Event: Press. Dokissaten Maid x Butler Cafe

The third appearance of the maid and butlers from the Dokissaten Cafe (originally the Doki Doki Kissaten Cafe). With new maids and butlers for another round, it’s sure to be an interesting event.

In partnership with Fully Booked PowerPlant.

Prices.

Event: Cosplay Fusion (at Power Plant Mall)

Cosplay Fusion
June 27, 2009 (Saturday), 4pm
South Court, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell
There will be a cosplay competition that will be held within the Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City. June 27, 2008. So block off this date on your calendars! Dokissaten Maid & Butler Cafe in partner with FullyBooked’s PressCafe will also be there!
Cash Prizes:
1st Place – P12,000
2nd Place – P8,000
3rd Place – P5,000

+ prizes from sponsors: Powerplant, Maxicollector, etc.

Cosplay Fusion Contest Guidelines

Cosplay Pre-registration

Limited to 40 pre-registered cosplay contest participants. So watch out for the reg forms.

(As posted from Alodia’s facebook and deviantart)

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Also, the Dokissaten Cafe (formerly known as the Doki Doki Kissaten Cafe) will be partnering with Fully Booked to give you another experience to join the cafe. The cafe has been present at Kourtyard Caffe (along Katipunan Ave. – last March), at the Shizen Orchestra convention (at SMX last April) and will now be at Powerplant. With new additions to the cast, a wider variety of butlers and maids, there’s a lot more to look forward to.

Other event details will be posted as soon as they are finalized and come out. Watch out for more advertising soon.

Book Review: The Wife Trap

Review on: The Wife Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

Rating:  4/5

Are you a fan of Irish/Scottish accents? I happen to be a very big fan, and adore books that have characters such as them, since one can almost imagine the way the accent is spoken while the dialogue is being read out on paper. One thing I love about Irish/Scottish characters in books or movies, is that most of them almost seem untamed, proud, free, mischievous and daring. It just so happens that the Irish character in this book is just that.

One thing most novels that discuss English society talk about, are the rules of high society that come with being a lady or gentleman. One must act a certain way, think a certain way, believe in a certain way and behave in a certain way. Lady Jeannette Brantford, the main character of the story decides to escape from all that for a few weeks by convincing her more logical twin sister to take her place. This inevitably leads to problems when Jeannette’s twin ends up marrying and falling for her husband. Her rebellious and independent decision leads her parents to the conclusion that she should be temporarily exiled to the country where some family members live.

Being a woman of high society, Jeannette is not used to the more provincial country life, away from balls, men, London talk and fashionable everything. It is during her stay in the country that she meets a man who teases and taunts her, and makes her “almost” forget about the rules of society. This dangerous flirtation eventually leads to both of them being spotted in an undesirable situation which forces them both to wed each other. What makes it even more interesting is that Jeannette thinks her husband is merely a commoner, when he is in fact a man of status. Their flirtations and teasings throughout the story is a funny but also romantic way of showing their love for each other, even in the end when they are apart and are forced to realize the truth within themselves.

If there’s one thing I love in this story, it’s the dialogue between our English lady and her Irish man. There’s a competition between the two, which show how feisty they both are (and proud), but which also shows their weakness for one another. Wonderful descriptions of the locations describe the simple beauty of the settings each character is present in and how this inevitably affects their personalities within the story. There is a variety of characters which of course keep the story quite interesting, with the inclusion of not only an Irish man but also the inclusion of twin-switching twins. Many parts in the story are surprising and will keep one on their toes, with even the ending giving readers a surprise.

One thing that does not please me in the story though is the freedom which Jeannette acts on throughout the story. She is quite rebellious in the story, but also somewhat quite “primal” in how she proceeds with many of her decisions. It can be quite surprising at times to see how a lady might act if she chooses to do so, and how easy it is for her to let go of some things or beliefs that a lady of her time would hold dear. Of course, I don’t think it’s wrong since the author has her reasons for putting such things in the story, for her character and the plot and flow of the story as well.

If there’s one thing I love about Jeannette’s rebellious nature (despite what I mention in the previous paragraph) is that it leads Jeannette to interesting observations and realizations at the end of the story that give it an ending flair. I’d have wished the story’s flow was more uniform, since some gave too much detail to the present time (within the story) and others (like weeks/months) were summed into short paragraphs that wasn’t enough to stimulate more interest in the character’s relationship to one another.

Quite an interesting perspective though, and the dialogue of course gives life to the story and to the characters. Another interesting read.

Book Review: Naked in Death

Review on: Naked in Death by Nora Roberts (writing as J.D. Robb)

Rating:  2.5/5

Naked in Death is a mystery-filled thriller story, not the usual type of books that I read from Nora Roberts. It basically takes place in the not-so-far-off future where many traditional concepts have been put aside, such as the presence of a gun ban and the distinct change of the term prostitution. The story is about Eve Dallas, a cop who is put in-charge of the murder of the granddaughter of a known traditional senator. What makes the murder even more interesting is that the weapon used to kill this “licensed companion” as they are now known, is a gun, which is owned only by licensed collectors. To top it all off, the murder is done while the scene is being recorded and sent to the police.

Eve is tasked with this case, and becomes the contact person for the Senator, who is intent on finding out the murderer of his granddaughter. The severity of the murder, the intensity of the case, it becomes an obsession for Eve who feels there’s a lead in the steps that she takes. On the path to trying to solve the case, she meets  Roarke, a very rich businessman who catches her eye She eventually gets involved with him, but it becomes a problem when almost all her leads to the case lead back to him. Her involvement becomes an issue as more murders occur, all involving a licensed companion with all deaths showing the same method for the deaths. It involves issues that strain her physically, mentally and emotionally.

Naked in Death is a very interesting mystery thriller, very different from Nora Robert’s usual romance novels. Though not my usual cup-of-tea, this book deserves props for the complexity and detail put into the settings of the story, which is of course the foundation of a good book. As the reader goes along reading the story, he is also able to involve himself in the story, trying to figure out the murder along with the main character. The flow of the story is easy enough to follow, and each turn of the story is always a mystery waiting to unfold for the reader.

The book in itself is not an easy read, and the difference in the time period of the setting becomes a bit confusing as one gets used to the different terms and such. The book is definitely a mystery-thriller book, so mystery-thriller lovers will find this book to their liking. The books for me seems rather short, or rather hurried but for those even more interested, this book has some follow-up stories which fall under the In Death series, which also involve Eve Dallas.

An interesting read and an interesting series to look out for if you’re very much into mystery-thrillers which involves a more sci-fi setting for the story.

Cheers and enjoy.

Game Review: Harvest Moon (Back to Nature)

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature

Recommended

Harvest Moon is a wonderfully addicting game about farming life. There have been many versions that have come out since I first played the PS1 game, with the gameplay being fairly uniform, except for some changes in some of the different versions. Back to Nature (PS1) is very similar to the Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town version which can be played on the Gameboy Advance, while the Boy and Girl version is it’s counter-part for the PSP. The PS2 also has some other versions of the game such as A Wonderful Life and Save the Homeland.

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature begins with the main character (you), a boy whose grandfather used to own the farm that you spent one of your best summers in. Since your grandfather passed away, the farm has not been taken care of and there are weeds growing all over the field. It’s your job to have to bring the farm back to its original state (within 3 years) or else it’s good-bye Mineral Town (the town you are presently in). For the girl version of the game, there are of course minor differences, like the character’s history and such, but the story still runs the same way.

You start the game by trying to get your run-down farm back to it’s former glory, by cleaning the field up and filling the farm with life. Slowly and bit by bit, from the money you earn from selling herbs on the mountains and later on from money you earn selling crops you grow on the farm, you’ll be able to buy animals (chickens, cows and sheep), upgrade your tools and upgrade your infrastructure on the farm. The game is not entirely about farming life, since one of the basic necessities in the game still lies in your ability to be friends with the townsfolk. One of my favorite features in this game is the ability for marriage (to one of 5 girls) and if you’re playing a girl, it’s to one of 5 boys. You have to court the girl (or boy) that you plan on marrying, though it’s a common tactic  to court everyone and then take your pick, since you eventually have to get-along with everyone anyways.

Courting the girl (or boy) of your dreams is not the only additional requirement, since villagers will be important if you wish to be able to survive the story. Villagers will also be very helpful in giving you recipes and helpful tips throughout the story. For the girls (or boys), if you wish to know your progress, a heart will appear at the end of the dialogue box when you talk to them, which will determine your relationship. Building up relationships also unlocks special scenes throughout the story.

Of course, as a town, one of the things the story’s fun revolves around is the town festivities. There are various festivals throughout the story, for example the Goddess Festival, or the Harvest Festival, the Sheep Festival or the Cow Festival and many others. There is also a Cooking Festival, which will be fun later on when you’ve upgraded your house and unlocked the kitchen, which you can use when you’ve collected ingredients, utensils (which you can buy from TV Home Shopping) and recipes (which you can get from the TV, villagers, and various other sources).

Other interesting features in the game is the ability to fish (once you’ve found a fishing rod), to mine for ores that not only upgrade your tools but allow you to create accessories, the changes in weather, the variety of crops depending on the season, dialogues between the different characters throughout the story, and other such features.

It is a wonderful game that can be very addicting, but also can be very monotonous. With 4 months per year (equal to 4 seasons) and 3o days per season, the game may seem like it passes quite quickly but in fact, it doesn’t. This is based solely from experience. For some days, it seems like there isn’t enough time to do everything you want to do: from gathering herbs, to watering plants, to taking care of the animals and to courting the girls and the villagers. Eventually though, you can unlock the Harvest Sprites who will be able to help you with tasks such as watering and harvesting your crops, and taking care of your animals.

There is a lot of variety and monotony in the game. If you are determined to finish the game, it can be a challenge to a lot of players. The game is wonderfully done, with it’s variety of music throughout different parts of the game, wonderfully done characters and character profiles, and other such things. The scenery throughout the village are wonderfully done as well. My problem may lie solely on it being just a village, without the ability to leave or mingle with people outside of the town. It can also be very tiring and daunting to have to do so many days every year. But one thing can be admired from all of these. If one marries, one can eventually live with their spouses and even have children, though endings differentiate for the girl and boy characters, with the girl character’s stories ending earlier than that of the boy’s. If you play the boy character, you can watch your child grow into a toddler, which can be very cute.

This game comes well-recommended, and even an impatient person like me finds a lot of fun in games such as these, devoting a lot of hours to playing the game.

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This review does not include walk-throughs, character summaries, or tips for the game and such.

Book Review: Mr Darcy Presents His Bride

Review on: Mr Darcy Presents His Bride by Helen Halstead

Rating:  3/5

This story begins right at the end of Jane Austen’s story, with Elizabeth already engaged to be married to Mr Darcy, and preparations for the wedding to be set. Mr Darcy Presents His Bride is an interesting take into the story that happens after Elizabeth becomes Mrs. Darcy, their presentation into society, the effects on not only the Bennet household but on the Darcy household as well.

What’s nice about the book is that it not only focuses on Fitzwiliam and Elizabeth Darcy’s lives, but also includes the continuing stories of Jane and Charles Bingley, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Anne de Bourgh, Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet, Mary Bennet, and Lydia Wickham. It also includes other interesting new characters that the author puts in, in-dialogue with Austen’s original characters.

The story includes a quick look into London Society, and how Elizabeth is first looked upon by London society, with an inclusion of the beliefs of society as to the status and fortune of Elizabeth and her family. The author also does not fail to include the realities of married life, and presents fights that occur between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam during their married life. The loveliness of this book lies in the fact that Elizabeth is very present in the lives of her sisters, Georgiana and Kitty, as they mature within the story. Also in this book, Elizabeth appears as very real and continues her dislike for her mother’s simple want of high society, by not being drawn into high society and doing her best to remain as real to herself as possible.

There are of course some things that I did not (personally) like in the story. There was (for me) a lack of dialogue within the story. There were parts of the story that passed too quickly and there was a definite lack of dialogue, though the author included letters-writing to quicken the passing of time within the story. Also, there were some parts of the story I believed to be too modern for such a time, which of course is not the fault of the author since writers of present society unconsciously put in modern thought to their writing. I also feel that some parts of story made Elizabeth too easily accepted by society, which could be contrary to the truth in reference to how real high society might actually accept outsiders.

Many of the “new characters” in the story were very interesting, but it felt as if the potentials of those characters weren’t utilized to the fullest, and most of them didn’t appear much throughout the story. Or at least, if not much, they seemed crucial to parts of the story but weren’t really wholly ingrained in the flow of the plot.

Otherwise, the story is a great perspective as to the events that happened after the Pride and Prejudice story. It has interesting characters, interesting dialogue, and an interesting flow of events. A very interesting read.

Decide for yourself if you like the book or not. Enjoy~

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This book review is based on personal opinions and perspectives, and is also based on a history of reading many books of this time.

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice

Review on: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Rating:  5/5

Recommended

A beloved classic of all time, with one of the most favorite love stories of all time. Pride and Prejudice, I believe is not done justice by the movies that followed the release of the book. In a time when money and society were considered more important than love and happiness, there lived a woman (Elizabeth Bennet) from a large and not entirely wealthy family who believed that one could not marry without affection. Her pride, wit and intelligence made her an interesting character, though not an entirely favored one since women without fortune or status were not highly looked upon in society. There also came to appear a man (Fitzwilliam Darcy) whose fortune made him bearable by most of the town to talk to, though his pride  and seemingly apathetic nature was the disdain of many.

Wit against wit, pride against prejudice, the continued encounters each grew into something more. It was the belief then that society could not tolerate a relationship such as theirs, and while one (in the beginning) struggled against his feelings, another was entirely ignorant of his affection towards her. It could not be overlooked however when in light of his feelings, his mistakes that caused the sadness of a loved one were shown, and his unjust actions towards an acquaintance were clarified. What appeared to be pride and prejudice on both sides eventually gave way in the story, leading to respect, modesty and even love.

Truly a love story what one would like to believe, still existed in our modern world.

What I loved most about the book is the witty dialogue between the characters, with a detailed relay of events and presentation of characters throughout the entire story, I believe it to be a much more interesting presentation than the movies themselves. One of the best things in the book is that despite the use of somewhat classical English, each sentence in itself is a presentation of the artful language of such a time. It was also a great thing to have to watch how slowly each of the characters evolved within the story, and also how eventually they came either to love, accept, and feel dislike for each other.

A book I wholly recommend, this book is honestly not an easy read and may need more concentration in reading it than other books. Really a wonderful classic. Now I see why many people fell in love with the book, the author and its characters. Definitely a book one must read at least once in their life.

Contest: Design the official logo for the Linggo de Lingua Europa (with extended deadlines)

A re-post with extended deadlines and some edited details.

Contest Rules

Eligibility

To enter the contest, you must be: A bonifide student of either the University of the Philippines – Campus Diliman, or Ateneo de Manila University, St Paul de Manila University or Lyceum University.

How to Enter

1. Email your logo design as a png to logocontest.lle@gmail.com

2. And you should send a copy on CD to the Department of Languages of your university.

Please include the following information in your email and CD:

Name

Address

Phone Number (Landline and Mobile)

Year

Email Address

Prizewinner shall agree that the Linggo de Lingua Europa Group is granted exclusive reproduction rights for advertising, promotion, print publication and Internet purposes.

Winning logo will become the official new logo for the Linggo de Lingua Europa and may be used on website and promotional items with no additional monetary compensation.

Rules

• The logo shall depict EU-Philippine relations with its shared cultural values: multilingualism, multicultural societies, and interfaith dialogue
• Participants must submit a maximum of three (3) images, with an explanation of how their logo or logos depict the activities of LLE
• No group projects are allowed, only one participant may submit the logo design
• Each entry must be the original work and sole and exclusive property of the person who submits it
• You should submit the logo both in black and in colours
• Artwork that has been previously published or exhibited is not permitted
• Any or all of the entries must be sent to the address mentioned above
• Judging decisions are final and may not be appealed

Contest

• The logo must be clear and recognizable at small size
• The logo must depict the objectives of the Linggo de Lingua Europa which are:

1. to promote European languages and culture among the students in the Philippines
2. generate more awareness and appreciation for the European culture
3. promote the shared cultural values and heritage between and among the Europeans and Filipinos
4. strengthen intercultural dialogue between and among Europeans and Filipinos

Image Size

• The submitted artwork needs to be clean, clear and legible when sized for use
• The size should be saved at a minimum of  50×200px and 350×1050px

Deadlines

• Monday, March 9 2009: launch of the logo design contest
• Tuesday, June 30, 2009: Deadline for entries for the logo design contest
• Wednesday, July 1, 2009: Proclamation of the winners and awards

Prizes

The grand prize winner will receive a trophy and some presents. He/She will be presented in a press conference held end of August to present the Linggo de Lingua Europa 2.

The second and third winners will be awarded as well.

All entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges composed of members of the EU Commission (1), each host university (3), and from the Czech, Spanish and French Embassies (3).

The logos will be judged on the artwork’s articulation of the website, creativity, and artistic merit.

Event: iblog5

Similar to what I posted about the iblog4 last year, being in the summer season yet again calls for the announcement of the iblog5. In it’s 5th year, the Iblog, the Philippine Blogging Summit holds a whole day of tips and talks not only about blogging, but about the world of blogging. Photo blogging, Video Blogging and Mobile Blogging will be talks brought up during this year’s summit. The usual do’s and don’ts about blogging, as well as blog promotion, and blogging in light of the elections will be discussed during the talk.

Finally, I’ll be able to attend the iblog and I’m very much excited to finally attend, meet new bloggers and learn new things.

Tentative schedule of the summit, as seen on the site:

Morning session: (some can be sponsored talk)

• 9:00 – 9:20 Blogging 101 (Micaela Rodriguez & sponsor slot)
• 9:30 – 9:50 Photo Blogging 101 (Faith Salazar and Fritz Tentativa)
• 10:00 – 10:15 Break
• 10:15 to 10:35 Video Blogging 101 (Azrael Coladilla)
• 10:45 – 11:05 Mobile Blogging 101 (sponsor slot)
• 11:15 – 11:35 Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging 101 (Benj Espina and Juned Sonido)
• 11:45 – 12:05 Blog Promotion & Traffic Generation Strategies 101 (Winston Almendras and Coy Caballes)
• 12:05 – 1:00 Lunch break

Afternoon session:

• 1:00 – 1:20 Legal issues in Blogging
• 1:30 – 2:30 Preparing Bloggers for the 2010 Elections
  - COMELEC on Blogging & Bloggers
  - Citizen Journalism for the 2010 Elections (Oliver Robillo, NAMFREL Chairman – Davao City)
  - The Bloggers Election Handbook project release (Janette Toral)
• 2:40 – 3:30 Blog Advertising Situation in the Philippines (Yehey and 2 sponsors)
• 3:30 – 3:45 Break
• 3:45 – 4:45 Blogging to the Next Level (Fitz Villafuerte and another speaker)
• 4:45 – 5:00 Raffle & Group picture taking

Register Here

Details:

When: May 9, 2009, 9am-5pm

Where: Malcolm Theater, Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman College of Law

A vote for Earth

It’s about 50 minutes until the Philippines officially participates in Earth Hour. You know, at first it didn’t strike me as anything big or anything that  I thought mattered to a lot of people. But as today came closer and closer, I was able to see the participation of many people as well as many tv shows. On cable, many of the shows I watch will not be airing anything in participation of this momentous event. At home as well, me and my family will be participating in Earth Hour by having a candlelit dinner and switching off all our lights. Many friends of mine on plurk as well will be participating in this event, with many of us (especially my friends who blog) who are blogging about this event.

It’s nice to see people around the world coming together to care about Mother Earth. Despite what many people say about this hardly making any effect, since an hour is only an hour out of 24 hours in a day, and out of 365 days (8760hours) in a year, making the effort to switch off one’s lights for an hour is surely a big thing. And even if we switch off our lights only for an hour out of 8760 hours in a year, I am sure Mother Earth will appreciate the effort we’re making. I am also sure that even an hour, will help Mother Earth stay clean and green a little longer~

Quoting from the official Earth Hour website,

“In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.”

So Vote Earth now and help Mother Nature stay clean and green a little longer. Turn off your lights from 830pm-930pm (your local time).

Bloggers at Urban Time Launching

Wednesday evening found me and mom heading to SM North Edsa’s The Annex, and on the 3rd Floor held the launch of Urban Time’s flagship store, together with the launching of Urban Time’s new brand ambassadors. Urban Time, is the country’s upcoming and hippest watch boutique. It actually came as a personal surprise when the ambassadors were announced, seeing as despite the fact that many schools around the Metro were participating, I had no idea that such a contest had been ongoing.

Schools such as the Ateneo de Manila University, College of St Benilde, De La Salle University, De La Salle International, Trinity University of Asia, University of Asia and the Pacific and the University of the Philippines participated with Urban Time in conducting the search for Urban Time’s Ambassadors. The judges of the competition were fashion and lifestyle blogger AJ Matela, fashion stylist Rachelle So, and Urban Time’s Marketing Manager Linfred Yap.

Linifred Yap, Marketing Manager for Urban Time says, “Urban Time’s Brand Ambassadors represent the ideal youth of today. Besides being beautiful and smart, our ambassadors have a passion for life, excellence, and making a difference in everything they do. I’m honored to have them wear the latest collection of timepieces from Urban Time.”

After the voting and judging was done, five winners emerged to represent the young and chic audience of Urban Time. Miki Hahn from La Salle College International, Rachel Rustia and Stephanie Sol from the University of Asia and the  Pacific, Anna Monica Villaverde from Trinity University of Asia, and the Blue Eagles own Portia Silva (who was court side reporter for UAAP Season 71) from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Urban Time’s 2009 Ambassadors

Miki Hahn

Anna Monica Villaverde

Stephanie Sol

Rachel Rustia

Portia Silva

Attending the event, I can say that the launch of the new ambassador’s, as well as the flagship branch was a success. In my personal opinion, many of the watches being sold in the store were really something to look at. Many of them were creative, fashionable and modern. Some of the watches being sold were those that could be worn at formal events, really lovely but not for everyday wear. The watches for everyday wear, on the other hand, were creatively designed and colored fir for people with varying interests. My mother took many pictures of the watches, which I was too lazy to take photos of. The introduction of the ambassadors was also successful, with each giving short speeches about themselves and their hobbies and interests. The ambassadors were very accommodating with the photographers and bloggers who were present in the event. Portia was especially accommodating as me and her talked for a while as fellow Blue Eagles, also having our picture taken together.

MC Marie Claire, LuluCastagnette and Cherie Paris watches are available in Urban Time located at all SM Department Stores. Visit the flagship store of Urban Time at the 3/F The Annex of SM North EDSA. For more information about the Urban Time Icons, visit www.urbantimeicon.com

Photos care of Urban Time.

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Another Geiser-Maclang event.

My Childhood Companion

One of the things I hated a lot about my childhood was that I was allergic to a lot of things around me. From dust to pollen, and even to heat, everything always affected my health or my skin in some way. I remember having skin asthma on my arms and legs for most of the year, most especially near the summer season. It was tiring all the time, to have to apply and re-apply medicine on my arms and legs to make the asthma go away, or torture myself with scratching them and having them bleed time and time again. It was especially awful since I always had to wear long sleeved clothes so that I’d avoid scratching my skin asthma, or that I’d avoid disgusting people because of it. It was especially difficult growing up in a country that had only 2 seasons, hot and hotter, which made the asthma even worse.

One of the things that remind me a lot of those days was a constant companion that I had throughout my childhood, a bar of dove unscented soap. It was this bar of soap in a box with green designs, tucked away in my mom’s closet. Actually, it wasn’t just one box but tons of boxes tucked under her cabinet, well within me and my siblings’ reaches. Everytime the soap in our bathroom would run out, one of us would run to my mom’s closet and grab a box, and proceed back to the bathroom. Overnights and out-of-town events were the same thing, with none of us worrying about not having any soap since there was always more than 10 boxes in stock at any given time. Actually, this scene seems very familiar since I still constantly find myself running to her closet to grab a box whenever I have to pack toiletries for one trip or another.

Around the end of January, it was my greatest pleasure to get invited to participate in a project that tackled one thing I’m a closet-advocate of, the power of Women. Last Wednesday, March 18, I was invited to the launching of Sara Black’s portrait book (by Dove) entitled “When I look in the Mirror”. So together with my mom, without whom my health would not have been an important concern, we watched the launching of a book that featured the real beauty of women, women with flaws but who are beautiful. The whole event was about featuring women who were beautiful despite their flaws, and might I say, Sara Black was just really beautiful, and her photographs were just as amazing. She was able to capture the beauty of all the women who were featured in her book. Women with beauty marks, women who have gone through an event that caused them to have a scar or a burn, women whose genes gave them certain distinguishing characteristics, etc.

Quoting from the press kit, “Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty is a global initiative of the brand to build awareness in women of all ages to embrace their natural physical attributes, regardless of how imperfect societal standards say they are. Through the campaign, Dove hops to inspire women to see themselves as unique and beautiful individuals who are not defined by the hue of their skin, or the gloss of their hair, or the measurements of their body parts. When I look in the mirror is yet another positive addition to Dove’s growing roster of projects to strengthen every woman’s self-esteem and build a world of positively empowered women who will not be boxed into society’s limited and limiting definitions of beauty. Through them, every woman can truly say that every woman is beautiful in her own right.”

It is true. I believe, women today need to be empowered that they are beautiful, no matter what physical flaws may be present. Beauty is not only physical, but as the cliche always go, it’s what’s inside that counts. Speaking from experience, I can say that I have never found myself beautiful; from the genetically-passed-on curly hair that I have rebonded every year, to the un-Chinese double eyelids and full lips, to my big hips and only 5′3 height, and to my small child stubby hands and only 6 feet feet, I can go on and on enumerating my flaws. I am not the best example for a woman who considers herself beautiful despite her flaws, but this could be a turning point.

Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and no one is picture-perfect pretty, not even models. Why should we continue to aspire to a body that we know will never be ours? Why can’t we just be satisfied with what he have, and show off to the world how comfortable we are in what God has given us? We should.