It's been months since we went out as a family at the mall. In the past months, we tried to stay away from the holiday rush so we were excited to finally go and eat out. It was our son's birthday and we chose to have lunch at Japan Fudo Street at Vertis North after his morning online classes.  Japan Fudo Street is located on the 4th floor of the mall, along with other Japanese restaurants. The entrance is near the cinemas. I only heard about this place the night before since I was looking at restos we can eat at that day. It didn't fail me. It was a weekday when we visited ..read more

  Our kids are homeschooled but I am thrilled that after more than two years, other kids are finally starting face-to-face classes again. I am excited for both the kids and the parents! With the opening of school comes the familiar routine of acquiring school supplies, making sure the children's uniforms are in order, and planning and preparing the week's baon. As a mom who always wants the best for her growing child, it’s important that snacks don’t only taste delicious, but they should be nutritious and strength-building too. And we, homeschooling families, are no different! A well-l ..read more

 The Henry Sy Foundation, Inc. (HSFI) recently inked a partnership with the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Research and Endowment Foundation. With the pursuance of the objective to drive Philippine social development through education, HSFI and UST will construct a building that elevates health education in the country.   Henry Sy Sr. Hall of UST was named in honor of the last SM Founder. The building will rise on the main campus in Manila to respond to the needs of digital medical education.   Leaders of the Henry Sy Foundation Inc. (HSFI) and the University of Sto Tomas ..read more

As we all ease from the lockdowns and social distancing for the last two years, it is a relief and very welcoming to see everyone returning to how we celebrated Christmas pre-pandemic. SM Supermalls brings back the excitement with a magical connection in every experience that will make Filipino Christmas happier and brighter. Ode to Outer Space at SM Megamall SM officially ushered the holiday season with an out-of-this-world celebration at the Mega & Bright: Christmas in Space 2022 at the SM Megamall on October 20.  The mall’s mega Christmas Tree decked in stars and lights was lit ..read more

  John Dizon, Jr. and his family have been long-time overseers of protected trees in their community in Tuba, Benguet. When the time came for him to take up the mantle from his father, he did so willingly to honor his legacy. “My father passed away in 2012. It was then that we found out that the area he is managing in collaboration with the government was part of a community-based forest management program,” said Mr. Dizon. In 2013, Mr. Dizon, who now heads the Benguet-based environmental conservation group, Nagawa, Manganese, Liw-Liw, Sadle Agroforestry Assoc. Inc.  (NAMALISA ..read more

If you have been following me for almost a decade, you probably know we are homeschooling our kids. It has always been in our best interest to give them the best education to fit their needs. Our eldest, Kuya V, is already in his last year in elementary. And we have decided that he would be moving to a public school setting by high school. It was his choice to move out of homeschooling and we respect that. And in less than 7 years, he would be taking up college. From homeschooling, we are now entering preparation for college. To Enter College or Not We believe in continuous education and that ..read more

SM By The Bay and SM Cares’ ICC event for this year was done in collaboration with different private and government agencies The annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) recently brought together thousands of volunteers at Manila Bay. The SM Prime Holdings, together with SM Cares and SM By the Bay joined this event that emphasized the importance of protecting the world's seas, oceans, and other bodies of water. The event was held last September 17 at the SM By the Bay Central Park, SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City. A total of 2,438 volunteers joined this year's ICC, composed o ..read more

Growing up knowing the Sharp brand in our own household has helped me trust this brand. Even if I have learned about the brand for 40 years, I was still surprised to know that Sharp Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Sharp") has been transforming lives for 110 years! On September 15, 2022,  Sharp celebrates its 110th year anniversary. In its celebration, Sharp has introduced a new management system to realize transformation to give utmost importance to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and raise its social value and revitalize its brand for sustainable growth. Its introduc ..read more

We have a few weeks to go to approach the inevitable – setting up of lights, decorations, and festive music in malls and our homes as well.  While we’re at it, let’s be the advanced mag-isip in a world full of people going nuts because of the notorious last-minute holiday rush.  Benefits of Early Holiday Shopping Before you decide to go on an early shopping spree, ask yourself: what's my goal? Is it to save some time? To avoid the ungodly amounts of stress? Or dodge some sketchy modus that takes place at the height of the season? Whatever that may be, think about it every time you ..read more

SM Foundation (SMFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM group, through its School Building Program, is an active partner of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School program. Recently, together with Maxeon Solar Technologies, the Sinag School Program powered up Lemery Pilot Elementary School (LPES) in Batangas. Through the Sinag Schools program, SMFI and Maxeon installed 21 solar panels— estimated to produce 6510 watt-p—on an SM school building in Batangas. To provide clean and renewable energy to schools in grassroots communities, the collaboration between SMFI and Maxeon installs sola ..read more