A meditation on gratitude can change your life and make your world happier. Appreciate all the blessings we have, and we become more compassionate and begin to value life with love and kindness.

 

These powerful, moving thoughts I learned from Power Yoga founder Bryan Kest, who conducted a two-day workshop at the Rockwell Center.

 

Bliss Yoga’s Roland de la Cruz and Monique Borja brought in this world-renowned yoga instructor to share his well-rounded, flowing asana practice that integrates mental practices to enhance daily living.

 

Bryan’s classes are challenging, emphasizing yoga as a personal experience. With tireless energy, he brought yoga to its essentials—awareness and breathing.

 

With his candor in class and frequent “rough” delivery (yes, the guru knows how to swear), Bryan began with a few slow vinyasas and ended with a Karma meditation. After the intense vinyasa, we all understood how yoga is best with a quiet mind and to focus on our breathing.

 

After the workshop, Roland also invited all the yogis to join the Global Mala Project on Sept. 1 at Rockwell Tent for all-day yoga to spread love and peace.

 

Beautiful friend Teresa Herrera is inviting all to enjoy this affair. Check out her Facebook page for details.

 

After three hours of Power Yoga, it was time to party the Sea Princess way and have Bryan experience Pinoy food. What’s more challenging than eating a balut including the chick? Joining him was spine-alignment doctor JP Prado and Bikram yoga teacher Mel Siytan.

 

 

Since I just arrived from a detox program at The Farm at San Benito, I abstained from the delicacy.

 

Health is truly wealth, and a visit to The Farm is so beneficial to your physical, mental and spiritual body. A holistic medical consultation with their physicians helps identify the root cause of health challenges.

 

The Farm is now offering intravenous vitamin infusions. IV infusions are good for replenishing the depleted vitamins and minerals that are required for optimum health and wellness.

 

Vitamin C seems to be the buzzword in the health and beauty world nowadays. Wellness buddy Rosan Cruz and I took the vitamin C infusion with glutathione from Dr. Homer Lim for an anti-aging boost!

 

To regain overall wellness, I tried Ozone Therapy, recommended by GM Michael di Lonardo. Ozone has a capacity to oxidize organic compounds.

 

They say you are what you eat so it is equally important to carefully watch your food intake. At Alive Restaurant, a creative menu of all-organic, nondairy dishes is served. Although my best friend Tessa Alindogan was hoping for a juicy burger, she was happy to indulge in some healthy dips and homemade bread.

 

The Farm offers Detox Cleanse Programs that focus primarily on eliminating toxic substances trapped throughout the tissues of the body, while restoring the body’s optimum ability to absorb nutrients for its total health. Body detoxification is accomplished through colon hydrotherapy and target organ cleansing, plus a medically guided fasting process.

 

Check The Farm’s special “Seven-Day Detox Cleanse” promo, offering 30-percent discount until Sept. 30. See www.thefarm.com.ph for details.

 

I will definitely return when the Narra Villas open this November. The spaciously luxurious villas, each with a private pool and spa, are part of the continuous development of The Farm to promote itself as a medical-luxury destination.

 

Bulgari

 

Speaking of lux, Bulgari, a brand that has long been synonymous with timeless jewelry, has also focused on its luxuriously complicated watch collection. Bulgari presented a wide selection of complicated watches—from the iconic Diagono Professional to the Bulgari Gerald Genta Octo Bi-retro.

 

The world of Haute Horlogerie watches equipped with original and useful complications has been an integral part of the Bulgari watchmaking philosophy for years. This theme is reinterpreted by the combination of the cardinal values with simplicity and refinement, relevance and user-friendliness.

 

At the elegant Bulgari Complicated Watch event at the Arthaland Pavilion in Bonifacio Global City, watch aficionados delighted at the distinctive timepieces while enjoying heavy cocktails by Manila Peninsula. Free-flowing Glenmorangie single malt scotch was served in the midst of the beautiful new Arthaland showrooms for their latest condominium tower.

 

Johnny’s birthday

 

Enjoying the luxurious men’s watches was birthday gentleman Johnny Litton. Host par excellence Johnny celebrated his blessed milestone with a Filipiniana-style party at the Dusit Thani Hotel ballroom with dear friends and family.

 

Blessed with a loving wife, Tere Rufino-Litton, and an equally loving family, Johnny was all smiles as he opened his party by thanking all the people who have supported him through the years. Johnny’s generous friends also came up with donations for the less-fortunate children and recent flood victims.

 

The very festive affair was highlighted by the multiawarded Bayanihan Dance Troupe. Delicious Pinoy dishes were prepared by Dusit Thani Hotel Manila. Dusit GM Prateek Kumar was there to personally see everything in order. All guests went home with sweet scents by Aficionado scent king Joel Cruz.

 

Samsung tablet

 

These days, I have been taking photos of events using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, the successor to Samsung’s popular line of multimedia tablets. It features both front- and rear-facing cameras, so it’s easy to snap pictures and immediately upload them on Instagram or Pinterest.

 

The Galaxy Tab 2 combines the functionality of your computer, phone, library, media collection, gaming devices, and more in just one light, thin and stylish package. The latest unit is a personal mobile media center. Available in both 3G+WiFi and WiFi-only models, the Galaxy Tab 2 allows you to access the Internet no matter where you are. It’s really the must-have device for the techie today.

 

Follow @tessavaldes on Twitter or e-mail her at [email protected].