The Day Our Sofa Went to the Dogs

That's right...our comfy red sofa went straight to the dogs! Peanut claimed her "place" on the sofa the moment she came to us. She feels it's her second bed, right on my lap, that she snarls at Toepy whenever she (Toepy) gets near it.

And just yesterday...it was Beans! We let him inside the house (he has his own house in the yard plus the whole yard to play in) after he begged us with his cute "Beanchie-cuy-cuy" look on our window sill. We do let him in when he's not too filthy.

And just when we started to relax with our breakfast, he jumped on to the sofa and tried several positions on it, as if it was the softest bed on dog-earth! We were too dumbfounded to react right away -- Beans was just too huge on the sofa, but he looked so cute!

I eventually broke my own rule (again!) and allowed him to enjoy it for several minutes. Of course, I vacuumed the sofa afterward. Ako pa?

Rebond Blues Away!

Yes! I finally got my hair re-bonded, for the first time ever!!! Let me allay your fears, cousin Alex :-). My hair is baby soft (ahem! cough..cough..) and longer by a full inch. Plus, I didn't spend a fortune but got a certified (L'oreal) and experienced stylist to do it for me - at home! Thanks to my friends and their friends, my hair is now less of a pain and more of an asset, though my expression hardly shows it (photo taken at camp). Sigh...

Fresh Calamansi Juice..in a bottle!

I'm the first to be skeptical about bottled juices that claim to be "all natural". Well, what do you know...I found one that's the real thing! It took my hubby's falling ill (the dreaded flu) for me to discover this bottled wonder, in Rustan's, no less. Desperate to find reasonably priced natural fruit juice, I went each shelf until I found this Squeezed 4 U - funny name.

You only need to fill 1/10th of your glass with this calamansi-honey concentrate -- tipid! I was pleasantly surprised that it did taste like the real thing, sans the effort and mess of squeezing the calamansi, taking the pits off, etc. We both love it and we highly recommend it. I can't recall the exact price, but it's around P160+. Not cheap, but not expensive either. Hmmm...I'm getting thirsty!

Seeing Clearly with Star Finder Optical

I know, it sounds like an ad. And you can call it that, since I totally endorse this optical shop - Star Finder -- located on the 2nd level (counting the "basement" as 1st level) of Festival Mall in Alabang (and another near BF Paranaque). We usually take the entrance with Figaro, and from there head to the left (past NB and Bayo). Just a few short steps and you'll see their sign on the right with some Korean characters. I guess it's safe to assume that it is owned by Koreans.

My hubby and I had eyeglasses made and so went back a few times. We also went with our friend Tess on one occasion, who had glasses made but doesn't wear them now. I guess she just couldn't say "no" to her son who just started wearing them for kicks. Wait 'til his eyes start complaining!

Anyway, the whole point of this exercise is to commend the staff of Star Finder for their excellent customer service. They also gladly and gamely posed for my cellphone camera. Too bad I don't remember their names (memory gap, you understand). The lady third from left is the ophthalmologist (or optometrist?), and she was very efficient.

None of them did hard sell just for the sake of it (or a quota) and all of them assisted us as much as they could, even taking several frames out for us to fit. The trouble with other optical places (especially Sabater Optical in Festival Mall) is that (1) they only assist those they are "sure" will buy something from them, (2) they hesitate to let clients try on several pairs, and (3) they immediately keep the frames while clients are still selecting, as if afraid we'd run away with them. Duh? Oh, and they don't smile!

To cap off the excellent service, here are a few more "touches" that made our optical experience enjoyable: (1) friendly people, including the Korean guy who also assisted us, (2) efficient staff, (3) free candy on the counter, (4) helpful tips and advice regarding a few frames we selected, (5) mini screwdriver set on a keychain for each of us and (6) text updates on the status of our specs.

So, if you need to have specs made, you know where to go. Kudos to the staff of Star Finder!