ANGELINA JOLIE AND BEAU BRAD PITT MET UP WITH US PRESIDENT OBAMA @ THE WHITEHOUSE JANUARY 11, 2012

Actress Angelina Jolie is seen in the Oval Office of the White House, Jan. 11, during a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Jolie, in a dark dress, and Pitt, wearing black framed glasses, spent several minutes speaking to Obama before he left aboard his Marine One helicopter for a campaign fundraising trip in Chicago.

 

According to a White House aide, “President Obama spoke with Ms. Jolie about her work to raise the profile of preventing mass atrocities and combating sexual violence against women.” 

Angelina Jolie was in Washington to attend the premiere of her new movie "In the Land of Blood and Honey" at the Holocaust Museum. The film is also her directorial debut.

 

 Photo Source: Getty Image and Reuter

Terminal fee for international flights at NAIA reduced

Good News, folks! Terminal fee for international flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be cut to P550 from the current P750 starting February 1, 2012, according to the Manila International Airport Authority

How come it will be reduced?  It is because the five-years security development program lapses on February 1, 2012.

The MIAA, which operates the Manila airport, has put in place an additional P200 charge back in February 2007 to beef up security measures in the airport. That resulted in an increase in terminal fee for international flights from P550 to P750.

OFW's, foreign diplomats, athletes and sports officials, transit passengers, refugees, pilgrims, airline cabin crews and deportees are exempted from paying the terminal fee. 

                                                                                                                      Source: Business World

FENG SHUI 2012

Want to know the lucky colors, elements and charms this year?

Here is a directory of feng shui particulars for the Year of the Water Dragon, which starts on January 23, 2012. 

The list is made by Hong Kong-based feng shui master Joseph Chau Kam Shing.

Chau and other feng shui experts said that one must not rely solely on this ancient Chinese system. 

Please remember getting ahead in life still requires a lot of hard work and effort.

Below is Chau's list:

• Year 2012 zodiac sign: water dragon
• Commencement of the year: January 23, 2012 at 12:01 a.m.
• Formal duration of the year: February 4, 2012 at 6:22 p.m. to February 3, 2013
• Elements of the year: water (heaven stem element and supporting element), earth (earth branch element)
• Zodiac signs offending the Tai Suey (Grand Duke or Grand Deity), or the unlucky ones: dragon, dog, ox, goat and rabbit.
• Zodiac signs that must avoid burials: yin fire ox, yin earth goat, metal ox, earth dragon, golden dog and fire dog
• Lucky colors: gold, silver, white, sky blue, green, red, pink, violet, peach, orange, beige, yellow and brown
• Lucky charms for wealth: treasure bowl, vivacious prince of wealth, flying golden Pei Yau
• Lucky charm for career: jade dragonhead fish
• Lucky charms for safety: jade master protection pendant, safety medallion
• Health protection charm: health medallion
• Lucky charms for romance and relationships: romance bucket, brass happy couple, Mandarin duck
• Charm for overall luck: benefactor jade

                                                                                                                                             Source: Abs-Cbn

6th Spring Film Festival@ Shangri-La Edsa Plaza

Shangri-La Plaza together with Ateneo de Manila University Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, Ateneo Celadon and Credit Suisse once again stage the Spring Film Festival to help and encourage the Filipino youth understand and appreciate Chinese culture.

This year’s festival will be offered free to the general public. Schools are welcome to bring their students for block screenings on a first-come, first-served basis.

Through the  Cultural Office of the People’s Republic of China, the 6th Spring Film Festival features six(6) films that cater to different age groups and audiences.

Here are the synopses of the featured films:

Ocean Heaven – Ocean Heaven is a family drama which features a father- Sam Wong (played by Jet Li), who is solely taking care of his autistic child- Dafu. Wang finds out that he has liver cancer and has a few days to live. Not only does Wang have to cope with his own suffering and impending death, he also has to deal with the heartache of leaving Dafu with no immediate family. This heartwarming film shows the challenges of being a single parent and how parents, even on their last days, would do anything just to ensure the safety and happiness of their children. 

Fans of Jet Li will definitely be surprised to see him in this non-Kungfu movie; this role won him the 2010 Wen Zhang Best Actor Award. The movie was also recognized by the Shanghai Media Awards, CCTV Movie Channel Media Awards 2010 and Golden Goblet Award. In July 2011, Li even named one of his charity projects as Ocean Heaven Project to help children with autism, cerebral palsy and other disorders.

Lost on Journey – A comedy film narrating Li Chenggong’s travel home, as he encounters a series of unfortunate incidents, to celebrate New Year’s Eve with his family. Li hops from a plane, to a train, to a bus, and to a boat in the desire to be with his relatives during the most important event of the year. And along the way, he meets a stranger, Niu Geng, who later helps him discover something important about himself and the goodness of other people. This movie is a funny presentation of how a stroke of bad luck brings two different worlds together.

Country Wedding- Tells the story of a couple about to get married. With their respective families getting so excited, their parents start to meddle with their wedding preparations. The bride’s mother insists on holding the wedding at a ritzy hotel in Beijing Central, the groom’s father, being the director of a cooperative in a rural village, feels indebted to the community, and wants to share the wedding with the whole village. The couple gets caught in between conflicting would-be in-laws. This film is a funny portrayal of the clash of cultures between the city and country side.

Confucius – Confucius, known as the “Great Sage”, lived during the time when China’s dynasties were in chaos and engulfed by corruption and greed. He strongly believed that ethics and education would put all things to order. His wisdom was sought by different dynasty leaders but he was abandoned after he dutifully served his purpose. The world knows so much of his teaching, but little is known of his hardships. This biographical drama shows the sufferings and pain Confucius endured and the principles he fervently kept that became the foundation of China’s ethics, morality and law. Starring Chow Yun-Fat as Confucius, Nominated for Best Actor at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards. Other nominations include Best Cinematography, Art Design, Costume Design and Original Song.

Bodyguards and Assassins – In 1905, Hongkong was under the British rule and revolution was on the rise. Sun Yat-Sen was set to land in Hong Kong to meet and to unify faction leaders to finally take down the corrupt and crumbling Qing Dynasty. Because of this, Dowager Cixi wanted Sun Yat-Sen assassinated. For the Chinese people who had been clamoring for freedom, they understood that protecting Sun Yat-Sen would mean keeping China’s liberation hopes alive. Li Yutang, a businessman, gathered a tofu vendor, rickshaw pullers, a beggar and an orphan to serve as bodyguards. These bodyguards displayed their superb fighting skills as they battled it out with the assassins to protect Sun Yat-Sen, whom they hadn’t even met. This action-historical movie garnered numerous awards from the 4th Asian Film Awards, 29th Hongkong Film Awards, 16th Hongkong Film Critics Society Awards and 47th Golden Horse Awards. 

King of Milu Deer- This 3D animation movie focuses on protection of the environment. It is a story of a white deer, Yoyo, who turned into a lady and made friends with Tzan-the prince of Kingdom of Clouds and Dreams. Tzan was ordered by the minister to search the Labyrinth Mountain to hunt for the Milu Deer to use it as a sacrifice to bring rains in the kingdom. But Tzan discovered the beauty of the Labyrinth Mountain and got closer to Yoyo. Together, they fought sea lizard monsters, fire, soldiers, and the evil Minister to save the wildlife and natural resources of the Labyrinth Mountain. This movie became the highest grossing Chinese Animated film of all time and received the Best Animated Film of the 13th Huabiao Awards.

Movie Schedule:

 

January 20, 2012 (Friday)
Country Wedding 1:00PM
Lost on Journey 3:00PM

January 21, 2012 (Saturday)
Lost on Journey 1:30PM
Confucius 3:30PM
Bodyguards & Assassins 6:00PM
Ocean Heaven 9:00PM

January 22, 2012 (Sunday)
Ocean Heaven 1:30PM
The King of Milu Deer 3:30PM
Confucius 5:30PM
Bodyguards & Assassins 8:00PM

January 23, 2012 (Monday)
Country Wedding 1:30PM
Bodyguards & Assassins 3:30PM
Ocean Heaven 6:30PM
Lost on Journey 8:30PM

January 24, 2012 (Tuesday)
Bodyguards & Assassins 1:30PM
Lost on Journey 4:30PM
Confucius 6:30PM
The King of Milu Deer 9:00PM

January 25, 2012 (Wednesday)
The King of Milu Deer 1:30PM
Confucius 3:30PM
Country Wedding 6:00PM
Ocean Heaven 8:00PM

January 26, 2012 (Thursday)
Lost on Journey 1:30PM
Country Wedding 3:30PM
The King of Milu Deer 5:30PM
Confucius 7:30PM

January 27, 2012 (Friday)
Ocean Heaven 1:30PM
Confucius 3:30PM
Lost on Journey 5:30PM
Bodyguards & Assassins 8:00PM

January 28, 2012 (Saturday)
The King of Milu Deer 1:30PM
Ocean Heaven 3:30PM
Lost on Journey 5:30PM
Bodyguards & Assassins 7:30PM

January 29, 2012 (Sunday)
Lost on Journey 1:30PM
Country Wedding 3:30PM
Bodyguards & Assassins 5:30PM
Ocean Heaven 8:30PM

OTHER ACTIVITIES (2nd Floor, Grand Atrium)

January 20-29

Chinese Painting Exhibit by the Confucius Institute Chinese Painting Students

January 22

Chinese Painting Workshops by Mr. Caesar Cheng and the Confucius Institute Chinese Painting Students

For more information please call Ateneo Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies at 426-6001 local 5208-5209; 5280. 

For tickets, please call Shang Cineplex at 633-2227 local 113 or log in to www.shangrila-plaza.com Add Shangri-La Plaza on facebook: shangrilapalazaofficialfanpage

Like me too in Facebook Thank you! : http://www.facebook.com/travelonashoestrings

See you in the movies @ Shangri-La Edsa January 20-29, 2012. It's FREE!

Happy Chinese New Year!

About Us

About Us

My name is Cha Sy, a ruptured Brain Aneurysm Survivor. I blog because it makes me more productive than staring at the ceiling ( laughs ). It is more than a year now since a coil and stent saved my life. Thanks Dr. Francis Santiago! 

On my second life, I had to spend four (4) months on bed bath. Imagine my happiness when I was finally able to take a bath inside our bathroom. I underwent physical therapy and re-learned sitting, standing, maintaining balance and walking. If you see me now, you will never guess that only in 2011, I was on a wheelchair. 

Like most Filipinos, I love Manny Pacquiao, traveling, blogging and eating in no particular order.

My awards for 2012:

• Best in Food Blog at the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge. The very first food event I ever attended.
• People's Choice Award at the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge
• Best Blog post- Colgate-Palmolive via Nuffnang Contest
• Best Blog post- PLDT HOME

Awards 2013:

• Best in Blog Post: PLDT 85th Anniversary

For product review, event invitations, press release you can e-mail me @ travelonashoestrings@gmail.com

Smile every chance you have. Be happy and grateful for all the good things you do have and for all the problems you know you don’t have.

Food Blogger

To follow

BRAIN ANEURYSM SURVIVOR

It is almost a year now since my operation. I hope you were able to read my March 21, 2011 entry on my blog. 

That was the first time I revealed to the world that I cannot walk or see from my left eye. I joined a Nuffnang contest and lost with that piece. But I know I am very lucky to be alive. And I guess that is enough to be thankful to God.

I should have removed the ads of nuffnang there so you would understand my story better. Some readers mistook the story to be a fable or fantasy story for the ads. For those who doubt my story you could check my medical records at UST hospital and with my neurosurgeon @ Makati Medical Center. If you want, I'll give you an authorization to verify my medical records. You could even see all my CT-scans and MRIs. Why are some people like that? I never ask you for anything. Not a single centavo. My family paid for my treatment and still has debts because of that operation and my continuing treatment. We paid more than a million pesos. But no amount of money could ever buy life.

I was leading a very active lifestyle before I had ruptured brain aneurysm. I was living the life- travels, photo walks, meeting new friends in far flung places, airplane rides, bus rides, jeepney rides. Then suddenly my life changed. Never did it occur to me that I would be bed-bound and be partially blind for some time.

So be grateful. You are lucky you are alive! Not everyone can breath the same air you breath. The simple task of sitting down and standing up without pain is enough reason to be thankful and be happy! 

I escaped death by a hairline in 2011. I am recuperating at the moment. For a while, I had difficulty sitting down and standing up on my own. I was in bed for four months. I remember what a refreshing day it was when I finally had taken a bath inside the bathroom. See, taking a bath in the comfort of your bathroom is something to be thankful for!

It's almost a year now. I will be celebrating one year in the confines of my room.  I still can't fully see from my left eye. But I can walk now. I've undergone physical therapy through the help of my therapists and Rehabilitation Doctor. 

I never knew that walking and sitting could be such a pain. You must be thankful you can sit and stand without pain for there are many people out there who can't even sit or stand on their own.

The day I had my first bath inside the bathroom itself is heaven for me. Why? Because I spent four months of my life with bed bath. It was dangerous for me to take a bath alone, much less to stand for so long because I always faint during the early part of my recovery.

I am thankful to all my friends who offered not only monetary help but also support and lots of care and love. Thank you from the buttom of my heart. You know exactly who you are people. I am forever grateful. Hugz! May God bless you more.


Some people has misjudged my cry for help when we were still in dire need.  My heart was broken when the very person I once considered my best friend for years turned her back on me and even deleted me from her facebook account.

She could have easily told me she doesn't want to help me period and that would be okay. But to turn her back completely is the worst thing one could ever done to a friend who loves her like a sister. Hindi ka na nga nakatulong nanakit ka pa ng damdamin. Bakit ano ang kasalanan ko? 

You know who you are. I've never done anything wrong. Is it a crime now to ask for help when you are in dire need?  She persecuted me for asking for help. She punished me. Being in a rich country may have answered all her dreams. So she doesn't need a friend who in the past never ever asked for anything except that one time when she was in dire need. I just hope one day you would not experience back how you treated me. I still love you like a sister.

To those people who don't understand what I've gone through I just hope and pray God would not let you experience the same fate. For I would not wish the same experience to happen even to my worst enemy.  May God bless your heart for you do not know what you are doing.

I am thankful that in spite of what happened to me, my brother is always with me. Because of him I have continued to find a way to live. I love you brother. I hope and pray that you would stay by my side forever but I know someday soon you will have your own family. I hope when that time comes I am fully recovered so I can again travel and find my place in the sun or who knows have my own family too. I am forever grateful.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN HAPPINESS

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN  HAPPINESS

Only you - yes, you - your very own self - who can make yourself happy. A simple life lesson that is very difficult to follow and see through. Your goal must be to have the least possible regrets when you are already on your death bed.

For 2012, take charge of your own happiness. Stop writing New Year's resolution. Just do what will make you happy. Now na!

As Maria Robinson said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

But before you can begin this process of transformation, you must stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas from an unknown author to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. Life is too short to spend with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself with someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people who stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst, who are your true friends.

2. Stop running from your problems. Face them head-on.  It won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living—to face problems, learn, adapt and solve them over time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

3. Stop lying to yourself.  You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read “The Road Less Traveled.”

4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special, too.  Yes, help others, but help yourself, too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, smarter, younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change just so that people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

6. Stop trying to hold on to the past. You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading your last one.

7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. Doing something and getting it wrong is, at least, 10 times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading toward success. You end up regretting the things you did not do far more than the things you did.

8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles and even regret things. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here now with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.

9. Stop trying to buy happiness. Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free—love, laughter and working on our passions.

10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else, either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.

11. Stop being idle. Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  Making progress involves risk. Period!

12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. Nobody ever feels 100-percent ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen—in the right time, with the right person and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. In life, you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, others will use you and still others will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.

15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. Don’t worry that others are doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own record every day. Success is a battle between you and yourself only.

16. Stop being jealous of others. Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason—to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind or situation.  So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

18. Stop holding grudges.  Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you, too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.

19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level.  Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.

20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others.  Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it, anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.

21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes, you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.

23. Stop trying to make things perfect. The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read “Getting Things Done.”

24. Stop following the path of least resistance. Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.

25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  Cry if you need to—it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.

26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you give others power over that part of your life.

27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.

28. Stop worrying so much.  Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.

29.  Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen.  Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.

30. Stop being ungrateful.  No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

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