Janette Toral has opened up part 2 of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs to nominations. The project aims to identify new and emerging blogs that are making an impact to its readers in 2008.

The nominees should be blogs that started anytime from July 1, 2007 to the present and are gradually gaining a considerable amount of readership and influence.

I recall that last year, my food blog, Kubiertos, was lucky enough to become part of the Top 10 list for 2007. It was a very surprising but happy outcome because as a result I think Kubiertos gained and retained many of its current readers.

So here are the blogs that I feel have become influential despite being in existence only from July 2007 to today.

1. The NOT so talented Mr. Montano? - Let’s face it. This blog rocked and shook the blogging and elite community. This blog has gained so many readers and triggered so many passionate reactions that it has reached celebrity status by being featured in several TV and Radio shows.

2. Julia Aquino - I do not know who the writer is (apparently only 18 years of age) but I was amazed at how it rose the ranks of many top blogs lists. Being an entertainment blog is one thing but being on top of everyone else is another thing. Her posts on various celebrities, tv shows and other teeny-bopper interests certainly hit the homes and computers of many around the world.

3. Mamavice - This site is dedicated to all Moms. It contains real life experiences of several mommy writers with the hopes that theirs will provide enough information to help out other moms who are experiencing the same thing.

4. Gourmeted.com - Being a foodie makes me appreciate others like myself. So it is only apt that I have a food blog in my top 10 list. For 2008, I would like to include a food blog of a couple from Arizona. Their blog offers a variety or recipes, cooking articles and reviews. They are one of those at the top of the entrecard list for the cooking and dining category.

So who is on your list?

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I recall that I was the last in my family (of 3 girls) to ever appreciate the benefits of cosmetics or makeup. Although I was always intrigued when I watched my mom perform her morning ritual of putting color on her face. Its just that I was hesitant for a long time to pick up the skills she so clearly displayed with putting on makeup.

My entrance into the corporate world was not exactly colorful… literally. My dad used to reprimand me for not even putting on lipstick as I ran out the door. He would always say I looked anemic. That time my only constant companion was Pond’s face powder and nothing more.

The year I lived in the States was my rude awakening to my sorry state.  Everyone I worked with thought I was like 16 years old… and treated me that way. I had a hard time being believable because the foreigners I worked with thought I should still be playing Barbie or something.

So I convinced my more knowledgeable roommate to accompany me to the nearest Ulta store we could find. There, we filled my basket with powders, blushes, primers, eyeshadows, lipsticks, brushes, perfume and other tools and accessories.

Our next stop was the Scottsdale Fashion Square. The Express, The Limited and Banana Republic offered all the right things to up my look to “professional” from teen.

I was all set. I had the look to match my words. I became a success. That was eons ago.

Now, my makeup kit remains the first one I bought and it has never been empty of various brands of makeup. There’s my Maybelline, Mary Kay, Clinique, Mac, L’oreal, Face Shop, Bloom, Sue Devitt, Revlon, Almay, Body Shop and lots more. My face never leaves the house without ample coverage, with or without color.

The newest addition to my beauty loot is mineral makeup. This type of makeup has received so much hype that even conventional makeup brands have come out with their own. Too much hype in fact that I simply have to try it out to find out if the product really is what its been said to be.

I scoured the internet to find out which brand I could buy that would provide value for money (secretly, I was hoping to find a brand that wasn’t too expensive). I then chanced upon a multiply seller - BareNaturals. The site offered comprehensive information on their products and the inquiry I sent to their contact email was replied to immediately. Because of this and because their products were very affordable, I decided to buy myself a complete set of mineral makeup products - including an 8-pc brush set.

The loot from BareNaturals came with a DVD how-to on applying mineral makeup. I was so grateful for that DVD because I could not get it into my head how to start using the jars of makeup that I had ordered from them. But the uncertainty was temporary and soon I was brushing my face away (not literally). So was it the experience I thought it was? Here are my ooohs and aaahs with mineral makeup:

• Mineral makeup is very light on your skin. Being very oily, my face tends to feel heavy after hours of full coverage makeup. It doesn’t matter if the foundation I am using is oil-free. My face is its own producer of oil and needs no help in that department. With foundi-stay mineral makeup foundation, my face although still oil-producing surprisingly does not feel heavy or sticky.
• The mineral makeup glides on smooth and silky. I love how the powder covers my skin. A small amount does the trick of covering up your whole face (as promised) and a very small pinch can actually light up your cheeks with color. The color though is not overpowering and lasts the whole day unlike my other blushes and bronzers where only a part of it lasts the day.
• At the end of the day, after removing my makeup, my skin still feels light. Before, I swipe on toner even after using makeup remover. I do that because somehow my skin still feels heavy and oily after removing the gunk on my face. This time, I don’t have to succumb my skin to another round of cleaning if I used mineral makeup.
• I love how the powder does not stay on the brush. I have been using mineral makeup everyday for a week now and my brushes still look (appears to at least) good as new.
• Aside: I love the brushes I bought from BareNaturals. They’re made with vegan bristles like taklon, teijin and toray. I have an extensive brush set already but these are quite an addition and I am not regretting the purchase. They are soft to the skin and do not leave strands all over your face like my other synthetic brushes do.

All in all I am hooked. The price of approximately P200 per 5g of mineral makeup is the icing on the cake.

Online store: http://barenaturals.multiply.com
Official website: http://www.mybarenaturals.com

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This will be short and I may write a longer post about it but I just have to say that the incident that happened at a Cebu Hospital that was videotaped and posted on Youtube is… unbelievable!

There are no words to describe the impact this video had on the people involved and to those who have watched it. it is the lowest form of ridicule to the patient and to the hospital they represent. it has made a mockery of the medical profession.

Another unbelievable thing is the lack of outburst from the blogging community… or maybe I just have not searched that deep enough through the google pages. I expected something similar (or more) to the ruckus caused by the Desperate Housewives comment about Filipino doctors or by the comment about OFWs in an article by Malu Fernandez or to the video of the teacher making love with a student.

I feel for the patient and hope in all fervor that he triumphs over the doctors and the nurses and all the other people in that room and in that hospital. They deserve to be punished to pay for what they have done.

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Things have been pretty hectic for me since the year started and I have not had a chance to catch my breath at all. The few times that I appeared to take leave were days that I needed to take care of important things or chores that I could not otherwise focus on while I am at work. I have not even had a chance to go back to my stylist to get my hair cut… and that is a bad sign.

So if I were given one day to take the break I so deserve, here are some things I would like to do:

Go to the gym - Hard to believe? I used to be a regular gym rat several years back. I have not done any kind of physical activity lately and 30 minutes on the bike will do a lot to recharge my body.

Go to the spa - I love massages! I discovered the benefits of Spa establishments in 2000 when I got depressed and went into the nearest spa that I could go to. It became a ritual for me after that. The Spa became a haven and a hideaway for me. Its just after getting married that going to the Spa became an expensive activity so I now choose to take my massages at home.

Eat steak - I am a carnivore. I would like to eat steak as much as I can but I do not get to. I would like to be able to try Highland’s Steak House as I have read good things about the place.

Have dessert at Max Brenner - I miss Max Brenner. My hubby’s ultimate favorite chocolate store is a place I have not been back to for more than a year. I remember how much I loved their souffle and think this would be the perfect dessert place on my day off.

Buy a book - In the past week, I have purchased about 5 books from different bookstores around the metro. I got them from Booksale, and some Powerbooks branches. I found a Patricia Cornwell hardbound on sale and got a Sophie Kinsella at 10% off. And I am still wanting for more. I could bury myself inside Fully Booked and I will be happy.

End the day with Coffee - Mocha Ice Blended Coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is the perfect drink to cool me down on a hot summer evening. In fact, I am drooling for one now. Sigh.

And that is how I will spend my stress-free day… if that day ever comes. How about you?

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I have been reading tons of articles on people’s visits to the Manila Ocean Park located behind the Quirino Grandstand and have been wanting to go to see this now famous oceanarium. We finally got our chance during the long weekend.

My family and I planned our trip for early morning hopefully to avoid the crowds. Unfortunately, ensuring that everyone gets packed, fed and ready to go is not an easy feat. This is especially with 2 boys… well 3 if you count my hubby. Haha. Still we arrived early enough to park easily and jump in line to the entrance.

I thought though that the line that formed outside the building was the one "it". Not! I was surprised to find the dome filled with seats filled with people… waiting. So that is what the number is for (I realized). If I really think about it, I don’t think it was too bad. It was the sight of all the bodies inside the dome that made the waiting seem overwhelming. But we actually waited in line to buy tickets for about 30 minutes only.

The first section of the oceanarium that you will see is the Agos (Flow). This area had a rainforest motif. This area is not covered which made it really hard to see through the glass of the aquarium. The worst thing about it is because of the volume of the people, you get to lounge in the hot sun (not by choice) while everyone sort of lined up to get their chance to view the fish.

After Agos, you enter a very dark place where the aquariums were embedded in the walls and there were colorful plates beside them. These plates contained very good information on the swimmers that are encased in the glass houses. The displays were awesome. The variety of aquatic animals impressive. The colors of the corals were interesting. But these were all overpowered by all the times that I got pushed, shoved, elbowed, jostled, stepped on and pounded on while I was doing my best to appreciate the glory that was before me. Imagine… it was dark and damp… and there were literally hundreds of people, and young children plus very young children, and very old people too. All the while I was there, I was thinking -  "This is an oceanarium. A place to absorb knowledge and appreciate the beauty of nature. It wasn’t a blockbuster movie. No one is taking anyone’s seat. You don’t have to push."

I almost crawled my way out to the Laot (Fishing Ground) area where it was spacious and airy. I took a deep breath. Ahhh cool air at last. I was enjoying my solitary breathing moment in front of one of the big aquariums when I heard loud thuds and felt the floor shake under me. I looked over my shoulder and two kids were jumping up and down on the platform appearing to be amused by the loud sound they were making. I had to look at their parents as my way of sending them a message to control their kids.

We then walked towards the Buhay na Karagatan (Living Ocean). You actually get to walk a few meters inside an underwater tunnel. This place was cooler than the other areas and most fascinating to me. A few steps forward though turned my awe into irritation. Despite the numerous reminders and even the "in your face" placards that the crew were holding, some very uncontrollable kids were pounding on the glass of the tunnel. They were not tapping, they were really pounding hard on the glass. My yaya was the first to reprimand the kids. Not one adult accompanying these kids reacted. They were too busy taking "luneta pictures" of themselves.

And that basically ruined the whole visit for me. We went to the last section of the park that had the sharks and the overhang tanks but I was no longer interested to squeeze my way through the bodies that stood in front of every display.

We quickly climb up to the where you get a view of the Manila Bay, dip your feet in a shallow pool for a fish spa (which was a 30-minute wait by the way), or eat buffet lunch at the park’s restaurant (Php600 per head).

So what did I think about the Manila Ocean Park? It is indeed a great and impressive place. I have been to the Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and ours could be comparable… after maybe the whole place has been built. One thing I would like to see would be dolphins or a dolphin show. Maybe in the future, the owners can think about it.

What I did not like, was the behaviour of the people visiting the place. At first, I found it silly how very simple reminders were being said through the megaphone and how at every turn, staff and crew of the park were holding cardboards or bond papers that said - "No flash photography. No tapping on the glass." I kept thinking duh, they already told us that at the entrance. But the message was not for me. It was for all others in the place who could not follow such simple instructions regardless if it was translated from English to Tagalog. Personally, if people cannot behave appropriately in such a place, consider not going.

My hubby and I are still planning to go back but this time maybe at a later time, the evening maybe when we hope there will be less people to bump into and I can actually read the information that comes with the display.

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