Happy Mother’s Day! With no manual or guidebook, motherhood must be the toughest yet most rewarding profession of them all. Learning life lessons and mastering parenting skills are daily challenges that strengthen the bond between a mother and her children.
We mothers truly deserve this day of appreciation for all the unconditional love and attention given to our children, even if this endearment sometimes hurts us. And it is always wonderful to receive love every now and then.
This Mother’s Day is extra special because the SM ShopMag May issue features three generations of Prieto ladies who share tips on finding the perfect balance between career and family life. My mother, Marixi Prieto, my two daughters, Annika and Athena Valdes, and I are the cover girls of this Hinge Inquirer Publication.
Pretty photographer Shaira Luna perfectly captured our close-knit family and sweet smiles, especially that of our youngest Athena who just turned 11 years old last May 5.
Styled by David Milan, we wore many amazing brands like Calvin Klein Platinum, Zara, Mango Kids and Bayo. These brands are available in most SM Super Malls nationwide.
Celebrating 30 years of fun shopping, SM has several exciting offers not just for moms but also for the entire family. Grab a copy of the SM ShopMag for gift ideas for the wonderful mothers in our lives on their special day.
Generations
Last year, our family was also featured in the Metro Society – Generation Issue along with the Sigiuon-Reyna, Ponce-Enrile, Cojuangco, De la Rama, Roa, Ablaza, Laurel, Zubiri, Floirendo and many other families.
This year, Metro Society opened with two dynamic families of empowered women for its Generation Issue. In this split cover, they trained the spotlight on the Socorro-Ramos family, whose business savvy has resulted in the undeniable success of National Book Store, and the Zapanta family, whose faces all graced numerous advertisements and television commercials in the late ’80s and the ’90s.
The magazine presents other beautiful matriarchs and their heirs, daughters and granddaughters who will carry the torch. The featured women talk about their values, morals, and traditions that have been passed from generation to generation, and their beauty and winning personalities enthrall and captivate readers.
Get to know Menchu Concepcion, her daughter Rica, and granddaughters Carsy and Natalia; Cory Alindogan, her daughters Tessa, Pinky and Rica, and granddaughters Monica, Gabby and Zoe; Rosary Ysmael, her daughter Bernice Palanca-Go, and granddaughter Asya P. Go; Rosario Roxas Moran, her daughter Margie Moran Floirendo, granddaughter Monica Floirendo-Ugarte, and great granddaughter Cosima F. Ugarte; and last but not least Chona Lopez, daughter Bettina Osmeña and granddaughter Dani Osmeña.
Magazine features
For more stories on heritage, check out the Entertaining with Flair section, featuring the elegant nuptials of Stephanie Ong to Luis Del Rosario. The wedding was well attended by friends and family in Wan Chai’s beautiful restaurant, The Pawn, and was truly an affair worth remembering.
The On the Verge section also features some of the country’s youngest equestrians, shot in Toni Leviste’s beautiful stables in Lipa, Batangas.
Bocelli in concert
Another exciting event was Andrea Bocelli’s Cinema World Tour at the MOA Arena. On the invitation of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, the lifestyle and entertainment arm of SM Prime Holdings, I was able to experience this wonderful treat.
Before the beautiful night of music, SM Lifestyle & Entertainment senior manager Rossana Unson toured us around the Premier Suites. These boxes are available for lease and are suitable for meetings, product launches and private parties. Each suite has its own bar area and exclusive restroom. Food can be arranged by a caterer or ordered from the Premier Café located on the same floor.
Suite owners have a special VIP entrance to the Arena. There are box seats to enjoy any concert or sports event in the venue.
(For those interested in booking a suite, please contact Rossana at 0917-809 0489.)
After the brief tour, we headed to our seats to enjoy the outstanding concert which featured the ABS-CBN Orchestra and the very talented London-based Filipino singer Christine Allado.
The next day, my good friend Pepper Teehankee added my name to the VIP list to meet Bocelli at an intimate lunch hosted by Emilio Mina in his restaurant Caruso Ristorante Italiano. The affair was organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines President Sergio Boero to introduce the excellent Bocelli Wines through its international development and sales head Martin McCarthy. Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Roscigno attended the event, completing the truly Italian afternoon.
Starck slippers
For Mother’s Day, I received flip-flops from Ipanema’s latest collection, which features an amazing collaboration with world-renowned French creator, inventor, designer and architect Philippe Starck. The line employs Starck’s design philosophy of high elegance fused with utmost minimalism. Ipanema’s newest collection of sandals and flip-flops features four distinctive designs: Arty, Glamour, Nature and Chic. The collection offers a myriad of colors, ensuring that each pair is as unique as the distinct personalities and lifestyles of the modern women in our society.
During the Manila launch, the ballroom of Discovery Primea was transformed to reflect Starck’s signature minimalist and timeless look. Hosted by beauty queen Samantha Purvor, the launch was graced by Elro Retail Corp. presidents Francisco and Carlos Elizalde, as well as Elro Retail Corp. head of marketing Cecille Loretizo. Be sure to check out the amazing Ipanema with Starck, which is available in all Ipanema Stores, select Bambu Stores, and select SM Department Stores and Shoe Salon stores.
May all the mothers out there have a lovely and blessed Mother’s Day.