April 30, 2008
April 29, 2008
A treat from San Francisco
When my daughter was still attending classes every Sunday at The Little Gym in El Pueblo, almost always, we would dropped by at Fun Ranch to let her play there. Another reason why I would love to go there every Sunday is because I want to buy my favorite caramel apple from SanFo Treats.I first tasted caramel apple when I went to Los Angeles. My friend bought one and she let me taste it and from then on I have been craving for it. When I went back to LA last 2004, caramel apple is the first thing that I asked from my friend. And so I was really happy when I learned about SanFo Treats.
I was able to talk to the owner when I booked them for my daughter’s second birthday party and she told me that the reason why she opened the said business is that she too was craving for caramel apples which she can only taste every time she is in the US.Looks like it is really a hit to Filipinos since SanFo Treats is expanding and they are opening different branches in different malls here in Metro Manila.
If you haven’t tried any of the caramel apples from SanFo Treats, better try one. I assure you it is one great dessert that you will crave for.
On being a mom
I was watching the news when I came home from work, I become bothered since I noticed that there is a lot of news related to missing children. According to the news, 800,000 missing children are reported every year.
As a mother myself, I can’t help but be concerned for the safely of my daughter. My husband and I are both working and every time we have to go to work, we always leave our daughter under the care of our nanny. We are lucky because my mom and my dad lives just near our house and since both of them are no longer working, they can check on their grand daughter everyday. This gives us a little peace of mind since we know that my parents can always check on the safety of my daughter.
But even if this is the case, child safety can still be an area of concern for us as there are a lot of factors to take in consideration to be sure that our daughter will be safe. Yes, she is safe when she is inside our house, but will she still be 100% safe if we're in a mall, a restaurant or in other crowded places?
I remember there was some recent news about a missing child. The kid was last seen with his father in a department store and she got lost or maybe kidnapped while they were inside the department store. Too bad, the law enforcers were not able to successfully locate the kid while she was still alive. I realized if only the kid has a child id or child locator, this might have helped the law enforcers in finding her in the first two to three hours that she was reported missing.
Hearing all this news makes me feel really paranoid about the safety of my daughter. It is always a rule in our family that every time we are out, we should not let the nanny be the only one to take care of her. Either I or my husband should be the one to watch over our daughter and the nanny will just be there to assist us. Also the first thing that we have to do as soon as we enter our car is to lock the doors. Another reminder from my father and my husband is that we should never get out of the car if we get plugged down by a law enforcer and instead we should just open our car windows if they wish to speak to us.
As a mother, this list of reminders and precautions will never end as I have a long list of what to do to ensure the safety of our precious daughter. But I guess this is just typical for all parents, since all of us want nothing but all the best for our precious kids.
As a mother myself, I can’t help but be concerned for the safely of my daughter. My husband and I are both working and every time we have to go to work, we always leave our daughter under the care of our nanny. We are lucky because my mom and my dad lives just near our house and since both of them are no longer working, they can check on their grand daughter everyday. This gives us a little peace of mind since we know that my parents can always check on the safety of my daughter.
But even if this is the case, child safety can still be an area of concern for us as there are a lot of factors to take in consideration to be sure that our daughter will be safe. Yes, she is safe when she is inside our house, but will she still be 100% safe if we're in a mall, a restaurant or in other crowded places?
I remember there was some recent news about a missing child. The kid was last seen with his father in a department store and she got lost or maybe kidnapped while they were inside the department store. Too bad, the law enforcers were not able to successfully locate the kid while she was still alive. I realized if only the kid has a child id or child locator, this might have helped the law enforcers in finding her in the first two to three hours that she was reported missing.
Hearing all this news makes me feel really paranoid about the safety of my daughter. It is always a rule in our family that every time we are out, we should not let the nanny be the only one to take care of her. Either I or my husband should be the one to watch over our daughter and the nanny will just be there to assist us. Also the first thing that we have to do as soon as we enter our car is to lock the doors. Another reminder from my father and my husband is that we should never get out of the car if we get plugged down by a law enforcer and instead we should just open our car windows if they wish to speak to us.
As a mother, this list of reminders and precautions will never end as I have a long list of what to do to ensure the safety of our precious daughter. But I guess this is just typical for all parents, since all of us want nothing but all the best for our precious kids.
Family Getaway for Thursday
May 1 is a holiday. Yes, and I didn’t realize it not until I overheard my officemates talking about their planned vacation over the weekend. Since it is a Thursday, most of them will take a leave on Friday so it will be a long weekend for them.
Unfortunately, since I just found out about it now, I was not able to file a leave for Friday so we can’t go anywhere far for a short vacation. But I just have an idea on where we can go this Thursday.
Every time our family wants a short get away trip to relax and unwind, Ace Water Spa is our number one choice. One, it is located in Quezon City so we don’t have to battle the expressway traffic just to get there. Second, it is one great way to relax since we can enjoy the pool and at the same time, we can have a hydro therapy massage.
My daughter just enjoys going here. She loves the lazy river and the bubble pool. Ace Water Spa is the first European Concept Spa in the Philippines. They have 9 indoor heated pools and 1 cold pool. There are different hydrotherapy spa services that you can try - Bubble Bed, Bubble Massage, Bubble Pool, Water Fall Bath, Cold Water Pool, Rainfall Acupuncture, Head and Shoulder Jet System, Hot Herbal Pool (w/ foot and back massage and cold pillow) and the Hydro Acupuncture Bed. They even have a kiddie pool, a sauna and a lazy river (similar to the lazy river in Splash Island). The rate is P500 for adults and P250 for kids and is good for four hours service for all facilities.
I have to discuss this with my husband later so we can plan our get away this Thursday.
Unfortunately, since I just found out about it now, I was not able to file a leave for Friday so we can’t go anywhere far for a short vacation. But I just have an idea on where we can go this Thursday.
Every time our family wants a short get away trip to relax and unwind, Ace Water Spa is our number one choice. One, it is located in Quezon City so we don’t have to battle the expressway traffic just to get there. Second, it is one great way to relax since we can enjoy the pool and at the same time, we can have a hydro therapy massage.
My daughter just enjoys going here. She loves the lazy river and the bubble pool. Ace Water Spa is the first European Concept Spa in the Philippines. They have 9 indoor heated pools and 1 cold pool. There are different hydrotherapy spa services that you can try - Bubble Bed, Bubble Massage, Bubble Pool, Water Fall Bath, Cold Water Pool, Rainfall Acupuncture, Head and Shoulder Jet System, Hot Herbal Pool (w/ foot and back massage and cold pillow) and the Hydro Acupuncture Bed. They even have a kiddie pool, a sauna and a lazy river (similar to the lazy river in Splash Island). The rate is P500 for adults and P250 for kids and is good for four hours service for all facilities.I have to discuss this with my husband later so we can plan our get away this Thursday.
Benefits of Technology Transfer Services
I was just talking to my cousin yesterday at yahoo messenger and we were talking about his plans for his high school and college education. He is an incoming High school freshman and he graduated with honors. He is not the typical kind of kid because instead of playing, he loves to read books, play educational board games, is into science and experiments and a whole lot of activities that you would say only a whiz kid will have interest to. He said that he has been doing some readings and he is aiming to study in a University which supports Technology Transfer Services.
I was speechless after hearing that because I really don’t have an idea what Technology Transfer Services is. But as he explains it to me, I too was impressed and if I have a child, I would definitely look for a Technology Transfer University.
The main goal of Technology Transfer University is to encourage and support researches and inventions of its students and its researchers and eventually help them make this products and inventions commercially available. And this is what my cousin is looking for – a university that will support the experiments and researches that he wants to make for the benefit of the society.
He shared with me the article that he read written by Mary Waltrip. According to the article, because of Technology Transfer, Hebrew University is now the leader in developing drug delivery solutions in Israel.
So how did they do it? Because of Technology transfers, Professors of Hebrew University who are experts in their field like pharmacy, applied chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, and Food and Environmental Quality Sciences have partnered with renowned researchers and have worked in close cooperation with leading pharmaceutical companies and hospitals into developing an innovative drug like the Novel drug delivery solution. They have also worked with different technology centers like the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology which also gives valuable input for the success of the research. Hebrew University also partners with Yissum, the technology transfer company of Hebrew University. What this company does is they market all the successful inventions and products produced by Hebrew University’s students and researchers and help make this product appealing to the commercial market. With the help of Yissum, they were able to obtain 400 technology licenses have generated nearly $1 billion from sales of this products word wide.
My conversation with my cousin has opened my mind with the benefits of Technology Transfer. Indeed, there is always something that you can learn everyday.
I was speechless after hearing that because I really don’t have an idea what Technology Transfer Services is. But as he explains it to me, I too was impressed and if I have a child, I would definitely look for a Technology Transfer University.
The main goal of Technology Transfer University is to encourage and support researches and inventions of its students and its researchers and eventually help them make this products and inventions commercially available. And this is what my cousin is looking for – a university that will support the experiments and researches that he wants to make for the benefit of the society.
He shared with me the article that he read written by Mary Waltrip. According to the article, because of Technology Transfer, Hebrew University is now the leader in developing drug delivery solutions in Israel.
So how did they do it? Because of Technology transfers, Professors of Hebrew University who are experts in their field like pharmacy, applied chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, and Food and Environmental Quality Sciences have partnered with renowned researchers and have worked in close cooperation with leading pharmaceutical companies and hospitals into developing an innovative drug like the Novel drug delivery solution. They have also worked with different technology centers like the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology which also gives valuable input for the success of the research. Hebrew University also partners with Yissum, the technology transfer company of Hebrew University. What this company does is they market all the successful inventions and products produced by Hebrew University’s students and researchers and help make this product appealing to the commercial market. With the help of Yissum, they were able to obtain 400 technology licenses have generated nearly $1 billion from sales of this products word wide.
My conversation with my cousin has opened my mind with the benefits of Technology Transfer. Indeed, there is always something that you can learn everyday.
April 28, 2008
Traffic & Jeepneys
What is it with drivers and rain that even just after a little drizzle, jeepney drivers would start to drive like crazy, disobey traffic rules, will follow an anything goes strategy of driving and the result, heavy traffic.That’s what happened to us on our way home from work. It was raining when we went out of the office and so we really expected that there would be heavy traffic. And so we are right since it took us more than an hour of travel time from my husband’s office to home.
And guess what the cause of the problems is? The jeepney drivers who don’t have any tiny bit of discipline and would ignore traffic lights and traffic rules, who would squeeze their way to tiny openings even though they know that there is no way that it will make the traffic move.
I know the jeepneys are a symbol of our country but I can’t help but feel irritated with those kinds of jeepney drivers because weather they admit it or not, they are the number one cause of traffic in Metro Manila. Sometimes, I even wish that they just abolish the jeepneys and just develop our railway system. I have been to several countries whose mode of transportation is the railway like Hong Kong and New York and it seems to be a very effective method of transportation. No traffic, no undisciplined drivers, convenient for the passengers and even a faster way of commuting.
Oh well, just my two cents.
April 27, 2008
Cooking 101
My childhood friend visited me this weekend and guess what we did as our bonding session? We had a cooking lesson.
She joined me when we were doing our grocery last Saturday and I asked her if she can share with me some of the recipes that she have since I’m already running out of ideas of what to cook. We cook almost the same meal every week and my taste bud is already resisting those dishes and so she helped me planned my menu for the week.
We will be having Tuna Pasta, Caldereta, Chicken Fillet and Spare Ribs. My house helped has prepared Caldereta before but my husband did not like it. And since my friend was saying that it is her signature meal, I asked her to teach me how to cook it.
I asked her to write down the ingredients and the instructions on how I can cook all these meals but then she suggested that since she will not be doing anything the next day, she will just come to our house to give me a cooking lesson.
And that’s what we did the whole morning. I realized again that cooking is so much fun and it’s just easy if I just set my mind to it. I will organize my thoughts first and I will post the recipes for these meals soon.
She joined me when we were doing our grocery last Saturday and I asked her if she can share with me some of the recipes that she have since I’m already running out of ideas of what to cook. We cook almost the same meal every week and my taste bud is already resisting those dishes and so she helped me planned my menu for the week.
We will be having Tuna Pasta, Caldereta, Chicken Fillet and Spare Ribs. My house helped has prepared Caldereta before but my husband did not like it. And since my friend was saying that it is her signature meal, I asked her to teach me how to cook it.
I asked her to write down the ingredients and the instructions on how I can cook all these meals but then she suggested that since she will not be doing anything the next day, she will just come to our house to give me a cooking lesson.
And that’s what we did the whole morning. I realized again that cooking is so much fun and it’s just easy if I just set my mind to it. I will organize my thoughts first and I will post the recipes for these meals soon.
A budget traveler’s secret
Last week, I had lunch with one of my colleague and I just found out that he will be on leave for three weeks. He said that he really needed this break after his hectic schedule these past months and so he was really excited about this trip. And guess where he will be going? He will be visiting Greece, Turkey and Czech Republic.My jaw dropped after hearing where his destinations would be. These countries are on top of my wish list of the places that I need to visit at least before I die. I can’t help but feel envious that he can afford to go on this kind of trip. I know he is single and he really has a high paying job and so he really can afford these trips if he really wants to. But times are though, everything is so expensive nowadays that no matter how I try to save, I’m still not sure if I can afford to visit these cities.
So I asked him what his secret was and why he can travel almost twice or thrice a year. And you now what he revealed to me? He said that he is a budget traveler. He always looks for packages for Cheap Holidays. All he needs to do and search online to get the best deals for hotel accommodation, flights, tour packages and the like.And he does a lot of research about the places he will visit. His favorite resource is the site of WikiTravel. He gets all the information here about when is the best time to go, money tips, sights and places to visit and all other important travel information. This way, he is armed with all the information that he needs so he can maximize his travel and save money too.
I was really thankful that he shared all of this information. Hopefully, if I get to save some money my husband and I can visit all these places.
April 26, 2008
Chicken Stroganoff
I am no cook. This is really one thing that I will not be able to do (I think). But you know I tried a few dishes and luckily I was able to cook it successfully without burning anything. LOL.
So I would like to share with you one of the dish that I was able to cook for my husband. Beef Stroganoff is one of the favorite dishes that we love from our caterer during our wedding. And so when I found the recipe of Chicken Stroganoff from Nestle, I immediately copied it and excitedly cooked it for Howell.
Chicken Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken sliced into serving portions
1/3 cup all purpose flour combined with salt
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup button mushroom
1 piece Chicken broth cube
1 medium carrot sliced
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup cheese grated
1 370 ml. can Evaporated milk soured with 2 tablespoons calamansi juice
Procedure:
So I would like to share with you one of the dish that I was able to cook for my husband. Beef Stroganoff is one of the favorite dishes that we love from our caterer during our wedding. And so when I found the recipe of Chicken Stroganoff from Nestle, I immediately copied it and excitedly cooked it for Howell.
Chicken Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken sliced into serving portions
1/3 cup all purpose flour combined with salt
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup button mushroom
1 piece Chicken broth cube
1 medium carrot sliced
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup cheese grated
1 370 ml. can Evaporated milk soured with 2 tablespoons calamansi juice
Procedure:
- Dredge chicken in seasoned flour; brown in hot oil. Stir in mushrooms, chicken broth cube and 1 cup water.
- Simmer until chicken is cooked. Add carrots, frozen peas, cheese and soured milk. Cooked another five minutes and serve immediately while warm.
April 25, 2008
Feast One Hundred & Eighty Eight
AppetizerName something you would categorize as weird.
During my childhood, my friends would always mix their rice with powdered milk and sugar and they really enjoy eating it.
Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate?
Red. I ate hotdog for breakfast.
Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?
3 because I hate being alone but there are also times where I just want to have my “me” time.
Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will not vote for the traditional and corrupt politician in 2010.
Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits.
I usually sleep late now because I have to do some blogging before going to sleep. And then I have to have my flat pillow and blanket so I can go to sleep.
April 24, 2008
PAL Express
If you will notice from my previous posts, traveling is one of my favorite stress releasing activity. And every time my family travels, my husband and I always want my mom and my dad to tag along with us. First, so they can enjoy their retirement and take them to places they have never been to. And second, so we will be more confident to travel with our two year old daughter since my mom and my dad will always assist us in taking care of her especially when we are in a foreign country.
And so every time we make travel plans, we always have to make a budget for all five of us – me, my husband, my daughter, my mom and my dad. So we are always on the look out for promos from airlines like Cebu Pacific. In fact, we almost always travel via Cebu Pacific.
My husband and my dad prefer to take PAL flights but their airfare is twice or thrice expensive as Cebu Pacific. So even though we want to travel via Philippine Airlines, we always end up with Cebu Pacific due to budget constraints.
And so when I found out that PAL will be setting up a low-cost unit to rival with budget carriers like Cebu Pacific, I was thrilled. They call their low cost unit, PAL Express. It will begin its operation on May 5.
Hope their rates are really cheaper like Cebu Pacific so we can finally take a PAL flight on our next travel destination.
And so every time we make travel plans, we always have to make a budget for all five of us – me, my husband, my daughter, my mom and my dad. So we are always on the look out for promos from airlines like Cebu Pacific. In fact, we almost always travel via Cebu Pacific.
My husband and my dad prefer to take PAL flights but their airfare is twice or thrice expensive as Cebu Pacific. So even though we want to travel via Philippine Airlines, we always end up with Cebu Pacific due to budget constraints.
And so when I found out that PAL will be setting up a low-cost unit to rival with budget carriers like Cebu Pacific, I was thrilled. They call their low cost unit, PAL Express. It will begin its operation on May 5.
Hope their rates are really cheaper like Cebu Pacific so we can finally take a PAL flight on our next travel destination.
Can he still get out of debt?
Can you still get out of debt? When can you say that you have too much debt?
This is the problem that my brother is facing right now. He resigned from work a year ago and decided to establish his own business. At first the business was doing well and he earned more than what he is getting when he is employed. He thought that business would be the same all throughout the year and sales won’t fluctuate so he bought gadgets like SLR cameras and Mac book and he really maximized the credit limit of his card. On top of that he also availed of a personal loan to use as an additional capital for his business.
But suddenly sales drop after the Christmas season and since then he has been having problems paying his loan and his credit card bills. I read before that if 20% of your take home pay goes to finance non housing debt, then you’re in deep trouble. And this is what my brother is experiencing now. Can he still get out of debt? And now that he has a bad credit record, can he still be able to get credit cards or avail of housing loans or personal loans?
Of course anyone can still get out of debt. But it really takes a lot of discipline and self control to manage ones finances and get out of debt. My brother is already starting to get up on his feet and establish his good credit record again. He was able to sit down and compute how much he owes and he then work on a budget to schedule his payment scheme. His next move now is to consolidate his debt and transfer some high rate debts to lower rate credit cards and so he is looking for a credit card with the best deal for consumers with bad credit standing like him. That’s why I gave him the website of BadCreditOffers.com.
BadCreditOffers.com is a free consumer resource that I always refer to my friends who have bad credit standing. BadCreditOffers.com compile the best offer for bad credit that they can find for credit cards, housing loans, personal loans and auto loans and consumers can refer to their site to find the best offer that will fit their needs and preferences. Consumers can browse each of the bad credit offers by category, and compare its features and details side by side.
I’m glad my brother has finally decided to settle his debts and I’m sure BadCreditOffers.com can help him get back on his feet financially.
This is the problem that my brother is facing right now. He resigned from work a year ago and decided to establish his own business. At first the business was doing well and he earned more than what he is getting when he is employed. He thought that business would be the same all throughout the year and sales won’t fluctuate so he bought gadgets like SLR cameras and Mac book and he really maximized the credit limit of his card. On top of that he also availed of a personal loan to use as an additional capital for his business.
But suddenly sales drop after the Christmas season and since then he has been having problems paying his loan and his credit card bills. I read before that if 20% of your take home pay goes to finance non housing debt, then you’re in deep trouble. And this is what my brother is experiencing now. Can he still get out of debt? And now that he has a bad credit record, can he still be able to get credit cards or avail of housing loans or personal loans?
Of course anyone can still get out of debt. But it really takes a lot of discipline and self control to manage ones finances and get out of debt. My brother is already starting to get up on his feet and establish his good credit record again. He was able to sit down and compute how much he owes and he then work on a budget to schedule his payment scheme. His next move now is to consolidate his debt and transfer some high rate debts to lower rate credit cards and so he is looking for a credit card with the best deal for consumers with bad credit standing like him. That’s why I gave him the website of BadCreditOffers.com.
BadCreditOffers.com is a free consumer resource that I always refer to my friends who have bad credit standing. BadCreditOffers.com compile the best offer for bad credit that they can find for credit cards, housing loans, personal loans and auto loans and consumers can refer to their site to find the best offer that will fit their needs and preferences. Consumers can browse each of the bad credit offers by category, and compare its features and details side by side.
I’m glad my brother has finally decided to settle his debts and I’m sure BadCreditOffers.com can help him get back on his feet financially.
April 23, 2008
Submitting Blogs to Blog Directory
I was browsing the net one morning when I chance upon the term “blog directory.” It got my curiosity since I’m maintaining a blog and I am trying to find ways to get search engine placement so I tried to search again what blog directory is.
Blog directory is just a hierarchical listing of blogs. So why then would you want your blog to be added in a blog directory? The answer is simple. You may want to submit your blog to any of the blog directories available to gain traffic to your blog from traffic from the blog directory.
I tried to search for blog directory services where I can submit my blog and here is the list that I got including a summary of steps that you have to do to submit your blog
Blog directory is just a hierarchical listing of blogs. So why then would you want your blog to be added in a blog directory? The answer is simple. You may want to submit your blog to any of the blog directories available to gain traffic to your blog from traffic from the blog directory.
I tried to search for blog directory services where I can submit my blog and here is the list that I got including a summary of steps that you have to do to submit your blog
- Blog Catalog
- You first have to create an account before you can submit your blog to Blog Catalog.
- After creating an account, you have to active your email address by clicking the link included in the verification email that they sent.
- Submit your blog by filling in details about your blog like URL, categories, tags, etc.
- Then you have to place a widget, button link, or meta tag to your blog to verify ownership
- You will then receive an email confirmation regarding the submission of your blog and will ask you to contact them if that blog was submitted by mistake. Otherwise, if nobody contacts them within 48 hours, the blog submission will be received.
- Blog Rankings
- Choose a category from their list where your blog falls.
- Submit your blog by filling in details about your blog like URL, categories, tags, etc.
- In return for the addition to their directory and to verify ownership, you should add a button link to your blog.
- Approval of blogs is within 24 hours.
- Bloghub
- You first have to register for an account
- After creating an account, you have to active your email address by entering the activation code sent to you via email.
- Submit your blog by filling in details about your blog like URL, categories, tags, etc.
- In return for the addition to their directory and to verify ownership, you should add a button link to your blog.
- Email will be sent once blog has been validated
- Blog Listings
- Just select Free – regular links to be added in their directory for free but you may opt to get the Featured link for $8 a year for more added service.
- Submit your blog by filling in details about your blog like URL, categories, tags, etc.
- In return for the addition to their directory and to verify ownership, you should add a button link to your blog.
- Email will be sent once blog has been approved
Drug & Alcohol Addiction can be treated
I was chatting with one of my friends and she sent me a picture when we visited a drug treatment center when we were still in high school. It suddenly brings back memories of that day. We have done a lot of field trips when we were in high school but this one is the most memorable since I really learned a lot.
I have a friend whose father have alcohol and drug addiction and I have seen and witnessed how it affects his family. There are times that his father will arrive home either drugged or drunk, and will hurt and abuse my friend and his wife. It is really a sad situation but what I learned from this field trip is that drug addiction can be treated.
There are a lot of drug treatment centers that can help anyone who is suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. But the most important step before undergoing any drug rehab program is that the person should first learn to accept his problem. I remember when we had this field trip, we interviewed one of the patients in the center and we found out that he is the brother of one of the famous rap artist in our country. He said that the first step is really the most difficult since it is really difficult for a drug dependent individual to accept that he or she has a problem. The next most important factor for the success of any drug rehab program is the support from the family of the drug dependent. He said that the reason why he was able to give up his addiction is because his family never gave up on him and he realized that his family will always be there for him which inspired him to leave his old habits behind.
My friend’s father is doing okay now. He submitted himself to undergo a drug rehab and alcohol detox program at The Canyon. They choose The Canyon because it specializes in individuals with co occurring conditions like the one similar to my friend’s father. Another plus factor is the beautiful scenery and amenities that this elite drug rehab center offers which will really help in the treatment of patients.
I heard my friend’s father is doing okay now and looks like the program is really successful since he never really went back to his old habits. This just goes to show that drug and alcohol addiction can really be treated.
I have a friend whose father have alcohol and drug addiction and I have seen and witnessed how it affects his family. There are times that his father will arrive home either drugged or drunk, and will hurt and abuse my friend and his wife. It is really a sad situation but what I learned from this field trip is that drug addiction can be treated.
There are a lot of drug treatment centers that can help anyone who is suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. But the most important step before undergoing any drug rehab program is that the person should first learn to accept his problem. I remember when we had this field trip, we interviewed one of the patients in the center and we found out that he is the brother of one of the famous rap artist in our country. He said that the first step is really the most difficult since it is really difficult for a drug dependent individual to accept that he or she has a problem. The next most important factor for the success of any drug rehab program is the support from the family of the drug dependent. He said that the reason why he was able to give up his addiction is because his family never gave up on him and he realized that his family will always be there for him which inspired him to leave his old habits behind.
My friend’s father is doing okay now. He submitted himself to undergo a drug rehab and alcohol detox program at The Canyon. They choose The Canyon because it specializes in individuals with co occurring conditions like the one similar to my friend’s father. Another plus factor is the beautiful scenery and amenities that this elite drug rehab center offers which will really help in the treatment of patients.
I heard my friend’s father is doing okay now and looks like the program is really successful since he never really went back to his old habits. This just goes to show that drug and alcohol addiction can really be treated.
My Wish
Before every morning we will all gather up in one area in the office and would talk just about anything that we can imagine. We would laugh at the simplest or silliest joke each of one share. We are together, as one unit, as one section. All of us have good relationship with each other. We respect each other and we are at each other’s back. I can still remember there are times that we will all go out for lunch or would go clubbing or the surprise parties that we throw for each other. I miss that. I miss those times that we will all have a nice lunch in our small lunch room and would laugh our heart out and would share anything that we can think of knowing that we can trust each other.
I don’t know what happen. I just woke up one day and realized that the camaraderie that we used to have is now gone. Now all of us are scared, all of us are afraid to say what we truly feel because we feel that it might endanger our position in the office.
I just wish that one day, I will wake up again knowing that everything is all right, we are all friends and we can still trust each other.
I don’t know what happen. I just woke up one day and realized that the camaraderie that we used to have is now gone. Now all of us are scared, all of us are afraid to say what we truly feel because we feel that it might endanger our position in the office.
I just wish that one day, I will wake up again knowing that everything is all right, we are all friends and we can still trust each other.
April 22, 2008
Elliott Yamin, My Idol
On our way from work yesterday, we listened to the CD of Elliott Yamin. Gosh, I really love this guy. He is one of my favorite artists. I am not really an American Idol fan, but when I heard him sing during the Hollywood rounds, my heart fell and from then on, I started to watch American Idol religiously every Wednesday and Thursday. Even Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell all noticed how great a performer he is. Simon even commented that Elliott was potentially the best male vocalist in five seasons on American Idol which is very uncommon for Simon since you will always hear complains and criticisms from him. I knew from then on that he will make it to the top three.And I was not mistaken as he joined Taylor Hicks, and Katharine McPhee to the top three. I was deeply affected and saddened when he was eliminated. He was already this close to being the American Idol, but then the American viewers maybe didn’t find his last performance that good enough and so he was the one voted out. But if I remember it correctly, the votes that the three of them got are really not that far from each other. I admit I really like all three of them and if I was to vote, I would really find it difficult to choose since they are all good.
But even though he did not win the American Idol title, he is doing it big now. He just launched his first self titled album. He even visited the Philippines to promote his album and I was one of his fans who watched him perform live at Glorietta.
How I wish he will come back again here for another concert. And I swear no matter how expensive it is, I will surely make a way to get the money that I need to buy front row seat tickets.
Travel Plans: SG Hotel Search
I love to travel. That is one of the things that me and my husband have in common, we both share the same passion for traveling. That’s why we try to go on vacation either out of town or out of the country at least once or twice a year. But if only we can afford it, maybe we would always be in vacation every month. But I don’t think that would be possible because it would really be very expensive.
But I’m looking forward for another out of the country vacation this coming July. My family, together with my parents, will be having a four days vacation in Singapore. I already booked our airfare and I’m in the process now of looking for a nice and affordable hotel.
I tried searching on the online booking sites but unfortunately, I’m having a hard time looking for an affordable hotel. I’m having a dilemma since I really don’t want to spend that much on accommodations but I’m having second thoughts too if I should book a cheap hotel since I really had a bad experience when we tried a hostel in Hong Kong last year. I remember I really hate the hostel that I can’t even remember its name. The room was very small, it is really not that clean, there is no window in the room where we stayed and they didn’t even bother putting lamps as decorations for the room.
So this time, I want to make sure that we will have a nice hotel experience. I’m not really looking for a five star hotel that have elegant torchieres and floor lamps on all of their rooms. I just want a nice and clean hotel where we will be comfortable to sleep for three nights.
Wish me luck since July is the Great Singapore Sale so I’m not really sure if I will be able to find a nice hotel within my budget.
But I’m looking forward for another out of the country vacation this coming July. My family, together with my parents, will be having a four days vacation in Singapore. I already booked our airfare and I’m in the process now of looking for a nice and affordable hotel.
I tried searching on the online booking sites but unfortunately, I’m having a hard time looking for an affordable hotel. I’m having a dilemma since I really don’t want to spend that much on accommodations but I’m having second thoughts too if I should book a cheap hotel since I really had a bad experience when we tried a hostel in Hong Kong last year. I remember I really hate the hostel that I can’t even remember its name. The room was very small, it is really not that clean, there is no window in the room where we stayed and they didn’t even bother putting lamps as decorations for the room.
So this time, I want to make sure that we will have a nice hotel experience. I’m not really looking for a five star hotel that have elegant torchieres and floor lamps on all of their rooms. I just want a nice and clean hotel where we will be comfortable to sleep for three nights.
Wish me luck since July is the Great Singapore Sale so I’m not really sure if I will be able to find a nice hotel within my budget.
April 21, 2008
Weekend Snapshot
I love this photo. This is one of the pictures that my husband took when we joined the Loboc River Cruise in Bohol. What I like about the cruise is that is was really so relaxing. Imagine just enjoying the wonderful view of nature. That’s why after the cruise, my husband ended up with lots and lots of great pictures.April 20, 2008
Quiet Sunday
We had a quiet Sunday. My daughter didn’t attend her last day of her class because our car was brought to the shop for repair so we decided to just stay at home today.
We started the day late and after eating breakfast we we’re able to enjoy a quiet morning in our TV room. We we’re able to watch two movies, Ghost Rider and Transporter. I can’t remember the last time we went out to enjoy a movie so even though it is really not my type of film, I still enjoyed it.
My daughter also missed playing in our TV room, so she was really pre occupied playing with her toys and with her dad’s toys also (which are my husband’s collectables) so she didn’t mind if we’re not watching Playhouse Disney, or Nick Jr. or any of her Disney movies so we we’re able to finish the two movies that we are watching.
After eating lunch we we’re able to take a long nap. We we’re not able to do this every weekend since we’re always out to attend my daughter’s play class. It was really one quiet Sunday, just relaxing and chilling out.
I think we will always have Sundays like this in the coming weekends as my daughter finished her last quarter at Little Gym. I’m really looking forward for more Sundays like this – quiet, relaxing and fun.
We started the day late and after eating breakfast we we’re able to enjoy a quiet morning in our TV room. We we’re able to watch two movies, Ghost Rider and Transporter. I can’t remember the last time we went out to enjoy a movie so even though it is really not my type of film, I still enjoyed it.
My daughter also missed playing in our TV room, so she was really pre occupied playing with her toys and with her dad’s toys also (which are my husband’s collectables) so she didn’t mind if we’re not watching Playhouse Disney, or Nick Jr. or any of her Disney movies so we we’re able to finish the two movies that we are watching.
After eating lunch we we’re able to take a long nap. We we’re not able to do this every weekend since we’re always out to attend my daughter’s play class. It was really one quiet Sunday, just relaxing and chilling out.
I think we will always have Sundays like this in the coming weekends as my daughter finished her last quarter at Little Gym. I’m really looking forward for more Sundays like this – quiet, relaxing and fun.
April 18, 2008
Sun, Sand and Snapshots 2008
Yes, yes, summer is really hear. And all of us know that the best way to celebrate summer is by having a grand time at the beach. And while you’re at it, take some great pictures so you can have an entry to this year’s Sun, Sand and Snapshots contest.
It is so easy to join. You just need to upload your entry to the Sun, Sand and Snapshots gallery. You can submit as many entries as you like. Just include a title and a short caption for each of your entries. Winners of the contest will be given a trip for two to the beautiful island paradise, Boracay and lomo cameras.
We will start to select from our many pictures when we went to Boracay last October and to Bohol last January so we can submit our entries too. So what are you waiting for? Enjoy the sun, start clicking your cameras and who knows, your pictures can be your next ticket to another great time at the beach. Deadline for submission of entries is on May 15, 2008. So if you don’t have any nice picture yet that will best portray the meaning of summer, you still have plenty of time to hit the beach and take some great pictures.
Just visit the clickthecity website for contest rules and more details.
It is so easy to join. You just need to upload your entry to the Sun, Sand and Snapshots gallery. You can submit as many entries as you like. Just include a title and a short caption for each of your entries. Winners of the contest will be given a trip for two to the beautiful island paradise, Boracay and lomo cameras.
We will start to select from our many pictures when we went to Boracay last October and to Bohol last January so we can submit our entries too. So what are you waiting for? Enjoy the sun, start clicking your cameras and who knows, your pictures can be your next ticket to another great time at the beach. Deadline for submission of entries is on May 15, 2008. So if you don’t have any nice picture yet that will best portray the meaning of summer, you still have plenty of time to hit the beach and take some great pictures.
Just visit the clickthecity website for contest rules and more details.
Feast One Hundred & Eighty Seven
AppetizerName a color you find soothing.
Purple, since it is my favourite color.
Soup
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.
Disaster.
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.
Disaster.
Salad
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?
Cotton since it is fresh and comfortable especially if you’re living in a tropical country.
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?
Cotton since it is fresh and comfortable especially if you’re living in a tropical country.
Main Course
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?
Elliott Yamin. His voice truly melts my heart.
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?
Elliott Yamin. His voice truly melts my heart.
Dessert
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?
Letter A.
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?
Letter A.
Another Photo Meme – Weekend Snapshot
I discovered another photo meme that I can participate for this blog and my other blogs. It is called the Weekend Snapshot.
It basically has the same concept as Wordless Wednesday. In order to join, you have to put the Weekend Snapshot button first on your sidebar. You can copy the code from the Weekend Snapshot site. After placing the button, you have to send an email to the host at weekendsnapshot@gmail.com to be listed in the newbie section. Then every Monday just post a picture that you took during the week or during the past weeks and leave a comment with the URL of your entry to the post about Weekend Snapshot for that week on the Weekend Snapshot site.
This would be another perfect opportunity for me to interact with the other bloggers around the world. And since I have a husband who loves to take pictures, I can even showcase his great shots here in the blogging community. This will give him more inspiration to take nice pictures and just a simple gesture from me to let him know that I’m truly proud of his works.
I will post my first entry this coming Monday. I’m so excited already. So watch out this coming Monday for my first Weekend Snapshot entry.
It basically has the same concept as Wordless Wednesday. In order to join, you have to put the Weekend Snapshot button first on your sidebar. You can copy the code from the Weekend Snapshot site. After placing the button, you have to send an email to the host at weekendsnapshot@gmail.com to be listed in the newbie section. Then every Monday just post a picture that you took during the week or during the past weeks and leave a comment with the URL of your entry to the post about Weekend Snapshot for that week on the Weekend Snapshot site.
This would be another perfect opportunity for me to interact with the other bloggers around the world. And since I have a husband who loves to take pictures, I can even showcase his great shots here in the blogging community. This will give him more inspiration to take nice pictures and just a simple gesture from me to let him know that I’m truly proud of his works.
I will post my first entry this coming Monday. I’m so excited already. So watch out this coming Monday for my first Weekend Snapshot entry.
April 17, 2008
World Wide Link Love
Since no one tagged me with this, I am snagging it from Aggie.
~ start copying here ~
Join the Worldwide Link Love!
Benefits of Worldwide Link Love!
1. Make new friends around the world.
2. Feel the Link Love.
3. Gain new readers and subscribers.
Rules:
1. Copy from ~start copying here ~ to ~ end copying here ~ and paste it on your blog.
2. At the end of the list, put your name and the country your in, it doesn’t matter what’s your nationality just put the country where you are publishing your blog.
Don’t forget to put links at your name.
3. If u have many blogs, you can link all of it, just make sure you post the same on each blog.
4. Tag eight (8) or more of your blog friends.
5. Tip for blogspot users: make sure you copy and paste the code in Compose mode.
Wanna join, and you can’t find your name on the list?
Just leave a comment here.
Worldwide Link Love! Participants:
1. Julia (Philippines)
2. Catherine (Malaysia)
3. shimumsy(u.s.a)
4. Mitch (Philippines)
5. Hailey (Philippines)
6. Sexymom (USA)
7. Liza (Philippines)
6. Idealpinkrose (Korea)
7. Korean food (Korea)
8. Allinkorea (Korea)
9. Kimchiland (Korea)
10. Confessions of an Army Wife (USA)
11. Bless Sanctuary (USA)
12. VampSquad (Philippines)
13. Manna from Heaven ( Philippines)
14. And Life Goes On (Philippines)
15. Uncomplicated (Philippines)
16. To the Moon and Back (Philippines)
17. IamDzoi (Philippines)
18. My Happy Place (Philippines)
19. Mommy Talks. Wife Stories. (Philippines)
20. Aggie Shoots Aggie Scraps. (Philippines)
21. Winding Creek Circle. (Philippines)
22. Women Xplore (Philippines)
23. My Planet Purple (Philippines)
24. Our Journey to Life (Philippines)
25. Princess Bela (Philippines)
~end copy here ~
Passing to Crissy, Chat, Jhona, Gracie and Jenny
~ start copying here ~
Join the Worldwide Link Love!
Benefits of Worldwide Link Love!
1. Make new friends around the world.
2. Feel the Link Love.
3. Gain new readers and subscribers.
Rules:
1. Copy from ~start copying here ~ to ~ end copying here ~ and paste it on your blog.
2. At the end of the list, put your name and the country your in, it doesn’t matter what’s your nationality just put the country where you are publishing your blog.
Don’t forget to put links at your name.
3. If u have many blogs, you can link all of it, just make sure you post the same on each blog.
4. Tag eight (8) or more of your blog friends.
5. Tip for blogspot users: make sure you copy and paste the code in Compose mode.
Wanna join, and you can’t find your name on the list?
Just leave a comment here.
Worldwide Link Love! Participants:
1. Julia (Philippines)
2. Catherine (Malaysia)
3. shimumsy(u.s.a)
4. Mitch (Philippines)
5. Hailey (Philippines)
6. Sexymom (USA)
7. Liza (Philippines)
6. Idealpinkrose (Korea)
7. Korean food (Korea)
8. Allinkorea (Korea)
9. Kimchiland (Korea)
10. Confessions of an Army Wife (USA)
11. Bless Sanctuary (USA)
12. VampSquad (Philippines)
13. Manna from Heaven ( Philippines)
14. And Life Goes On (Philippines)
15. Uncomplicated (Philippines)
16. To the Moon and Back (Philippines)
17. IamDzoi (Philippines)
18. My Happy Place (Philippines)
19. Mommy Talks. Wife Stories. (Philippines)
20. Aggie Shoots Aggie Scraps. (Philippines)
21. Winding Creek Circle. (Philippines)
22. Women Xplore (Philippines)
23. My Planet Purple (Philippines)
24. Our Journey to Life (Philippines)
25. Princess Bela (Philippines)
~end copy here ~
Passing to Crissy, Chat, Jhona, Gracie and Jenny
On Wordless Wednesday
I made an entry weeks ago about the concept of Wordless Wednesday but it was only yesterday that I tried to actively participate in it. It is like doing search engine advertising since you get to promote your blogs to other bloggers.
I posted a picture that my husband took when we went for a vacation in Canada last 2004. And then I tried visiting the blog of the other Wordless Wednesday participants, and I can say I really enjoyed it.
I was able to meet other bloggers from other countries, we shared our thoughts and views about the picture that each of us posted, I was able to view a lot of beautiful pictures that each of the bloggers have posted which gave me an inspiration for my entry for next week’s Wordless Wednesday, and I was even able to view pictures of the different scenic spots in different countries so its like I’m having a online travel.
I would definitely join again next week’s Wordless Wednesday and hope you guys will check out my entries again. See you all next week.
I posted a picture that my husband took when we went for a vacation in Canada last 2004. And then I tried visiting the blog of the other Wordless Wednesday participants, and I can say I really enjoyed it.
I was able to meet other bloggers from other countries, we shared our thoughts and views about the picture that each of us posted, I was able to view a lot of beautiful pictures that each of the bloggers have posted which gave me an inspiration for my entry for next week’s Wordless Wednesday, and I was even able to view pictures of the different scenic spots in different countries so its like I’m having a online travel.
I would definitely join again next week’s Wordless Wednesday and hope you guys will check out my entries again. See you all next week.
Some Facts about Hypertension
My aunt was rushed to the hospital again around 2 AM today because of high blood pressure. Almost of my relatives, from my mom down to all her sisters, have hypertension. It really runs in the family.
Good thing my husband and I don’t experience this but because of numerous incidents that we always have to rush them always to the hospital, it made me really conscious and so I decided to make some readings about high blood pressure or hypertension.
As defined by wikipedia.org:
“Hypertension, most commonly referred to as "high blood pressure", HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. It was previously referred to as arterial hypertension, but in current usage, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier normally refers to arterial hypertension.
Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated.
Hypertension is considered to be present when a person's systolic blood pressure is consistently 140 mmHg or greater, and/or their diastolic blood pressure is consistently 90 mmHg or greater. The Mayo Clinic website specifies blood pressure is "normal if it's below 120/80" but that "some data indicate that 115/75 mm Hg should be the gold standard." In patients with diabetes mellitus or kidney disease studies have shown that blood pressure over 130/80 mmHg should be considered high and warrants further treatment.”
They say that there are no symptoms for hypertension and the only way to find out if you’re high blood or not is by getting a measurement of your blood pressure. Although some patients experience headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, facial flushing or tinnitus.
So how can this be prevented? I can say that discipline is the number one treatment for hypertension. Why you may ask? Because in order to prevent having high blood pressure, you should have a life style change. A person who has high blood pressure should do regular exercise, should watch what they eat and they should avoid fatty foods and they should follow a reduce sodium or salt diet. They should also stay away from tobacco and alcohol and they should try to relax to avoid stress.
Good thing my husband and I don’t experience this but because of numerous incidents that we always have to rush them always to the hospital, it made me really conscious and so I decided to make some readings about high blood pressure or hypertension.
As defined by wikipedia.org:
“Hypertension, most commonly referred to as "high blood pressure", HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. It was previously referred to as arterial hypertension, but in current usage, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier normally refers to arterial hypertension.
Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated.
Hypertension is considered to be present when a person's systolic blood pressure is consistently 140 mmHg or greater, and/or their diastolic blood pressure is consistently 90 mmHg or greater. The Mayo Clinic website specifies blood pressure is "normal if it's below 120/80" but that "some data indicate that 115/75 mm Hg should be the gold standard." In patients with diabetes mellitus or kidney disease studies have shown that blood pressure over 130/80 mmHg should be considered high and warrants further treatment.”
They say that there are no symptoms for hypertension and the only way to find out if you’re high blood or not is by getting a measurement of your blood pressure. Although some patients experience headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, facial flushing or tinnitus.
So how can this be prevented? I can say that discipline is the number one treatment for hypertension. Why you may ask? Because in order to prevent having high blood pressure, you should have a life style change. A person who has high blood pressure should do regular exercise, should watch what they eat and they should avoid fatty foods and they should follow a reduce sodium or salt diet. They should also stay away from tobacco and alcohol and they should try to relax to avoid stress.
So let’s all not be a victim and let’s all start to live healthy.
Why am I happy? Let me count the ways.
I remember one of my colleague commented before that to make his wife happy, he just needs to give her, her regular budget for shopping so she can fill her shopping cart to her heart’s content. Do you think this is true?
I don’t think I will agree with this comment made by my colleague. Although I accept the fact that one of my favorite companions is the shopping cart software that I often used when I shop online, I still will not accept the fact that shopping is the only thing that can make a woman happy.
There are a lot of things that can make me happy. If I will enumerate it:
* I have a loving husband that never ceases to love me unconditionally and who takes care of me and my daughter
* I have a beautiful and smart daughter who always brings joy to the family
* I have a loving family who is always there for us
* Those weekends that we spend as bonding time together with my husband and daughter
* I have a job that helps us pay the bills and help us get a little luxury in life
* Our yearly travels where we can get to just relax and chill.
The list can go on and on and I will never run out of reasons why I may say I am truly happy. So would you agree with me now when I say that shopping and ecommerce software is not the only thing that can me a woman happy?
I don’t think I will agree with this comment made by my colleague. Although I accept the fact that one of my favorite companions is the shopping cart software that I often used when I shop online, I still will not accept the fact that shopping is the only thing that can make a woman happy.
There are a lot of things that can make me happy. If I will enumerate it:
* I have a loving husband that never ceases to love me unconditionally and who takes care of me and my daughter
* I have a beautiful and smart daughter who always brings joy to the family
* I have a loving family who is always there for us
* Those weekends that we spend as bonding time together with my husband and daughter
* I have a job that helps us pay the bills and help us get a little luxury in life
* Our yearly travels where we can get to just relax and chill.
The list can go on and on and I will never run out of reasons why I may say I am truly happy. So would you agree with me now when I say that shopping and ecommerce software is not the only thing that can me a woman happy?
April 16, 2008
My Bubble Dress
I’m wearing bubble dress today. Well some of you might say why I am blogging about it since there is nothing special about wearing a bubble dress. You see, I work as a Systems Administrator and part of my job responsibility is network administration and technical support which is a physical job. So I always go to work wearing slacks or jeans so I will be more comfortable when working.
But since we will head straight from work to the party that we will be attending later and I don’t want to bring extra clothes so I can change later, I decided to come to work today wearing my bubble dress. And since my officemates are not used to seeing me wear dress, I always get the stare or a second look or a comment and a complement.
I remember when I was still working as a programmer I always dress like this to work. I’m always wearing a dress or skirt and my get up is always made up of either a nice and sexy dress or a cute blouse and skirt. It was only when I work here that I started to wear slacks. But you know, at least they get to see me like this for a change and I’m enjoying the complements that they are giving me every time they see me like this.
But since we will head straight from work to the party that we will be attending later and I don’t want to bring extra clothes so I can change later, I decided to come to work today wearing my bubble dress. And since my officemates are not used to seeing me wear dress, I always get the stare or a second look or a comment and a complement.
I remember when I was still working as a programmer I always dress like this to work. I’m always wearing a dress or skirt and my get up is always made up of either a nice and sexy dress or a cute blouse and skirt. It was only when I work here that I started to wear slacks. But you know, at least they get to see me like this for a change and I’m enjoying the complements that they are giving me every time they see me like this.
April 15, 2008
Planning our trip to SG
This coming July, we will be having a 4 days 3 nights vacation at Singapore. My mom and dad are coming with us as it is our birthday gift to them.
I know, it is still early but since I’m booking everything myself, I have to plan everything in advance.
* I need to look for an affordable but nice hotel accommodation preferably in the Orchard vicinity. A big NO for hostels since I really had a not so pleasant experience when we stayed in a hostel in Hong Kong. I have to ask Howell to talk to his friends who resides in SG for suggestions.
* I have to plan our itinerary. For now, our itinerary would be:
DAY 1
City Tour – Merlion and Singapore Flyer
Shopping
DAY 2
Singapore Zoo
Nigth Safari
DAY 3
Sentosa
Shopping
DAY 4
Am flight going back to Manila
This is still subject to change as I’m still looking for other suggestions from my friends who have been there already.
I initially wanted to go to Singapore Zoo on our first day but after seeing the brochure that my friend gave me, I decided that we have to be there the whole day so Bela can enjoy all the animal shows.
* Look for an airport transfer service or other alternatives for airport transfers.
* Get a Travel Tax Exception certificate for Bela from PTA. I have done this before and I can do this in one day or better yet since Howell is just near PTA I can ask him to go there and get the certificate.
Hope I’m not forgetting anything.
I know, it is still early but since I’m booking everything myself, I have to plan everything in advance.
* I need to look for an affordable but nice hotel accommodation preferably in the Orchard vicinity. A big NO for hostels since I really had a not so pleasant experience when we stayed in a hostel in Hong Kong. I have to ask Howell to talk to his friends who resides in SG for suggestions.
* I have to plan our itinerary. For now, our itinerary would be:
DAY 1
City Tour – Merlion and Singapore Flyer
Shopping
DAY 2
Singapore Zoo
Nigth Safari
DAY 3
Sentosa
Shopping
DAY 4
Am flight going back to Manila
This is still subject to change as I’m still looking for other suggestions from my friends who have been there already.
I initially wanted to go to Singapore Zoo on our first day but after seeing the brochure that my friend gave me, I decided that we have to be there the whole day so Bela can enjoy all the animal shows.
* Look for an airport transfer service or other alternatives for airport transfers.
* Get a Travel Tax Exception certificate for Bela from PTA. I have done this before and I can do this in one day or better yet since Howell is just near PTA I can ask him to go there and get the certificate.
Hope I’m not forgetting anything.
April 14, 2008
Have fun, join a blog carnival
Building traffic on your blog is one of the key in increasing your Page Rank. So I’m constantly searching for ways on how I can drive traffic to my blog and get optimization services for free. And that is how I discover blog carnivals.One way to build traffic on your blog is by joining blog carnivals. So what is a blog carnival? I got this definition from BlogCarnival.com.
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“A Blog Carnival is a particular kind of blog community. There are many kinds of blogs, and they contain articles on many kinds of topics. Blog Carnivals typically collect together links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A Blog Carnival is like a magazine. It has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience. Editions of the carnival typically come out on a regular basis (e.g. every Monday, or on the first of the month). Each edition is a special blog article that consists of links to all the contributions that have been submitted, often with the editor’s opinions or remarks. “
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So how do you join a blog carnival? First, you have to find a blog carnival that interest you where you would like to contribute. You can find a list of blog carnivals from the blog carnival index of BlogCarnival.com. Then you have to write an entry on your blog related to the carnival topic that you selected. Then you have to submit the URL of the article that you have written on your blog to the host of the blog carnival.
Another option is creating your own carnival. You just need to sign up with BlogCarnival.com to create your own carnival where you will be the host. It will then be included in the list of BlogCarnival.com where others can read it and join. Or you can start your carnival in your own blog and invite your fellow bloggers to join by leaving a comment on your blog with the link to the post that they have written.
I’m so excited to try this. One of the blog carnivals that I always see on my fellow bloggers’ blog is the Friday Feast. I will check it out on Friday and see how blog carnivals work.
April 13, 2008
A thing of exotic beauty…
Want to try something exotic? Then why don’t you try eating something exotic like the giant Japanese Hornet, a scorpion, a lizard wine, civet coffee or “balut” eggs. That would be something fun and exciting don’t you think?
Nah!! I’m not going to eat those exotic foods. But if you would still like to be exotic, then why not just try the new exotic sandals from Piperlime.
Nah!! I’m not going to eat those exotic foods. But if you would still like to be exotic, then why not just try the new exotic sandals from Piperlime.
These sandals are made from snake skin and are available in flip flops and T-straps. They say that it is the hottest trend this summer. My favorite is the Dolce Vita style and the Bo'em SCORPINA. But you know I’m still on a budget and I still can’t afford it. Priorities, priorities. So I will just post it here to share it with you guys. I tell you, these sandals are really so tempting. Check out the Piperlime site for more styles.
April 12, 2008
Marc and Rovilson after TARA2
Whatever happened to Marc and Rovilson after the Amazing Race Asia 2? I was just wondering. The two have been my favorite teams in the last season of the Amazing Race and I was really hoping that I will be able to see them more in TV after their exposure at the Amazing Race.
So what’s up with Marc and Rovilson?
* Marc recently joined QTV-11 and he will be hosting the new QTV show The Debutante. The pilot episode just aired this week. Unfortunately, I forgot about it and was not able to see it. I hope I can catch it next week. It airs every Monday at 8:00 PM on QTV channel 11.
* Marc and Rovilson were on the cover of the latest issue of Metro Him magazine. I have to get a copy of this.
So what’s up with Marc and Rovilson?
* Marc recently joined QTV-11 and he will be hosting the new QTV show The Debutante. The pilot episode just aired this week. Unfortunately, I forgot about it and was not able to see it. I hope I can catch it next week. It airs every Monday at 8:00 PM on QTV channel 11.
* Marc and Rovilson were on the cover of the latest issue of Metro Him magazine. I have to get a copy of this.
* Marc is the new commercial model of Kenny Rogers Roasters. Oh boy, he is really cute in this commercial.video from yourtube
* They participated in the Nivea Sports event with Paula (from Thailand) and Vanessa (from Malaysia).
* There’s a buzz circulating around that Paula and Marc are dating. Oh I love to see them as a couple.
Things really turned out well for Marc and Rovilson after the Amazing Race Asia. Well, they really deserved it.
April 11, 2008
The Coveted Bottle
I am a Sarah Jessica Parker fan. I love SATC and I have been an avid follower of her show. I was one of those who felt sad when their show ended. I really miss Sarah, I really miss the girls.And so when I saw at the mall Sarah Jessica’s Covet, a new fragrance from her perfume collection, I got really excited. I remember I saw her in one of the late night shows (I think it was Late Night with Jay Leno) and she was being interviewed for her perfume collection. She said that she personally worked on the scent of each perfume and she carefully selected the blend for each fragrance. Imagine, buying something that is personally picked by Sarah Jessica herself. That would be something amazing for me.
This is how Sarah Jessica described Covet
“A stunning blend of fresh green notes. Gorgeous florals and sensuous woods that instantly draws you in and won’t let you go.”
“Covet – I had to have it.”
I didn’t check the price though. Hope I can afford it. Maybe I will check on it when we go to Singapore this coming July as they say perfumes are cheaper in Singapore than here.
Check out the cute and funny coveted bottle ad from youtube.
April 10, 2008
I am not a plastic bag
Picture courtesy of Google.I have seen a lot of students and even working professionals carrying this bag around. I have also seen a lot of it being sold at shopping malls. I got really curious if it is the “it” thing right now and I was surprised to find out when I tried to look for information about it in the net.
The bag was designed by an English fashion accessories designer, Anya Hindmarch. The limited edition tote bags were sold in London at 5 pounds and were sold out only hours after it was released. When it was released in the US, 400 people lined up as early as 6:30 AM to get this most coveted tote bag. It was even selected by the Vanity Fair to be included in the Oscar’s goodie bags.
Anya designed these bags as part of her campaign to stop using plastic bags. But I’m not sure though if those people lining up to buy this bags are really for the conservation of the environment or they’re just buying it because it is the “in” thing. I just hope they’re both – individuals with fashion sense who wants to do their part in conserving the environment.
Renovations
Renovations will soon be done in the office for the expansion program project. Since the other section is expanding they have to make renovations on the other floors to make room for the increase in employees. I am one of the employees who will be relocated to another room because of the expansion project. I really love my current room since it is really spacious and I have my own privacy and if I have a choice I would love to still have my current room. But looks like the renovations will happen anytime soon as our Property section have started to work for this project like they already started to look for furniture for the new rooms like adjustable desk and chairs and have met with the contractors who will do the renovations so the project can be started soon.
There is a lot to be done and the renovations should be done in the soonest time as they also need the additional employees in the soonest time possible. They will be converting the conference rooms to work rooms and work areas to accommodate more employees.
Looks like they are off to a good start and even though I don’t like it, I will soon be loosing my current room and I will move to a smaller room. I will surely miss my room but I have no choice, I have to take whatever they give to me.
There is a lot to be done and the renovations should be done in the soonest time as they also need the additional employees in the soonest time possible. They will be converting the conference rooms to work rooms and work areas to accommodate more employees.
Looks like they are off to a good start and even though I don’t like it, I will soon be loosing my current room and I will move to a smaller room. I will surely miss my room but I have no choice, I have to take whatever they give to me.
April 09, 2008
Explore Palawan with Wig Tysmans
Have you been dreaming to explore the wonderful island of Palawan? My husband have long been asking me to have our next vacation there. But since I am not a fan of boat ride, up to know, we still haven’t got the chance to visit Palawan.
And so when I received a test message from SMART about the Travel Photography workshop in Palawan, my husband is the first person that came to my mind. He’s been into photography as his hobby since 2005 and he has been really enjoying it that he gave up his other sports like Paintball just to have time for his new hobby. Too bad, he can’t file a leave from work to attend the workshop since they have an ongoing project right now.
But for those who are interested, SMART will be giving 10% discount for all SMART subscribers who will be enrolling in the Travel Photography workshop to the island of Palawan with the Master Photographer Wig Tysmans. The workshop will run from April 11-14.
Plus there is more good news. You will get a free Samsung 7.2 Mega Pixel camera when you sign up for the workshop.
For more details visit the Colors Travel Guide website.
And so when I received a test message from SMART about the Travel Photography workshop in Palawan, my husband is the first person that came to my mind. He’s been into photography as his hobby since 2005 and he has been really enjoying it that he gave up his other sports like Paintball just to have time for his new hobby. Too bad, he can’t file a leave from work to attend the workshop since they have an ongoing project right now.
But for those who are interested, SMART will be giving 10% discount for all SMART subscribers who will be enrolling in the Travel Photography workshop to the island of Palawan with the Master Photographer Wig Tysmans. The workshop will run from April 11-14.
Plus there is more good news. You will get a free Samsung 7.2 Mega Pixel camera when you sign up for the workshop.
For more details visit the Colors Travel Guide website.
April 08, 2008
U2 3D at SM MOA IMAX Theater
We went to Mall of Asia last Monday for some last minute shopping for our daughter. We parked at the parking area near the IMAX Theater and that’s where I saw the big banner of U2 Live concert in 3D.I heard about it from my cousin but I was not able to check it out. So as soon as we arrived home, I Googled for information about it and found out that it is the first live action 3D concert movie ever made. It uses the latest in 3D movie making so they say that it is like watching a live U2 stadium concert.
I read from Anton’s blog that he was already able to watch it during the press preview and he really enjoyed it. He felt that he was really watching a real U2 concert live. You can read more about Anton’s review about U2’s 3D concert here and you can get more information about the U2 3D concert movie here at the Official U2 3D Website.
I know U2 will be coming here for a live concert and this would be a perfectly good preview to that concert. So for U2 fans out there go check it out. It will be running at the IMAX Theater of SM Mall of Asia starting April 1. Tickets are sold at P500 each. For more details, you can call 556-IMAX (6429) or 556-0242.
Baja Beauties
Do you want to try a new look? Why not try the Mexicali styles for women from Old Navy. It’s a perfect look this summer. Try to check out the Old Navy site to browse their Baja Beauties collection.
There are a lot of items there that I really, really like but I have to prioritize things so I have to put all my shopping on hold for the mean time.
There are a lot of items there that I really, really like but I have to prioritize things so I have to put all my shopping on hold for the mean time.
April 06, 2008
New month, new look
I just got bored with my previous layout that I decided to change the look of my blog. I also can’t find a way to show the dates of my post so instead of spending more time in troubleshooting it, I just decided to change the overall look of my blog.
I got the free templates from freeskins.blogspot.com. It took me hours before I was able to find the perfect template that will suit my taste, but it’s all worth it. I just so love my new template.
It’s still a work in progress. I want to add more widgets to it, but I’m really enjoying it.
Beyonce and Jay-Z: Hitched
I heard from the news last week that long time sweethearts, Beyonce and Jay-Z secured their marriage license already in New York. The marriage license is valid for 2 months so everyone is in the watch now on when the two will get married.But when I checked on Yahoo this morning, it was reported that the two already got married in a very private affair with close friends and family. But it was indeed star studded because a lot of famous stars are there like the Destiny’s Child, Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Chris Martin, etc.
I can’t wait to see the pictures. I tried to googled it but I was not able to find any.
April 05, 2008
LV 2008 Summer Collection
Have you seen the latest LV summer collection?
(Pictures snagged from Google.com)
(Pictures snagged from Google.com)
.: FireBird :.
.: Rayures Tote GM and PM :.
.: Mancrazy :.
.: Weekender PM :.
I don’t own any Louis Vuitton bags because I really can’t afford it and even if I can, I’m not sure if I can spend that big amount of money just for a bag. But I still love to browse their website since I really love the classic Louis Vuitton bags collection. And so I was a little shock when I saw their summer collection for 2008. It is a really different from the classic and elegant designs that LV manufacture. Maybe, for a change?
But I really don’t like the design and the more I won’t be spending a dime for this bag. But that’s just my style. I know each of us have different style preference.
April 04, 2008
Trash to cash
On my way home, I saw a banner at SM which says “Trash to Cash” which caught my attention.
I inquired about it and found out that it is a project of SM in cooperation with DENR and Philippine Business for the Environment. Every first Saturday of the month, SM will host a recycling Market where anyone can turn their trash into cash.
Customers can bring in stuffs like paper, cardboard, empty ink cartridge, plastic bottles and other recyclable materials and they can transact to recycling companies during the Recycling Market and they can exchange their trash for items or even for cash.
This can be our own little way of helping conserve the environment and is one way to de clutter and turn those items that we just put to storage or will just be put to trash into cash.
I inquired about it and found out that it is a project of SM in cooperation with DENR and Philippine Business for the Environment. Every first Saturday of the month, SM will host a recycling Market where anyone can turn their trash into cash.
Customers can bring in stuffs like paper, cardboard, empty ink cartridge, plastic bottles and other recyclable materials and they can transact to recycling companies during the Recycling Market and they can exchange their trash for items or even for cash.
This can be our own little way of helping conserve the environment and is one way to de clutter and turn those items that we just put to storage or will just be put to trash into cash.
April 03, 2008
Want rain this summer? Try Rivulet Restaurant
We we’re driving along Macapagal Boulevard with my cousin and he pointed to us a unique restaurant in HK Sun Plaza, the Rivulet Restaurant and Bar.
It is the same as any seafood restaurant along that area but there something about it that makes it unique. It is the first restaurant with artificial rain. It is raining along the aisle and the waiters have to use umbrellas to go from table to table to server the dining guests. My cousin said that the floor is also flooded 1 to 2 inch deep as part of the theme.
We initially wanted to give it a try as it will be quite an experience but decided to try it some other time as Bela has cough and colds and we might not be able to control and stop her if ever she wants to play in the rain.
This will be one good restaurant to visit to beat the scorching summer heat this summer.
It is the same as any seafood restaurant along that area but there something about it that makes it unique. It is the first restaurant with artificial rain. It is raining along the aisle and the waiters have to use umbrellas to go from table to table to server the dining guests. My cousin said that the floor is also flooded 1 to 2 inch deep as part of the theme.
We initially wanted to give it a try as it will be quite an experience but decided to try it some other time as Bela has cough and colds and we might not be able to control and stop her if ever she wants to play in the rain.
This will be one good restaurant to visit to beat the scorching summer heat this summer.
April 02, 2008
Certified Chocoholic
I am a certified chocoholic. I can eat one big bar of chocolate in one seating. I remember when I was pregnant my doctor have to check my sugar level after I told her that I can consume one bar of chocolate in one seating. In fact, I always ask my husband to bring home one bar of chocolate for me almost everyday when I was pregnant. Sometimes I would even eat for breakfast (yup, I know it’s not healthy). My favorite is the Dairy Milk chocolate flavor of Cadbury. I don’t like it with fruits or nuts. I like it plain and simple.
I saw this survey on one of my friend’s blog “What Kind of Chocolate Are You?” This really got me into thinking, well if I’m a chocolate, then what kind of chocolate would I be. So I right away snag the survey and took the test. Here is the result:
I saw this survey on one of my friend’s blog “What Kind of Chocolate Are You?” This really got me into thinking, well if I’m a chocolate, then what kind of chocolate would I be. So I right away snag the survey and took the test. Here is the result:
You are White Chocolate |
 You are White Chocolate You are sweet, caring, and truly very innocent. Whether your naive ways are a bit of act or not, people like to take care of you. You are a quiet flirt, and your power is often underestimated! |
Whoa, that’s interesting.
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