Dermcare Guadalupe Branch - My NOT so Dream Care Experience

I'm an ugly duckling slowly turning into a beautiful flying swan - with shiny feathers, long elegant neck and alert eyes. Oh, such beauty and elegance! Then the baby wailed, I woke up to nurse him, and saw my reflection in the mirror - unruly hair, dark undereyes and rough face especially my black sea-urchin-rough nose, I haven't yet turned into a swan afterall. I won't magically be beautiful like a filtered photo on Instagram, and I have to do something about it. NOW!

I feel UGLY talaga (caps lock para intense), sabi ko I really need some facial and I need it today. I always plan to go out and have some me-time but to no avail, laging hindi natutuloy.

I decided to go at Dermcare, Guadalupe Branch since it is one jeep ride from our house. Hindi na ako nagdala ng sasakyan kasi ma-traffic at mahirap mag park sa Guadalupe. The traffic is a little heavy, so muntik pa ko hindi matuloy that day sa tagal naming naghintay. But eventually, nakasakay din kami. I'm with my hubby and my breastfeeding baby. Can you imagine? I know!

So after arriving there, madami sila sa reception (iba ibang uniform) parang nagchichismisan but when we open the door nagstop sila. If I remember correctly, wala silang any greetings pag pasok namin. Nagpahinga muna kami dahil mga pawisan pa kami, naglakad pa kami paakyat FYI. I wiped my baby's sweat first and then nag punas din ako ng pawis, as in I hagod my sexy back - detailed talaga para masaya. Pulubi lang ang peg diba lalu na kapag pawisan ka!

Lumapit na ko sa reception and ask about their best service for removing blackheads and whiteheads,  not so happy sila to answer my queries, I'm quite familiar to their services (hey, I already blogged about their branch in Gen. Trias) but I just wanna break the ice, get to know them a bit better maybe? Start a chatter and whatnots, kasi I mentally decided na din to be a regular Dermcare client here in Guadalupe (with my sister as my pabeauty buddy) because its the nearest in both of our houses nga diba (and its one of the things that my sister learned and shared with me in their Mommy Mundo Mindful Mom Retreat - that you have to have time for yourself to be the best mom and wife).

Hindi ba kami angkop sa lugar? Dapat ba nakaheels, nakaginto at eyebrows on fleek para iwelcome? I also asked about the Luxurious Rejuvenating Gold Facial Mask, hindi sila mukhang mabait lalung hindi asal mabait, sa tingin pa lang Ef na Ef Kong me-panglalait na nagaganap (i was not born yesterday) there really is something wrong with the way na sumagot sila. Sinabi ko pa na I'm a blogger and Im there to use my voucher pero dedma pa rin sila, like I'm talking to the air, hahaha! Pahiya ng konti si Elizabeth!

So, ayun na nga, sinabe ko na na gold mask ang procedure then I asked pwede na ba pumasok? Ayun sagot sakin "Opo pwede na pumasok!" Sungit? O assumera lang ako na masungit sila?

Pag pasok ko sa loob, I washed my face. Then pinahiga na ko ni ate. She steamed my face without wearing gel eye mask (ayun ung nakita ko sa video ng Dermcare in Gen Trias) or kahit man lang towel or tinuping gasa to protect my eyes from the heat. But I didnt complain. I expect to relax myself - hear soft music in the background while waiting for my pores to open. Walang ganung aura! Ang iingay nila and naririnig ko chikahan nila - about sahod. Ayun na, kaya baka ganun sila, dahil late ang sahod?! 

I forgot pa to bring my ipad for photos (remeber, i want to blog about this) so I'd ask a favor kay ate na dumaan dun and told her to get my IPad from my hubby. I was bored so yun' nag iPad na lang ako while waiting. I don't remember her name pero mabait naman yung nag facial sakin, naka-kwentuhan ko pa nga siya. So after ng Luxurious Rejuvenating Gold Facial Mask ko, siyempre lumabas na ko. Magpapa-picture pa nga sana ko sa kanila kasama ko sana si hubby and baby, pero parang hindi nga friendly sila ate, so, kay hubby na lang ako nagpa-take ng picture with my baby.

    Ito ang hitsura ng nafacial pero hindi nasatisfy.

Before we leave, tinanong ko si ate sa reception, if they have a list of Facial Packages. Binigay niya sakin yung flyer na parang naiinis and telling me "lahat ng services namin naandiyan na!", knowing that i already have a copy of that flyer dahil before ko pa siya tanungin, kumuha ako, nakita niya na meron na ko nun, lumapit ako kay hubby and binigay ko yung flyer sa kaniya.

Parang feeling ko talaga naiinis siya na nagtatanong pa ko, I know naiinis siya sakin, sa tono ng boses niya and you will feel it too pag siya kausap mo. Sabi ko sa kaniya "aah meron na pala yun dito" (habang tinuturo ko yung flyer, hawak ni hubby). The way na sumagot siya sakin, yung tono ng boses niya, iba talaga. Then, after nun, nag say pa ko ng "Thank you" before kami umalis. Sila ate nakatingin lang, wala man lang akong narinig na "Thank you ma'am". Pag labas na pag labas namin, sabi ko agad sa husband ko, "hindi sila friendly no?". My hubby replied, "oo nga, hindi sila friendly, may isang babae lang dun na nag I-smile kay baby".

Tapos sabi pa ni hubby, ang iingay daw nung mga bagets sa reception, nagring yung phone, grabe daw ung sumagot, pasigaw daw na nagsabi "wala, wala pa sahod!" It's as if, walang client sa loob. Tsk. Mind your manners, ladies!

Feeling ko talaga na napahiya ako, lalo na yung may tinatanong ako sa kanila, maybe kaya sila ganun sakin kasi GC lang yung binayad ko - but they shouldn't dahil I'm there to promote them, Dermcare. Well, satisfied naman ako sa facial na ginawa sakin, ang hagod ng face ang smooth - although namaga talaga ang ilong ko for a couple of days. Thumbs up kay ateng nagkalkal ng nose ko pero parang ang bilis tinanggal yung Gold facial mask, dapat pala inorasan ko na lang. Maybe next time! Haaaaay! Tapos ang chikka!

Would this very sad unfortunate event hinder me from coming to Dermcare? To Dermcare Guadalupe, yes, I hope I won't ever have to face those beaches again. I'll try my luck on their other branches though, kasi I believe naman talaga in Dermcare. I don't take this against Dermcare mga teh ha, dun lang sa staff na wala man lang pakialam sa reputation ng company that they work for. Tsk. Pasalamat kayo teh at may mga trabaho kayo!

Even my husband felt the coldness (no warm welcome, happy greetings, smiles, whatsoever!).

PS sorry random ang thoughts. Mommy brain eh. Stressed pa. Ganern!

2016 NBA CHAMPION CLEVELAND CAVALIERS EARN TOP HONORS FOR TEAM MERCHANDISE SALES

- Stephen Curry Retains No. 1 Spot on NBA’s Most Popular Jerseys List 

NEW YORK, July 7, 2016 – Unprecedented demand for Cleveland Cavaliers merchandise following the team’s NBA Finals 2016 win helped land them atop the most popular team merchandise list for the first time since January 2015.  Reigning back-to-back Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry once again tops the league’s list of most popular jerseys, a position he’s held since the end of the 2014-15 NBA season.  Rankings are based on overall sales on NBAStore.com from April through June.

Rounding out the top five players are three-time NBA Champion LeBron James (No. 2), five-time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant (No. 3), 2016 NBA Champion Kyrie Irving (No. 4) and 2015 NBA Champion Klay Thompson (No. 5).

The Cavaliers are followed by the Golden State Warriorsat No. 2, Los Angeles Lakers at No. 3, Chicago Bulls at No. 4 and Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 5 on the team merchandise list.

Additional highlights:

-The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala (No. 14) makes his debut on the jerseys list while teammate Draymond Green (No. 7) earns his highest ranking ever.

- The San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (No. 11) and Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard (No. 13) place for the first time since June 2015 and April 2015, respectively.

Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys:                                    

1.      Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

2.      LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

3.      Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers*

4.      Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

5.      Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

6.      Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

7.      Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

8.      Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

9.      Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

10.  Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls*

11.  Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

12.  Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

13.  Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

14.  Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors

15.  Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks

*Denotes players who retired or changed teams after the 2015-16 season.

Top 10 Most Popular Team Merchandise:

1.      Cleveland Cavaliers

2.      Golden State Warriors

3.      Los Angeles Lakers

4.      Chicago Bulls

5.      Oklahoma City Thunder

6.      San Antonio Spurs

7.      Miami Heat

8.      Toronto Raptors

9.      New York Knicks

10.    Boston Celtics

Advocacy program raises awareness about mental illness in the Philippines

It’s a sad reality that in the Philippines, there’s an undeniable stigma with families whose one or more members are suspected to be suffering from mental illness. Most are hesitant to go to a psychiatrist for consultation because once the people around them find out about it, there’s a tendency to be looked at differently -- to be considered not normal.

This, according to Edmundo Isidro, president of Open Minds Foundation, is a crucial factor why mental health continues to be a growing problem in the country. “Stigma against mental illness can only be addressed by promoting education and awareness about it among individuals, families and communities,” Isidro said.

For people suffering from mental health problems, the social stigma attached to their illness can make it even harder to recover. Their conditions are also made worse with the discrimination they experience not just from the society but from their families and friends as well. Recognizing this, Open Minds Foundation seeks to have relatives and friends of mentally ill patients gain a deeper understanding of mental illnesses, as well as help and train them to find ways to cope. The support group’s objectives also complement other private efforts, such as an advocacy program dubbed as the “Patient’s Equity to Support ‘Out-of-Pocket Expense’ Value” (PESO Value). Funded by Johnson & Johnson (Philippines), Inc., (JJPI), it seeks to develop models of healthcare financing including for mental illness.

Since 2002, Open Minds Foundation has been hosting a forum each month at the Quezon City General Hospital, wherein they invite a psychiatrist to talk about mental illness on specific topics. Their participants, composed of 30 to 40 patients and caregivers, learn more about schizophrenia, depression, bipolar, anxiety, among others. In addition, the support group also has a regular radio program to reach out to more mental ill patients and their families, as well as a call center that provides a directory of psychiatrists. Through these efforts, they hope to make the public aware that mental illness is a disease that is curable and can be managed, Isidro said.

Consulting a psychiatrist is what saved the life of a 36-year-old mental patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, whose name will not be divulged for personal reasons. According to his mother, who also wishes to remain anonymous, she sought help for her son when he was in his early 20s, after he manifested unusual behavior, such as having difficulty in sleeping, shaving his hair and physically hurting himself and other people. The family could not pinpoint the exact reason that triggered the mental illness, but they suspect it was because of the high expectations set on him as the eldest, or the stress that he experienced from work. Prior to his diagnosis, the patient was working as a mechanic in one of the country’s leading automotive companies.

Stress was also one of the factors that led to the bipolar disorder of a 46-year-old mentally ill patient, who will also not be named. A widow with four sons, she believes her condition started as early as in her 20s, when she worked as an all-around maid for her relative. Over fatigue took a toll not only on her physical health but on her mental well-being as well, which was worsened by her marital problems. These led her to be depressed, and after going to the hospital for her goiter, she was recommended to seek the help of a psychiatrist. According to her, she displayed odd behavior, such as being too talkative.

Isidro confirmed that stress could be one of the triggers of mental illness. In fact, there is an upsurge of mental illness because of work schedules and unhealthy lifestyles, according to him. He reiterated, however, the importance of consulting a psychiatrist or a doctor to correct their mental health. In both cases, the two patients are taking medications to stabilize their conditions, upon the recommendation of their doctors. While the cost is considerably expensive, they opt for quality medicines to ensure efficacy, so they only take it once a day.

More than the financial support for hospital confinement or to buy medicines, mental ill patients need the utmost understanding of their families who usually are their caregivers. In the case of the 46-year-old bipolar, it took a long time for her family to accept her condition, mostly because they were embarrassed. The 36-year-old schizophrenic, on the other hand, do not experience the empathy of his friends, who do not understand his situation.

Support groups such as Open Minds Foundation and efforts such as the PESO VALUE aim to free mentally ill patients from the social stigma and discrimination, which can trap them in a cycle of illness. With the help of various advocacy programs focused on mental illness, patients not only have higher chances of managing their mental health, but of recovering fully.