – Christine has supported me in all the ups and downs, and gave birth to our five great kids. In turn, of course I want to make sure that she is in top shape. It really amazes me how she is always ready to do different activities with me & the kids everyday! Christine takes care of everyone so I take care of her naman. She means the world to me,
Venus Raj says:
Since I became Ms. Universe runner-up, life has never been the same. I got more than what I prayed and worked hard for. and now sabi ko sa sarili ko, no matter what I do, I would still think that there is no limit to what I can achieve. And dami ko pang gustong gain at ma-achieve for me and my family kaya I really have to take care of myself.
So how does Watsons value us consumers?
- Value 1: Comply and Save – Be a SM Advantage Card member and save up to 30% when you purchase featured branded products in packs of 30s.
- Value 2: Watsons Health Packs – Guard yourself against common daily illnesses with exclusive Watsons Health Packs and save up to 70% compared to leading brands.
- Value 3: Watsons Compliance Packs – Win over hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and common infections with specially-made Watsons Compliance Packs and save up to 80% compared to leading brands.
- Value 4: Buy Generics and Save – Head over to the special Buy Generics Counter inside the pharmacy and save on top quality generic medicines made by trusted pharmaceutical companies. Watsons criteria for trusted generics: (1) manufactured by a trusted pharmaceutical company (2) FDA approved and (3) sold in a reputable pharmacy retailer.
With all those offers, I’m compelled to renew my SM advantage card. Especially now that I need to save money, and buy vitamins & medicines at the same time. Affordability is quite important to me and Watsons went beyond that as they also provide free health services and medication counselling through their well-trained pharmacists at their stores. Cool news, isn’t it?
Meg Top Choice 2012
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 27, 2012
As the year 2012 comes to a close, Meg Magazine launches Meg Top Choice 2012.
The campaign gives Meg Magazine readers a chance to decide who are popular this year. Filipinos are known to support their favorite stars. With Meg Top Choice 2012, fans have the power to contribute votes so that their favorite celebrities get due recognition.
Mega Publishing Group started Meg Magazine in 1998. Meg Magazine is a fashion & lifestyle magazine targetted to young Filipino women. The magazine’s mantra is not just to teach women how to dress, but also to have fun, to keep thinking and to respect self and others. I got myself a copy of their latest issue during the launch, and I must say the magazine has a lot of quality content.
I was told that Meg Magazine is going big. If you notice, all their covers this year feature the hottest stars of the Philippines. Georgina Wilson is this month’s Meg magazine cover. Don’t we all agree that she’s hot and popular today?
Meg has also ventured into TV. They brought their brand ambassador search to ETC. The reality show is called I am MEG: Own the World in Style. I was able to catch one of their episodes before. Coincidentally, the final challenge of the contestants will happen during the Meg Top Choice 2012 awards night on November 27, 2012! Wow, definitely an event that both Meg Top Choice 2012 nominees and I am MEG finalists will look forward to!
A few bloggers were given the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the Meg Top Choice 2012 voting site before it was available for public voting. While I was browsing through the nominees, I already was rooting for some stars to win!
Today, the Meg Top Choice 2012 voting site is up! I have voted for my favourites (noticed some bugs in their site though, hope Meg fixes it) 🙁
Here are the list of this year’s nominees:
Fashion & Beauty
- Top Fashion Forward Celebrity
- Female: Sarah Lahbati, Divine Lee, Kris Bernal, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Megan Young
- Male: Vice Ganda, John Lloyd Cruz, Mikael Daez, Enchong Dee, Alden Richards
- Best Red Lips
- Anne Curtis, Marian Rivera, Iza Calzado, Heart Evangelista, Georgina Wilson
- Chart-topper
- Sarah Geronimo, Rico Blanco, Somedaydream, Sponge Cola, Kamikazee
- Top Newcomer (Music)
- Never the Strangers, Zia Quizon, Gracenote, Somedaydream, Daniel Padilla
- Top Cover Star
- Angel Locsin (Dec/Jan), Jasmine Curtis-Smith (Feb), Bea Alonzo (Mar), Toni Gonzaga (Apr), Julia Montes (May), Marian Rivera (Jun), Erich Gonzales (Jul), Angelica Panganiban (Aug), Heart Evangelista (Sept), Georgina Wilson (Oct)
- Best Onscreen Chemistry
- Julie Ann+Elmo, Kathryn+Daniel, Kim+Xian, Coco+Julia, Sarah+Gerald
- Hottest Couple
- Georgina+Borgy, Marian+Dingdong, Divine+Victor, Anne+Erwan, Bea+Zanjoe
- Twitter TRENDsetter of the Year
- Sarah Geronimo, Vice Ganda, Julie Ann San Jose, KathNiel, Azkals
- Top Viral Video of the Year
- Piliin Mo ang Pilipinas featuring El Gamma Penumbra, My Nerdy Valentine by Jamich, “Hi Miss..” Pinoy Banats by Kimpoy Feliciano, Gloc-9 featuring Ebe Dancel “sirena” music video, And I’m Telling You by Zendee Rose Japitana Tenerefe
- Top Fitness Trend
- Zumba by Golds Gym Philippines, Barre by Barre 3, Planaforma by Forma Asia, Crossfit by Crossfit MNL, Anti-gravity Yoga by Beyond Yoga
- Hottest Body
- Female: Cristine Reyes, Solenn Heussaff, Lovi Poe, Sam Pinto, Bea Alonzo
- Male: Xian Lim, Aljur Abrenica, Enzo Pineda, Gerard Anderson, Paulo Avelino
- Top Advocacy
- Gawad Kalinga, Bloggers United Summer Bazaar 2012, Rock Ed Philippines, The Red Whistle, The Love Yourself Project
- Best New Product/Project
- Samsung Galaxy S3, Zalora, Outbreak Manila, Magnum, Malasimbo
- Top Youth Icon
- Female: Angel Locsin, KC Concepcion, Charice Pempengco, Sarah Geronimo, Saab Magalona
- Male: Chris Tiu, Elmo Magalona, Enrique Gil, Robi Domingo, Kiefer Ravena
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Meg Top Choice 2012
http://iammeg.ph/?top_choice_set=all
USS George Washington (CVN 73)
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 26, 2012
As soon as I received an email containing an invitation to a reception onboard the USS George Washington, I was ecstatic! I did not want to miss the rare opportunity. Most of all, it was an honor to be able to meet the honourable men and women of the U.S. Navy. I also knew that 20% of the ship’s crew are of filipino-descent.
Knowing that they took the time to visit Manila just showed that the United States is committed to us, Filipinos, and is a strong ally.
For some reason, typhoon Ofel came at the same time, rain was pouring so hard the whole night. I was soaking wet because I forgot to bring my umbrella with me. I braved the rain as I didn’t wanna miss the opportunity! I arrived at SM Mall of Asia Fleet Deck at exactly 4:30PM. I went in queue together with hundreds of guests eagerly anticipating what was ahead.
We went aboard the Glenn Bataan Belize for a 45-minute boat-ride to USS George Washington.
I looked around and observed that most guests were either embassy officials, expats, police officials, businessmen or media men. It was at that moment, I felt how blessed I am to be given an invite. While I was alone, I did meet some wonderful people in the USS George Washington reception event.
As we were nearing the ship, I peaked outside and saw the number ’73’. I knew then that it was USS George Washington (CVN 73). My excitement grew! I really was going to the ship and experience being there for the 2-hour reception!
USS George Washington (CVN 73) is a U.S. Navy ship named after the first president of the Unites States. It is a nuclear-powered super carrier and the sixth ship in the Nimitz class. It was built by Newport News Shipbuilding, sponsored by Barbara Bush and was commissioned July 4, 1992.
While I admired all the different parts of the ship, all I could think of was how honorable the men and women that comprise the USS George Washington are.
The reception was a social event. As for me, I went around the room taking pictures, smiling at everyone, thanking the U.S. Navy and eating (hehe!).
The cake which looked like the USS George Washington CVN-73 was an awesome sight. It was located at the stage where the program was held.
Commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet Rear Admiral John R. Haley, Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. and Captain Greg Fenton were among the speakers that night.
Guests bought souvenirs to bring home for their loved ones.
There were caps, jackets and shirts for sale with ship’s name in it.
The ship was named after George Washington, one of the founding fathers of the United States. He became the first president of the United States and served from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797.
On the floor were what looked like the USS George Washington CVN 73 insignia. It has a profile of George Washington and the ship’s motto, “The Spirit of Freedom”.
The ship is huge! It has a length of 1,092 feet and a height of 244 feet. There are over 2,500 compartments on board, and requiring 2,520 tons of air conditioning (which is equivalent to roughly powering 2,00 homes. (source: http://www.military.cz/usa/navy/uss/carriers/washington/washington_en.htm).
USS George Washington can accommodate around 80 aircraft and has a flight deck of 4.5 acres, using four elevators to move planes between the flight deck and the hangar bay.
George Washington and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region (including our country, the Philippines).
This has got to be one of the unforgettable experiences for me. I thank each and every member of the USS George Washington for all the things you’ve done for the country and for the world! *salute*
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USS George Washington (CVN 73)
Official Site: http://www.gw.navy.mil/index.html
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/USS-George-Washington-CVN-73/177732872397
Lessons from the Fall
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 21, 2012
As some of you may know, I got into an accident 2 weeks ago. I missed a step, then fell while I was going down the stairs of a garden inside The Hills in Cavite.
I’m feeling better now considering I got both my foot sprained and got several wounds & bruises on my body. While this was an unfortunate accident (it will take months or even years for my wounds to heal), I considered this a learning opportunity. I was once again reminded of the wonderful things in life and how I should never stop appreciating them.
I’ve been careful, trust me. I got my ankle fractured over a year ago and that made me look at the floor often when walking. I guess no matter how hard we try to be careful, things happen. That’s why it’s called an accident, right?
an unforeseen event or one without an apparent cause
My key takeaway from this unforgettable experience are the ff:
- It’s Embarassing
I attended a wedding with over a hundred guests. Imagine having all those people see you fall down the stairs in full view. Yes, that happened! It even went to a point that I fainted and had my colleagues carry me up the stairs to the reception as I was obviously handicapped.
I experienced pain but what made me feel awful is that I had to make a scene. On that day, none of us should be noticeable. The only two people that mattered was the groom and bride. I was sad that I had an accident causing extra work for some folks to help/carry me out. I felt sad as well because I wasn’t able to see the beautiful wedding ceremony of my friends. However, I wish them all the best. They’re a wonderful couple and I’m sure they’ll live a happy and loving life 🙂
- My Colleagues are Awesome
As soon as I fell, my colleagues immediately went to my side to help. Whether to carry my things, offer support, carry me (!), offer prayers & perform first aid, they were just there. I’ve always known that my colleagues are smart but I got reminded that they are also beautiful inside and out 🙂
- I have a Family
I always consider myself as a loner.
Last year, I started meeting people that I consider my family now. My stalkerbugs family, my church family and yes, some long-lost cousins!
When the accident happened, I was in a far away place. My churchmates cancelled their dinner plans and immediately drove to Cavite from Manila just to rescue me. I felt so blessed. Everyone was ready to help me in whatever way they can. As some of my friends picked me up and drove me to a hospital, some went to the hospital to bring food and some went to drive my car back to my house. A family lent me a wheelchair. A sister offered me her home to sleep for the night and other friends visited me at home when I was recuperating. Even a cousin who I haven’t seen for more than 10 years, stayed with me for one night so that she could assist me.
I’m humbled, truly humbled! I actually feel ashamed for thinking that I don’t have a family because I do, I really do.
- God is Good
I learned to accept the Lord early this year. My life changed since then. When He says that He’s there for us, it’s very true!
During that time that I was helpless, I felt him. All the prayers from my sisters, brothers and friends were answered by the Lord. It was a miracle that I didn’t get any fracture. What was more apalling is I was able to stand and walk a bit after one day! If you only knew the pain and the impact of the fall, you wouldn’t even imagine that I will be able to recover that quickly. Miracles do come true! Praise the Lord!
We learn things every day. With this experience, I get reminded as to how good life is! I’m truly thankful for a lot of things and I hope people won’t get tired of me as I try to improve myself each day. I hope in the future, I’ll be able to help change someone’s outlook in life for the better too just like how my friends did.
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 15, 2012
I have plans to seriously study cooking & baking in the near future. I’ve been preparing for it – carefully choosing the stove I would buy, ensuring the design of my new kitchen will fit my goal and thinking of recipes to learn.
One thing that I want to start doing is to eat healthy. I’ve been struggling on that part. I super love to eat (as frequent readers of this blog would know)! I want to take baby steps and not change drastically. For now, I wanted to start with changing the ingredient that would give me the most calories: sugar.
I decided to understand the health benefits of Splenda.
Splenda is a famous healthy alternative sweetener that a lot of establishments have been using already. I remember that I always choose natural brown sugar over Splenda when drinking coffee. Actually, I never dared try Splenda. I tend to think that anything artificial isn’t good. But considering my plans to bake cakes and to prepare sweet shakes which will surely need a lot of sugar, I have to think of an alternative, or else I would be getting diabetes (yaiks)!
I’m impulsive! Whenever I think of something, I want to do it ASAP. It’s especially dangerous when I have an urge to get myself a gadget (which always happens). Good thing that my urge today is more for my health and my well-being..
As soon as I got off work, I went straight to SaveMore Supermarket to get myself a box of Splenda.
I then started researching on the product, reading the label as well as checking the official Splenda Website. Discovering that Splenda can cut 3/4 of the calories that comes from natural sugar just by substituting it is really, really super nice! That means it’s actually better than brown sugar! I’ll try this for a few months and see if it’ll work for me.
I also stumbled upon Splenda Philippines’ Facebook Page. A lot of tips and recipes are shared through the page. I even saw an article that there’s actually a dessert place called Classic Confections that uses Splenda for its desserts! I liked the page as I wanted to refer to it once I’m ready to start cooking and baking.
I digged through the internet to see what really makes up Splenda. With those information, I’m convinced to give it a chance and to try it out.
- From Wikipedia:
Sucralose has no caloric content, and Splenda products have a lower caloric content than sugar. The actual caloric content of a single-serving (1-gram packet) of Splenda is 3.36 calories, 31% of the calories of a single-serving (2.8-gram packet) of granulated sugar (10.8 calories). In the United States, it is legally labelled “zero calories”; U.S. FDA regulations allow this “if the food contains less than 5 calories per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving”.
Further, Splenda contains a relatively small amount of sucralose, little of which is metabolized; virtually all of Splenda’s caloric content derives from the dextrose or highly fluffed maltodextrin “bulking agents” that give Splenda its volume. Like other carbohydrates, dextrose and maltodextrin have 3.75 calories per gram.
What this means is that the body does not recognize Splenda. Even if you sweeten with Splenda everyday, you can enjoy the sweet taste. Your body will just remove it when you pee or go to the bathroom.
Unlike other alternative sweeteners (e.g., Equal, Palsweet), sucralose is heat stable up to 450 °F (232 °C) so Splenda can be used as a replacement for table sugar in cooking and baking, and there are Splenda products packaged specifically for this purpose.
- From Splenda Website:
SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener, also known as sucralose, is a no-calorie sweetener that can be used as part of a healthy diet to reduce the calories and carbohydrate from sugar that you consume.
It is made through a patented process that starts with sugar and converts it to a no-calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener. The result is a very stable sweetener that tastes like sugar, but without its calories. After you eat SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener, it passes through the body without being broken down for energy, so the body does not recognize it as a carbohydrate.
On my next post, I would be trying out a recipe or two. I would share them with you through this blog. I can’t wait because I don’t even cook! Let’s see if the available Splenda recipes are easy to make! Most importantly, I’ll have a peace of mind that I would be using a sweet but healthy ingredient 🙂
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Splenda, No Calorie Sweetener
Available in packets and granules
http://www.facebook.com/SplendaPH