Alere: Bringing Careers in Health Care to the Philippines

A leading health care solutions company based in the United States, Alere, which focuses on servicing patients with chronic diseases by providing them with near-patient diagnostic care and managing their supplies reorders, has come to the Philippines.

Alere Philippines has set up office at the Fort after having acquired a company established in Manila and felt it was a perfect match. They wanted to establish their service center platform here. Our English-speaking labor force as well as access to many healthcare-related graduates makes Alere's presence here logical, practical and forward-looking.

Lead a great life in spite of asthma

I come from a family with a history of asthma. I myself had childhood asthma though not too severe and during a couple of pregnancies, it came back even if I had already outgrown it. I also had to deal with asthma during the growing years of all my kids and I have to tell you that it is no joke.

Asthma is what I call "traydor na sakit" (traitor disease). It doesn't look too alarming but in reality, it has been the cause of many deaths even among young people. The triggers can happen any time and anywhere -- something you eat, something in the air -- and suddenly your airways start to constrict. You start having difficulty breathing and it creates panic and pressure on the heart as well. Several celebrities in the past died young just because of an asthma episode, including a young model.

At a recent GSK event, I listened to one of the GSK doctors, Dr. Bernadette Arcilla, talk about asthma. It affects about 10.7M people in the Philippines now. 250,000 annual deaths worldwide are attributed to asthma. Of those deaths, majority are 45 years old and older. With children, asthma is the most frequent cause of absenteeism from school, emergency visits and hospitalization. Scary stats. I can remember so many instances when we'd rush to the emergency room of the hospital because one of our kids could not breathe well and would be wheezing. We always had a nebulizer with us at home and on trips. When they were older, they had to be taught to use an inhaler and carry this with them all the time.

But asthmatics are fighting back. And, hopefully, winning the war against asthma. That is a very important inspirational message for so many Pinoys who are similarly affected by asthma. Your life is not curtailed by it. You can still live a meaningful life and engage even in sports in spite of your condition.

At the event, two local celebrities, who were asthmatics, shared about their own battles against asthma  -- Kim Chiu and Arnel Pineda of Journey.

Steveston Pizza: From Canada to the Philippines

Who says NO to pizza? Ah, ah, NOT ME! And not when I am invited to try out Steveston Pizza which originated from Canada!

First let me tell you that I had no idea what Steveston Pizza was offering (but the thought of eating pizza appealed a lot to me!). Second, I was eager to check out UP Town Center because I heard of the place from my son but did not know exactly where it was.

Suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised upon arriving at the place. Apparently, UP Town Center is now the newest watering hole and the converging place for the students of UP Diliman, Ateneo and Miriam College.

I was early so I did some work at J.Co nearby. Noemi joined me shortly and we got to put in some productive time before moving over to Steveston Pizza close to lunch.

From the outside

Brush, brush, brush your teeth...and stay healthy!

If you think that brushing one's teeth is simply for beauty and fresh breath, here's one more piece of info you'll surely appreciate. It will actually keep you more healthy!

Why is it that when we wake in the morning, our breath is so eeeewy??? That's because our mouths were closed all night, allowing bacteria to accumulate and multiply. Because these bacteria are able to feed on some food sediments left, their waste products which are sulfur-based, emit a pungent smell.

Can you imagine if you start your day by taking breakfast immediately and drinking water or coffee? All that bacteria that multiplied overnight go right back into your system. Very unhealthy! Get rid of all that bacteria by brushing upon waking up.

Just recently tried Pepsodent toothpaste.
The blue paste has Perlite, a whitening ingredient.
The white paste has fluoride and calcium for stronger, healthier teeth.

Sangobion's Christmas Special Made more Special for the Philippine National Red Cross

Christmas was definitely in the air when my mommy friends and I attended Sangobion's Christmas Special last December.

It was a joyous coming together. First of all I was with my SoMoms mommy blogger friends: Thammie, Jackie and Tin. Then I bumped into Ginger and Frances who brought along their kids, some of whom I saw in person for the first time after ooohing and aaahing their photos on Facebook. Attending too was Jenni Epperson, one of my fave bloggers whose "lifestyle and more" blog is read and enjoyed by so many.

(L-R}: Jenni Epperson, Christine Dychiao, Rowena Lei, Jackie Go, me

My Christmas Holidays were More Cheerful with Fog City Creamery

This was the dreariest Christmas ever. It was the first time none of us at home had the energy to put up a Christmas tree that was 8 feet high. We were on general housecleaning mode especially with one room that we had to clean from top to bottom, inside out. To give ourselves the spirit of some Christmas cheer, I played Christmas carols all day long as we dusted, cleared stuff out, mopped the floors, scrubbed tiles and did spring cleaning of items.

Gifts sent to our home were very much appreciated but one that I really looked forward to trying when it came to the house was 4 pints of Fog City Creamery ice cream in Christmas flavors: Fruit and Nuts Deluxe, Brandied Cherries, Peppermint Brownie and Tablea. Hey, you are looking at one ice cream lover here!!!