Mauie Flores

If you happen to live just around the corner from a park or inviting green hill perhaps going on a picnic is part of your everyday spring activity. If you have little ones or work at home it’s often nice to get away just for a quick hour during lunch and then once the weekend arrives perhaps you spend even more time at your favorite park. After all, it’s nice to be able to soak up some vitamin D and enjoy the nature, isn’t it? If you find yourself getting stuck in a pattern of taking the same food, going to the same picnic location and getting bored then you should add some imagination to your mix. Are you bringing along a book? Are you spending too much time on your smart phone? Think about ways you can bring creativity to the park each day and the change will do you good.

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In one of our few impulsive buying moments, the husband and I bought a big camping tent and sleeping pads good enough for the three of us! Now the problem is, we haven't got an idea where to camp out, hahaha!

I was thinking of having a road trip to Ilocos Norte this coming Lent but it dawned on me that my husband would not enjoy it. Plus, it would probably take a huge toll on our car maintenance budget. So I did some research and found two beach resorts in Batangas that have camping sites.

The boys are excited over the idea of us camping by the beach. It's indeed awfully more inconvenient than staying in the resorts' comfy rooms. But then I realized that our boy needs this camping trip. He's overly sheltered in the city already. It's time he gets introduced to the outdoors.

What do you think? Do you know of camping sites near Metro Manila other than the ones in Batangas?

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When you think of a spa, what immediately comes to mind? Massage? An upright jacuzzi with a gorgeous hot tub cover? Facials and scrubs? For me, spa is synonymous to relaxation which has been a luxury to me ever since I started accepting writing projects. Yesterday, however, I found my little piece of heaven right in the heart of Makati City.



Islands Massage Mobile and Day Spa offers massage services and other beauty and wellness treats. Nestled in the busy N. Garcia Street (formerly Reposo) in Makati City, it becomes the perfect haven for the tired and stressed working people of the nearby business district.



I was blessed to have been invited by the owners, Janice and Boogie, to review their spa. Yesterday was a rainy one so it was the best time for me to get a full body massage.



I can say that I'm already an expert when it comes to massages because my husband and I get massages every other weekend. I was given the Swedish Massage which is my favorite. (My husband hates oils so he always prefers Thai massage.) I didn't get the name of my masseuse but I truly enjoyed her massage. The pressure was as light as I instructed it to be. I also didn't know what kind of massage oil was used on me. I was told after the service that I can choose my preferred massage oil from their collection. Oh well, maybe next time.



What I also loved about Islands Massage Mobile and Day Spa is the wide and comfy bed I laid on. The bedding smelled good and the towel and robe I used were soft and fresh. I made a conscious effort not to sleep during the session because I would need to recall the whole experience for the review, right? It was also surprising to see how spacious and stylish the massage rooms were. If you are a "suki" of day spas, you'll know what I mean. Other day spas I've been to either have mattresses on the floor or small beds confined in cubicles.



Islands Massage Mobile and Day Spa is a complete one-stop, full-service 24-hour home massage and day spa. They can provide service to Manila, Makati, San Juan, Pasig ,QC, and Paranaque areas. You can also contact them if you want to have a private spa party with friends and family.

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I've been working so hard lately that I had to set aside a special day for a Thai massage. Last Friday was that day. I knew I had to get one to be more productive. I have been experiencing back pains and shoulder pains probably from sporting a bad posture while working on some articles.

My husband and I prefer Thai massages than the other massages that are available. For one, we don't like being smothered with massage oils. Another reason is that the Shiatsu and stretching techniques that Thai massages offer directly target our problem areas. It really feels good to have your muscles stretched after a long and tiring day.

Of all the massages that I have tried, Thai massage has the one with the most interaction between the masseuse and the client. Our massage sessions are like well orchestrated dance moves. For example, my masseuse kneels on top of my buttocks and puts pressure on some points of my back. From that position, she presses on my back a little and lifts herself to a standing position. Then, she grasps my wrists while I grab hers and she pulls my arms to give me a stretch. This is the reason why Thai massages can never be done on outdoor chaise lounges that cannot support both the masseuse's and the client's weight. It should be done on a mat or a foam mattress on the floor.

We try to have massages every other week because its therapeutic. I am lucky that we have a Thai massage day spa near our area that offers discounted rates in the afternoon. I hope you can try getting a Thai massage soon and tell me about your experience.

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Our backpacking trip to Vigan and Baguio last March gave me the opportunity to study a little Spanish through a PSP game called "My Spanish Coach". Traveling light compelled me to not bring my laptop and it took me away from my online activities for a week. It was a blessing in a way because I had the chance to bond more with my family, especially with my boy who got interested in the game, too.

I was already studying and completing sentences about food and places in the game. When we are not playing the game, Ralph and I try to exchange simple sentences in Spanish. My son has a more retentive memory than me and it became easy for him to speak simple sentences in Spanish. He's learning Spanish faster than I have that it would look like I bought him some learn spanish for toddlers videos.

Once we got back from our trip, I had to go back also to reality and to my piled up tasks. I didn't get the chance to play the game and learn Spanish words again. I will find time to do some once my schedule permits me to. It's never to late to learn a new language. It may seem useless now but there may be opportunities in the future when I can use my knowledge of the Spanish language.

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Half of my waking hours each day I devote to my online activities. Part of my online activities include chatting with friends and relatives either here or abroad.Those who know me personally also know that chatting played a big history in my life. I met my husband online and I never regret each day that I came to know him more through chatting even before we met. Chatting is an indispensable avenue for keeping in touch either with people you already know or those whom you want to get to know more.

Among all the chat rooms that are familiar to me, the Catholic Chat Room is one that made me quite interested. I am a practicing Roman Catholic and I revere every facet of my faith. But then, the internet is such a big place to be in, much more so if you're chatting with people from all parts of the world. Chatting with fellow Catholics gives me the freedom to talk about my faith more without the thought of creating an issue among others of different faith. The last thing I need would be a confrontation anyway. It also gives me the opportunity to discover how it is being a Catholic in other parts of the world. The Catholic population in our country is dominant and our Catholic rituals and traditions become a way of life. This is quite different for other Catholics who live in a place where Catholicism is not the dominant faith.

Whether it be for friendship, faith discussions, or finding a date of the same religion, the Catholic Chat Room is a place for online Catholics to be.

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