1. Wait two to four days after installation.

Granite is porous. That means that it can absorb water or moisture. During installation, some moisture will seep into your granite countertop, and this will give it a “wet” look.

I know you’re excited, but you need to wait two to four days for the moisture to evaporate.

2. Have your granite countertop sealed.

After the moisture has dissipated, have your granite supplier or installer apply a granite sealer to your entire countertop using a paper towel.

3. Wait for 24 hours.

Yes, you’re so excited to enjoy your beautiful Galaxy Black granite countertop, but please give the sealant 24 hours to dry. By being patient, you will protect your countertop from unnecessary stains.

4. Okay, enjoy your lovely granite countertop.

Congratulations! It wasn’t easy to wait an entire day. Now you and your friends and family can admire your shiny and clean granite countertop. At least it will make washing the dishes more fun, as you stand there and stare at the smooth surface surrounding your professionally installed kitchen sink.

The Lobby Easter Sunday Jazz Brunch Buffet

It’s highly affordable at only P2,600 (price is subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes) inclusive of free-flowing Champagne for adults. Without the champagne, it’s only P1,900 (plus taxes) for adults and P1,000 for children under the age of 12 (inclusive of complimentary entrance to the Jungle Safari Easter Egghunt at the Rigodon Ballroom).

Easter Family Package

This is valid from March 28, 2010 to April 12, 2010. Rates start from P5,500 (prices subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes), which is inclusive of a family breakfast buffet in Escolta and a complimentary entrance to the Jungle Safari Easter Egg hunt at the Rigodon Ballroom for two children under the age of 12.

For inquiries and table reservations, please call:

The Peninsula Manila
Tel +63.2 887 2888
Extension 6694 (Restaurant Reservations), or
Ext. 6630 (Room Reservations), or simply visit http://www.peninsula.com

Enjoy your Easter Sunday!

Here’s why…

Check out this video uploaded by amandareckonwith in YouTube:

What’s the video all about?

Time lapse video of the Feruary 5-6 snowfall in DC. Nikon D200 set to make an exposure every 5 minutes. 328 frames at 12 fps.

The photographer took photos for over 27 hours, and then assembled the images into the above time-lapse video.

While it is fascinating to see how quickly the snow grows in just one day, I hope the weather in Washington DC improves soon so that our required legal documents get consularized at the Philippine embassy in Washington.

Related News: WNY Snow Equipment and People Sent to Washington, DC — “Western New York is the place to call for help with snow removal, and that’s why nearly 100 people and pieces of equipment have left here and are down in the Washington DC area. It has been around the clock work for contractors trying to clear away more than three feet of snow in cities not used to it.”

For example, the Torta de Cebu is a filling, buttery-cupcake with delightful sugar crystals sprinkled on top. Usually, these a dozen of these cupcakes are arranged in a box.

You may request for modifications in the packaging. For example, you can have four cupcakes placed in a smaller, square box. It appears to be made of stiff brown kraft paper.

Then, request for some Christmas-y decoration. It can be as simple as a red or gold ribbon, yet it looks beautiful! The minimalist brown design of the box, plus the striking accent provided by the ribbon makes it a truly eye-catching Christmas present.

From what I heard, if you place your order today, you can have the cupcakes (complete with Christmas gift box arrangement) in less than 2 days.

I was so excited (and hungry from those scrumptious Polly’s Torta de Cebu cupcakes), that I forgot to snap a photo. Maybe next time.

Here’s wishing all of you a Merry Christmas!

For more information, check out Ms. Polly’s Specialty Cakes and Desserts in Facebook.

Remember my November 2008 experience? Yes, I blogged about rebonding and burned hair.

Today was altogether completely different, thanks to hair specialist Yuri!

His touch is quite light, and he explained that my hair is not really curly. It has a slight wave, so there shouldn’t be too much pressure applied to the “plantsa” or ironing phase of the hair rebond process.

He also warned me not to believe those who claim that rebonding can be done in just two hours.

These things, like works of art, take time. That’s why in my case it lasted from 10:00 in the morning until around 3:00 in the afternoon. We were, of course, able to take our lunch during the half-hour times when the hair rebonding chemicals were applied to my hair.

Now, I’m totally enjoying the light, airy feeling around my head. It’s like my hair has been given a new lease in life.

Already, a number of friends have commented about the hair straightening (only P1,500 here in the Philippines).

So we chatted a bit a caught up on old times…

Before I continue, allow me to share with you some background info about Bernard Vista:

BERNARD VISTA was born Pakil, Laguna, and went to the University of Santo Tomas for a degree in Fine Arts.It was in college where he associated with other dynamic artists from Laguna, such as Edwin Tres Reyes and Bayani Ray Acala, also from Pakil.A scholar of the Saturday Group Painters Association, he was also a university varsity swimmer throughout college, thus subsidizing his studies at the Pontifical University.

Vista found work as illustrator for children’s books, honing a style that best suited the needs of the various publications.For his achievement, he won the PBBY Illustrators Prize, third prize in the national competition.

Vista has actively participated in many group shows particularly those organized by Galerie Joaquin.His first major solo exhibition September of last year entitled “Biyaya (Blessings)” marked his entry in the lime light of arts as he gained recognition for his larger than life depictions of the Filipino way of life.

Vista highlighted the rich customs and traditions of Filipinos passed on from one generation to the next.Inspired by the rural scenes of his hometown, he puts on canvas the humble countenance of his people, human figures of fisher folks and farmers, characteristic of their passion for life and oneness with the bounties of nature. His portrayals of men and women possess a glimmer of indescribable peace, contentment, and strength of inner spirit while the activities and details by which his subjects are immortalized solidify the Filipinos’ sense of enjoyment and admirable trait of counting their blessings.

Bernard Vista, Filipino Artist

I took a photo of kuya Bernard as he stood outside his art and coffee shop. There was a slight drizzle, that’s why he was wearing a unique salakot.

I’m trying to build my own house, and I would like to order a painting from Bernard Vista, to be placed in the living room wall. He asked me things like what my favorite colors are, what theme I’m interested in, and what images I would like featured.

This is the basic interview he conducts when customers would like made-to-order paintings. In other words, kuya Bernard is an artist who strives to get to know you better, so that he can inject his creativity and your personality into a painting specially made just for you.

[Want to see a painting of Bernard Vista? Please see the blog post entry called Pakil Represent.]

If you’re interested in the uniquely beautiful art of Bernard Vista, do drop by his art shop in Pakil, Laguna today.

Street Dancing in Pakil, Laguna

This is a story of my happiest moment in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines.

Puerto Princesa is a neat and clean city in Palawan, which you can easily figure out by walking around and speaking with the people you see milling about you. While visions of Palawan usually focus on island-hopping, the Underground River, the balinsasayaw bird, the Crocodile Farm, the Iwahig penal colony, and lots of other tourist-y attractions, you will happily chance upon the simplest, yet profoundest joys on earth.

Yes, I’m talking about a tricycle ride in Palawan.

In Puerto Princesa, the tricycles are spacious and have a larger protective covering compared with their Metro Manila counterparts. Trike fare is around P7.00 per passenger, which is much lower than what you will pay in the metropolis. The tricycle drivers are courteous, and the grid layout of Puerto Princesa makes each major destination just a stone’s throw away from your hotel.

How can a tricycle ride bring you peace, tranquility, and sheer bliss? In a word: FREEDOM.

You are free from the usual tourist guides who force you into a rigid schedule. You are free from your fears as you independently explore different parts of the city. You are free from any worries because you can easily see that there are lots of tricycles you can ride back to your hotel.

And most of all, you are free to be yourself. Free from what others might think. Free to go wherever you wish, whenever you want, and with the person you truly and deeply love.

You can ride. You can walk. You can slip into a resto-bar hours before it officially opens, and just sit back and order sisig, while effortlessly watching the stream of pedestrians and vehicles go by.

You can cross streets, hold each other’s hand, breathe in the Palawan air, and later hail another tricycle. Another ride. Another journey. In peace. In freedom.

I’ve never felt more independent and more free than in that tricycle in Palawan. I’m so much in love. And I am happy.

For optimum functionality and versatility there are a variety of bathroom cabinet options to choose from. You can also choose to have your bathroom cabinet customized and tailor-made to match your bathroom design and improve the space in your bathroom. A base unit is functional but provides simple elegance at the same time.

The bathroom cabinet ranges from modern and contemporary to classic and traditional. You can also get a designer bathroom cabinet that is versatile, flexible and sophisticated. For smaller bathrooms there are space saver cabinets that give a stylish appearance to your bathroom. This type of bathroom cabinet will also work well in modern bathrooms with their simple, sleek and streamlined appearance.

For a contemporary bathroom you can choose a bathroom cabinet that has frosted glass and aluminum or stainless steel frames. A bathroom cabinet is an excellent functional piece that allows you to keep your daily items stored out of view. For those who don’t have a lot of wall space there is the corner bathroom cabinet or low floor cabinet which can fit into small spaces. You can even choose a bathroom cabinet that has illumination to provide ambient and mood lighting with soft light to help people relax.

Although the cabinets would still have bright halogen lights on the inside so people can find things easily. In addition, the hanging bathroom cabinet comes in styles such as country, rustic, Victorian or shabby chic and is easy to install.

The cabinets provide an excellent place to keep personal accessories, toiletries and toilet cleaning supplies. You can also choose to have your cabinets custom made to your specific dimensions to reduce the cluttered appearance in your bathroom. Be sure you have your size, shelving and partition dimensions ready before ordering a custom cabinet. With so many options ranging from antique to modern you should have no trouble finding a cabinet that works in your bathroom.

How do you get to Star City, by the way? Well, if you’re traveling along Buendia towards Pasay, just cross Roxas Blvd., and then when you get past the World Trade Center (on the left), you’ll find a road on the right.

You’ll know that’s the correct road to turn into, because there are lots of traffic aides at that busy intersection. Anyway, after you turn right you’ll travel for about a minute, then you’ll see a green sign that points to the parking area behind Star City.

Yep, you can park your car for free. There are other areas (near the front of Star City), but it’s not for free. So, now that you know how to get there, visit the place and have fun with your family!

The unlimited sms texting only applies in the case of Smart-to-Smart SMS text messages. If you try to send texts to other networks such as Globe or Sun Cellular, your load will go down by 1 peso for each sms text (assuming your messages are not that long).

Based on experience, the unlimited text command works best if you try send messages to 258 at around 11am. During other times, you might experience network problems and your transaction will not be completed. It’s weird but if you try to do it earlier, such as around 9am, you might encounter problems too.

Just the same, if someone has transferred around P30 of sms load to your cell phone at 8am, go ahead and try enabling the SMART unlimited texting feature. If it does not work, then try again at 11am.

Please note that UNLI20 remains valid for only 24 hours. There’s a P30 option that gives you unlimited texting for 48 hours, but I still have to look for the correct command to send to 258.

All you have to do is answer the question: “What is your favorite month of the year, and what makes it so special?”

My favorite month of the year is August, because that’s the month when I first held hands with my love.

I don’t know if he remembers how we formed a circle, and how he raised the sleeve of my jacket so that he could have a better grip of my small hands. I wonder if he knew what was going through my mind back then.

It’s nice to think back and remember happy moments. It’s what helps sustain us during the valleys of our life. It’s what gives us the strength to climb up the mountains of joy, happiness, and triumph, and bask in the sunlight of success.

Did you know that “august” can also mean “Noble, venerable, majestic, awe-inspiring, often of the highest social class (sometimes used ironically); Of noble birth”? That’s according to the Wiktionary.

Majestic. Awe-inspiring. I’m not sure about the noble birth, but when we held hands for the first time that fateful day in August, I felt like a princess.

How about you? What are the Augusts of your life? Join Kat’s Moleskine contest (hurry, it won’t last forever–only until Nov 26).

This is the first time I’ve won something because of the internet. Who would have imagined that sitting in front of your computer and doing something as fun as commenting in various blogs can send wonderful gifts your way? I don’t know if the person who first thought of the “Principle of Attraction” ever envisioned the rise of the internet.

Yet, here we are.

The internet connects us to one another. Or better yet, the internet makes it more obvious how each and every one of us is connected to one another. We’ve always been interconnected, it just hasn’t been that obvious… Until now.

No matter what country or city you are in, and even if you’re not in the Philippines, here you are, reading my words online. Here you are, breathing in my stories, as well as the stories of other people. How easy it is to move from one web page to another, from one blog to yet another blog, from one comment to another, and we end up with…

An embarrassment of stories. (And I mean that in a good way — “an embarrassment of riches”)

So thank you, internet! And thank you, Yuga! And thank you, everyone.

See you around the web. I hope to read your stories soon…

(If you want to see what it looks like, complete with the security seal of Air21, please see ChefTonio’s unboxing of the Creative Webcam NX 90.)

All you have to do is visit Contest: Moleskine Giveaway from Avalon.PH, and leave in the comment section your answer to Jayvee’s question. I’m not saying here what that question is. All I can say is that it is super easy.

Of course, that means a lot of you will rush over and leave your comment in Jayvee’s blog which means…. more competition for me for that coveted Moleskine notebook. But that’s okay. This is all being done in the spirit of fun!

Wait, wait… why are people getting so excited about what appears to be an ordinary-looking, black “hardbound” notebook? I really don’t know. Maybe, just maybe, holding it and writing on its smooth pages, and watching your pen glide gracefully over those crisp lines will evoke some kind of connection with the master writers.

I know… I’m just reaching. But as I’ve said, maybe. Just maybe.

It’s hard to explain what happens when you try to write and you somehow feel a bond or connection with the writing greats who have gone on ahead of you. It sometimes feels as if they’re all just there, standing around you, invisible yet silently cheering you on as you let a trickle of words escape from your fingers.

Ah, enough of this. Such things are better placed in the pages of a Moleskine notebook rather than in the cold glare of a white WordPress box, right?

I was so surprised to be included in the list of webcam winners, and I owe a lot to Ambo and Snow for giving me the heads up.

Yes, things have been quite hectic lately, because I’ve been busy with real estate marketing. In other words, I’ve been manning the booth or the tent at the project site. I’ve also been busy assisting clients during “tripping” where they get to visit the site and view various house model units.

I wonder if webcams will help property sales consultants close the sale. Typically, webcams are used to communicate with your loved ones. I’m not sure if this will be appropriate in the case of real estate. Maybe in such cases, a basic video will be enough. Besides, video chats have a tendency to get rather lengthy, so it’s best reserved for friends and family, and not for business.

Anyway, I hope I’ll get to figure out how to attach the webcam properly to the computer I’m using, once the unit arrives in my house. Again, Yuga, thank you so much!

Anyway, I climbed to the top of a human tower, but when it was time to come down, I accidentally ended up sitting on the corner of a raised portion of the “stage.” As a result, I now have a bit of bruising.

What’s the general rule again? Oh, right — cold compress in the first 48 hours, then warm wet compress after the first 48 hours. Hopefully, the discoloration will lighten up in a few days.