81st Annual Academy Awards

I was not able to watch the Oscars as I have to go to work (I so envy my friends who were able to take a day off from work just to watch the live telecast of the 2009 Oscars.

I am really not so concern about the movies that got nominated or who got the Best Actress or Best Actor trophy. What I am so sorry about is that I miss Rob Pattinson at the Oscars. He was one of the presentors for one of the awards. Thank goodness for YouTube, I was able to get a glimpse of Rob Pattinson at the 2009 Oscars.

He was a little boring though. He was just looking down all the time he was doing the presentation. Ok, I will give him the credit that it is his first time to do this so he must be really nervous. (In fact he even thought that it was a joke when they called him to inform him that he will be one of the presentors.) But he is still good looking though.

Below are some fabulous pictures at the Oscar Red carpet (pictures snagged from Oscar.com).

This year’s winners:

1. Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire
2. Actor in a Leading Role – Sean Penn / Milk
3. Actress in a Leading Role – Kate Winslet / The Reader
4. Directing - Slumdog Millionaire
5. Actor in a Supporting Role – Heath Ledger / Dark Knight
6. Actress in a Supporting Role – Penelope Cruz / Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Weekend Snapshot # 30 - Castle

Since my daughter was sick from Monday to Wednesday, we decided to just stay at home during the weekend so we can just all relax and have our much needed rest. And look at what hubby and our daughter was able to do while playing:

Our daughter asked his dad to get her blocks and they both build the castle together. After they are finish with the castles, my daughter lined up all her dogs inside the castle. Up to today, the castle is still assembled at our living room as our daughter still loves playing with it. She has a dog house for all her doggies but maybe she got too tired playing with it and that is why she wanted to build a different house for all her doggies.

Updates on our Dear Daughter

I really haven’t posted much about my daughter in this blog, but here is what she’s been busy lately:

1. She loves reading books now not like before when we can’t even get her to sit down even just for five minutes to read a book. Now, she would even be the one to get the books from his book shelf and would ask us to read it to her. And she will not stop until we finish reading all the pages in the book, She graduate from Barney and Dora books now as she likes to read books like “Animal Friends”, “Sky and Nature”, “Life in the Water” (her favorite), “Things Around Us” and her “Tell me Everything” book.
2. She loves doing art work too. Good things hubby bought cheap illustration boards when he last went to Divisoria so every time our dear daughter would like to do art work, they will do it in the dozens of illustration board that hubby bought so hubby can easily have it frame if we want to.

The other day, they were doing water color painting and they accidentally spilled the water whey they dipped their brush which stained one of our area rugs. But that is okay because I read somewhere that we should let them explore things (even if they will make a mess), because that is how they will learn.
3. She loves playing with Play Doh too and her Moon Sand and she loves doing all kinds of stuff like animals, insects, and others.

When we first enrolled her to a preschool, our fear was that she might not last the whole year as she might get bored. But looking at her now, her school has a great influence on what she has become now and I am sure she will miss school when they go on summer break come April.

SALE, SALE and more SALE

Did you miss the last sale from Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic? Well if you did here is another chance for you:

1. Old Navy is having a sale which runs for four days only (from February 23 to February 26, 2009) where they will give 30% off on all their new arrivals. Promo is only valid for online purchases only. Enter the promo code NEW30 upon checkout to avail of the discount.

2 And for any single or regular priced items, Old Navy is giving 40% off in stores from February 20 to 26, 2009 when you bring this coupon.


3. Check out the Active wear and Tees collection from the Women and Men’s section of Old Navy as they are just priced at $5, $10 and $15.
4. Shop the Spring Collection by new creative director of Banana Republic, Simon Kneen, and save 30% off.
5. Gap is having their semi-annual baby sale where all baby items (newborn up to five years old) are being offered at 40% off. The sale is available at all Gap Outlets from February 20 to March 5, 2009.

So what are you waiting for? Start shopping now. As for me, I am on a no shopping policy as of the moment as I am saving up for something so I will just look for car insurance comparison online to stay away from shopping temptation.

Resort Search 2: Blue Coral, Laiya, Batangas

In my search for a beach resort where we can go this summer, I found another nice resort in Laiya, Batangas that is not as expensive as Acuatico Beach Resort.

I love to go to Acuatico Resort but when I inquired yesterday, their room accommodation for 6 person is P20, 000 for an overnight stay and since we are 7 adults, we have to pay for an extra P1, 500 for the extra person. The fee is inclusive of breakfast and free use of the kayak. Their facilities look really good and their infinity pool is really inviting but I find P20, 000 very expensive for an overnight stay (That is even more expensive than the suite at Venetian Hotel in Macau. LOL).

So I searched again for a place where we can go this coming March and I found Blue Coral Beach Resort, also in Laiya, Batangas. It is just in the same shoreline as Acuatico Resort and La Luz (we have been to La Luz two years ago). They also have a swimming pool and their rate is way much cheaper than Acuatico (P5, 800 for an air-conditioned room that can accommodate 4-8 persons). They also just finish their renovation so I guess I can expect that their rooms are well maintained and clean.

I made a reservation already though I haven’t talked about it with my siblings. My reservation is valid until tomorrow anyways (and the personnel that I talked to from Blue Coral said that they still have a lot of rooms available on our preferred date) so I guess I still have plenty of time.

CEO Suite @ LKG Tower

Last week, I was out of the office for a week since I attended training on Windows 2003 Server. We always get our training from New Horizons and I was so glad when they moved their office from the Robinson’s Summit Center to LKG Tower since it is just a block from my office so it is really convenient for me.

When I reached the 37th floor of LKG Tower, which is where New Horizons new office is located, I was surprised to find that it is not the typical office that I expected. They have a reception area which serves as the reception for all the tenants occupying the floor. Then my contact from New Horizon gave me a tour so I won’t get lost and I was surprised that they have great facilities like a luxurious boardrooms with the latest audio-visual equipment, a Zen lounge and stylish cyber café, elegant lounge with panoramic city views, 24-hour access, tight security with CCTV surveillance, fitness centre within the premises and numerous rooms equipped with office furniture that can accommodate up to 50 employees.

And that is when I found out that CEO Suite (where LKG is located) is a serviced office operator. What they offer is a wide range of executive suites where companies needing instant offices can move in instantly and without heavy capital investment and the offices comes with office equipment, staff-support and shared facilities like a Video Conferencing room.

Now that is one brilliant idea.

Pain

“Mom, please stay out of our lives. We are happy now”

This is like a stab in my heart if I ever hear my daughter say those words to me. This is what my friend’s daughter told her point blank when my friend was fetching her daughter from their grand mother’s house.

This is the problem that my friend has been facing for years now. Her husband left her for another woman (and her husband doesn’t have one, but two mistresses). And since she has no work because she is a stay at home mom and she did not finish her college degree, she can’t claim custody of her children because she has no way to provide for the needs of her kids. Her kids are staying with their grandparents because her husband is busy with his mistresses, and she feels that her in-laws are brainwashing her kids to turn them against her.

I felt and saw the pain in her eyes when she heard her daughter say that to her. She just wants them to spend the weekend with her and this is the answer that she got.

I don’t know what I will do if I were in her shoes. I might go crazy. I can’t help her because I am in a situation where helping her would really complicate things. If only I am rich maybe, I can help her start her own business like getting one of those coffee franchises so at least she will have a means to earn money for her kids.

I pray that someday she will get justice and she will be treated as a person by her husband and her in-laws. And I pray that someday she will be able to get her kids back. As a mother, I know that she doesn’t want anything else in this world but to win her children back.

Abielogy

Snagged from Kathy.

***********FOOD-OLOGY**************
What is your salad dressing of choice?
:: Thousand Island
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
:: Any
What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it?
:: Cadbury chocolate
What are your pizza toppings of choice?
:: Pineapple
What do you like to put on your toast?
:: Butter or peanut butter
**********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many television sets are in your house?
:: two
What color of cell phone do you have?
:: Gray
***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
::Right handed.
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
:: unwanted hair!
What is the last heavy item you lifted?
:: My daughter’s bag full of her toys
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
:: nope
************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you are going to die?
:: yes
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
:: Denise or Alessandra
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
:: oh yeah!
************DUMBOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
:: 1
Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
:: A month ago I think. The Manila Traffic Aid (the guys wearing gray uniform / Mayor Lim’s traffic aide) is trying to stop us for a traffic violation that I know they will just invent when there are a number of jeepneys stopping anywhere and disobeying traffic rules. So we just look at the traffic aide and drove past him.
Last person you talked to?
:: Jp
Last person you hugged?
:: hubby
**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season?
:: we only have two season here. LOL. Maybe rainy season because it gets really humid and dry during the summer months.
Holiday?
:: Christmas
Day of the week?
:: Saturday
Month?
:: December because of Christmas and January because it is our birthday month and anniversary month.
***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone?
:: Yes.
Mood?
:: Tired
What are you listening to?
:: nothing
Watching?
:: No. We have no TV in our room.
Worrying about?
:: work
***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************
First place you went to this morning?
:: Bathroom
What’s the last movie you saw?
:: Twilight
Do you smile often?
:: Yes
QUESTIONS
1) Do you always answer your phone?
:: No. LOL.
2) It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
:: Mark, my best friend who loves sending forwarded messages. LOL.
3) If you could change your eye color what would it be?
:: Blue. LOL.
4) What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
:: No Idea
5) Do you own a digital camera?
:: Yes
6) Have you ever had a pet fish?
:: Nope but my daughter has one. LOL.
7) Favorite Christmas song?
:: Any
What’s on your wish list for your birthday?
:: LV Neverfull
9) Can you do push ups?
:: No
10) Can you do a chin up?
:: Yes
11) Does the future make you nervous or excited?
:: Nervous
12) Do you have any saved texts?
:: Yes
13) Ever been in a car wreck?
:: Thank God, No.
14) Do you have an accent?
:: No.
15) What is the last song to make you cry?
:: Can't remember.
16) Plans tonight?
:: Sleep
17) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
:: Yes
18) Name 3 things you bought in the last week
:: Clothes for my daughter, toys for my daughter, grocery
19) Have you ever been given roses?
:: Yes, last time was during my birthday
20) Current worry?
:: Work and Money. LOL
21) Current hate right now?
:: Charice
22) Met someone who changed your life?
:: Yes
23) How did you bring in the New Year!
:: Celebrated it with my loved ones.
24) What song represents you?
:: Can’t think of any right now
25) Name three people who might complete this?
:: Vien, Peachy and Ems
26) What were you doing at 12 AM last night?
:: Blogging and Chatting
27) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
:: Training
Go tag yourself.

Resort Search

I made a post about our plans to stay at Grande Island Resort this March. I was already planning to pay the reservation fee this week, but thanks to Kathy and Jody who gave me a heads up and a feedback about Grande Island Resort. And since both of them are not that happy with their stay (Jody said that that the resort is not well maintained and Kathy said that they didn’t like the food and the amenities), I decided to just look for another resort.

My reasons:

1. I am quite particular when it comes to cleanliness specially the bathrooms so when Jody said that the resort is not well maintained, I immediately thought of their bathrooms and how much I will not be able to stand it if it is not clean.
2. Their rates are not cheap and so I should expect more from them if I have to pay almost P2000 per head for an overnight stay.
3. Peachy gave me the link for a nice and new beach resort in San Juan, Batangas – Acuatico Beach Resort. I searched for more information about it on the net and so far all their guests are very happy with their experience at Acuatico. And when I checked out their site, their infinity pool was so inviting and I like their rooms and villas. It is quite pricey though compared to Grande Island and I haven’t checked if they still have available rooms on the 21st – 22nd of March.

Check out some pictures of Acuatico Resort:

.: Snagged from Acuatico Website :.

I need to make a reservation ASAP as summer is just around the corner and soon beach resorts will all be fully booked.

Artscow

Thanks to Peachy for referring me to this site: Artscow.com.

Ever since I discovered it, I have been busy sorting our thousands and thousands of pictures and I have begin to upload it to their website as I wanted to create my first photo book.

I used to do digital scrap booking but then I got busy with work and with blogging that I left this old hobby of mine. So now I have dozens and dozens of DVDs of our pictures which we never had to time to print also.

And so when I checked out their site, I was so excited when I saw their Photo Book making tool that I started to do my first Photo Book layout from their site right away. They have custom themes and kits that I can just click and drag to create my own photo book. And their rates are way much cheaper (50-70% cheaper than the rates here in Manila). Even their photo printing is really cheap. A 4x6 picture will only cost 6 cents per piece which is less than P3 only. And they even offer 1200 free prints for new members so you just have to pay for the shipping.

I am still not finish with my Photo Book Layout but I tell you this is so addicting. And hopefully I can create photo books for all our major events.

For His Dream Car

My brother has been really keen in convincing us for days now to buy his Toyota Innova. He knows that we are considering buying a second car before June and he is suggesting that we just buy his four months old Toyota Innova instead of buying a brand new one. He is even giving us discounts as we don’t have to pay for the down payment that he made for the car when he bought it and we will just continue paying the monthly due for his car loan.

This really made me curious as to why he is willing to sell his car at discounted price and so when I asked him, he admitted that he saw a nice car at autotropolis.com when he was browsing the net and he really fell in love with it.

My brother is really into cars and he has been telling us about this site which really caught his attention. The site has a wide range of car selection from different car makers like Kia, Mercedes Benz, Ford, and even BMW and Jaguar. It is a great site for those who are selling or buying cars. The site sells both brand new and used cars like Used Kia and you can readily get a price quote of the car that you like from the site.

He really has no plans of selling his four month old car, but he instantly decided to give up his new car when he saw the pictures of his dream car that he found on the site. He became even more convinced to sell his car after learning about the great reviews about this car which he read from the site also. With the incentives, like Kia Rebates, which he can get from Autotropolis and the money that he can come up after selling his car, he is sure that he will be able to buy his dream car.

I just hope that he can find a buyer for his Innova soon as I don’t think that we can afford to buy it for now.

Weekend Snapshot # 29 - Banana Split

Nothing much really happened this weekend. I was not in the mood to go out as it is the Valentine’s Day weekend and for sure there will be heavy traffic and malls and restaurants will be really full and busy. So we just decided to stay at home.

I was looking for a picture that I can use as my entry for this week’s Weekend Snapshot and this is the only picture that caught my fancy.

Happy weekend snapshots everyone.

Saturday Six - Episode 252

1. Were you in the same location five years ago that you are today? Would you have expected to be? Five years ago, I still live with my parents but now, I am living happily with my husband and daughter.
Yes, I expected it to be this way.
2. Are you driving the same car you drove five years ago? Were you driving the same car five years before that? I don’t know how to drive.
3. What percentage of the clothes in your closet are clothes you were wearing five years ago? I think, just 10%. I cleaned up my closet recently and I gave away my old clothes.
4. In what way is your life most improved over the last five years? In what way is it least improved over the last five years? I have my husband and my daughter now and they are my source of strength and inspiration.
I think, five years ago, I don’t know how to save up for the future and I guess up to now I am still like that. I love to travel, to shop that I always end up having nothing left to save for the rainy days.
5. Take the quiz: Do You Live in the Past, Present or Future? I live in the present. See my result below:

You Live in the Present

You take things one day at a time. And it turns out, that's a pretty great way to live. You aren't consumed by the past, and you're aren't obsessed with the future. You live in the now, and you enjoy each moment. While most people don't live in the present enough, make sure you don't live in it too much. It would be a mistakepast or neglect to plan for the future.

Do You Live in the Past, Present, or Future?

6. Consider the thing you most hoped for five years ago: has that come true, yet? Yes. Five years ago, I dreamed of having a happy married life and they did come true as I am happily married now and God gave us the most precious gift ever, our lovely daughter.

My Gadgets Wish List

My sister has been teasing me about my cellphone. I had this phone (a Nokia N71) for years now and it is already crying for a replacement. But you know I have a list of priorities and getting a new cellphone is not on the top of my list.

But if I have a budget, below are the gadgets that I would like to have:

1. Iphone – imagine a touch screen phone that has WiFi, GPS mapping, 3G wireless technology, and a widescreen Ipod. It will be really cool to own one. But since I last checked, I still can’t afford this super cool phone.
2. Notebook PC – I have been complaining about how crappy my laptop is and so a slim and portable laptop would be a nice to have gadget for me. Every time we travel, I always plan to bring my laptop with me but I always end up leaving it behind since my laptop is really big and heavy. So having a portable laptop can allow me to bring it with me everywhere I go.
3. Blu ray Player – They say that the quality of Blu-ray is really better compared to DVDs but I also heard it is still expensive. Even Blu ray discs are still expensive since the technology is still almost new. So what my other friends are doing, they will just buy a PS3 instead of a Blu ray player since PS3 has a capability of playing Blu Ray discs.
4. Itouch – if I can’t afford an Iphone, an Itouch would be a great alternative.

Oh well, this are just wish list. I don’t think I will have budget in the coming months for all this gadgets.

Friday Fill-Ins # 111

And...here we go!

1. It seems like this week has been one hell week for me. I can’t concentrate from what I need to do for this weekend as I can’t stop thinking about my problem.

2. Post a comment here when you're done, please?

3. If I thought you will like it I'd do it for you everyday!

4. Love is what I think of most when I think of you.

5. To me, Valentine's Day means hubby.

6. Hubby and my daughter gives me strength.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a good night sleep, tomorrow my plans include going to the mall to buy a gift for my cousin who is celebrating her birthday today and Sunday, I want to go to the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Subic!

International Destination this time

My mom will be having a seminar this coming March and guess where they might go this time – Singapore, Hong Kong or Bangkok. Yup, the seminar for all Barangay Chairmen this year will be out of the country. They used to go to local destinations for their annual conference but looks like they already visited more than once all the best local destinations here in the country so they are going international this time.

I hope they will choose Bangkok over Singapore and Hong Kong because my mom have already been there so at least she gets to visit a new place this time. And who knows, if hubby’s training in the US won’t push through, we might decide to go with my mom to Bangkok. LOL.

I heard it is one of the best places to shop too as goods there are really cheap and they have the best and cheapest like silk shawls and silk ties. Plus I am sure my daughter will love to visit the Elephant village and enjoy a ride with the elephant.

Oh well, nothing is still definite so I can’t make any plans as of the moment. But thinking about another vacation pumps up my adrenalin again, you know me, I am a certified travel addict. LOL.

Rockwell Valentine’s

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Rockwell with the following Valentine’s Day Activity:

1. Flower Fair at the R1 Level – The flower fair is from February 9-15 and if you come on Valentine’s Day, enjoy shopping for a bouquet of flowers for your love one while being serenaded by Kadense's styling on strings or the soulful sax music of Vince Lahorra.

2. Baker’s Dozen at the Concourse – The best home-based bakers will be at Rockwell again from February 6 – 15 where they will feature their best home baked goodies. My cousin and I love this fair that we always go home with our favorite Frozen Brazo de Mercedes from Dimpsy’s or our favorite Caramel Cupcake from Juda Liu after visiting stalls and stalls of the bakers who joined the fair and try out all their sweet goodies. (Gosh, I think I will need my weight loss pills again after this).

3. Audrey Hepburn Film Fest – The fest opened last February 11 where you can enjoy movies of the legendary movie and style icon like Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Sabrina, and Roman Holiday.

Plus a number of stores and restaurants will celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving promos and discounts. So what are you waiting for? Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Power Plant Mall and enjoy the various activities that they lined up for Rockwell Valentine’s.

TANGHALANG PILIPINO’s 2009 Summer Theater Adventure

I found another summer activity that kids and adults alike will enjoy. Tanghalang Pilipino presents their 2009 Summer Theater Adventure. It is a three-week program of various theatrical activities for different age levels designed to develop, hone and explore the dramatic skills and talents of aspiring theater artists. The workshop will be facilitated by the country’s outstanding thespians and practitioners in the field. After the workshop, all students will be part of the recital entitled Tanghalang Huseng Batute to be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Students of the Summer Workshop will have a chance to be invited to audition or perform in the regular season plays and special shows produced by TANGHALANG PILIPINO.

Kids, teens and adults can choose from among the different classes that Tanghalang Pilipino is offering:

CHILDREN'S THEATER 1 (5-8 yrs. old) and CHILDREN'S THEATER 2 (9-12 yrs. old): creative dramatics for children using games, storytelling techniques, movement, music and masks as tools of expression.

TEEN THEATER (13-16 yrs. old): an introduction to performance skills for young adults, the course integrates creative drama, music, writing, movement and visual arts to explore themes concerning the youth.

BEGINNING ACTING (17 yrs. old & above): a practical application of the rudiments of acting including concentration, spontaneity, improvisation, confidence, body and voice preparation, characterization and script analysis to create a unique and authentic life on stage.

MUSICAL THEATER FOR TEENS (12-16 yrs. old) and ACTING IN MUSICAL THEATER (17 yrs. old & above): singing, movement and acting classes are synthesized to prepare actors for performance in musical theater productions.

REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES (18 years old and above): study and application of skills in movement, voice, text and character analysis and improvisation leading to a group performance. Prior acting experience required.

STAGE AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT (18 years old and above): Organizing the production, communicating across different disciplines, and keeping everything running smoothly. Learn about the seamless management of the technical as human aspects of a production.

So what are you waiting for? Start building your career in theater and call Tanghalang Pilipino now at (02)832-3661 or (02)832-1125 local 1620/1621.

Ventusa

I have been cupped. At least that is how I hear Hollywood actress refer to Ventusa. Ventusa is a form of alternative medicine therapy which my husband claims to relaxes the muscles and releases toxins in the body. Ventusa is becoming popular because it is being used in spas and salons now that even Hollywood actresses have been trying it.

In order to perform Ventusa, you need a tall glass, some paper and a match or a lighter. What my hubby did was form a cone using old newspaper, then she puts the top part of the cone on fire while it lies on my back and then cover it with the tall glass. The glass will then be sucked by my skin and my skin will starts ballooning and you can see the pores on my skin opening.

My hubby said that his family has been using this therapy for as long as he can remember and he has been insisting to do it with me every time I complain for muscle pains. And since I was really so stress yesterday, that instead of looking for TV wall mount on the net, I decided to just lie in bed and let hubby perform the Ventusa on me.

Now I have several polka dot spots on my back but it was really relaxing. Now I understand why hubby loves Ventusa.

Stressful

That is how I will describe my week. I have a lot of tasks to finish and I don’t want to leave them unaccomplished before the week end because I will be away from the office next week because I will be on training. I was able to finish majority of my tasks but there are still minor things that I have to finish so I have to drop by the office next week before my training to finish them.

And just a perfect ending for my week, I discovered a problem which I don’t know how to deal with. My husband said that I am just stressing myself and I have nothing to do with it but I feel like I have a responsibility too. That is the reason why I sleep early last night. I can’t stop thinking about it so I feel it will be useless even if I stay up late because I won’t be able to accomplish anything with how my mind is going. So I just sleep it off with hopes that when I wake up the next day, the problem will be gone.

I hate it when things like this happen. They are beyond my control and I know I can’t do anything with it. Stress, stress, stress. I guess I can loose weight even without my diet pills for now with all the stress that I have been going through.

ART CENTER 2009 Summer Workshops

Are you looking for some activity that your kids can be busy with this summer? The ART CENTER together with POWERBOOKS, bring you their SUMMER 2009 Creative Workshops & Seminars for Both Young and Old! The workshop will be held at the Activity Center of Greenbelt from10:30 AM – 12:00 NN (Tentative Schedule) and at the Activity Center of Megamall 4:30 – 6:00 PM. Each Class is P2,500 for four sessions and the rate is inclusive of all the materials to be use for the workshop.

To join, you need to pre-register with Art Center staff by filling out an application form. Then pay the fees directly to directly to Powerbooks but present the OR no. to the Art Center staff for their records. There are only limited slots per class (12 slots per class only) so register in advance if you want to join any of their class.

Below is the list of the classes that they will be offering:

1. Art You Can Use
For ages 6 to 9
Paint, embellish, and personalize your own things!
Week 1 – Apron, Bag ( "art stuff" bag where you can keep your pencils,
crayons, paper for out of the house creativity), Shoe bag
Week 2 – Pencil Case, Pencil Topper, Personalized Pencils (paint and embellish)
Week 3 – Chalk board, Make chalk out of Plaster of Paris, Memo Board, Journal
Week 4 – Kraft Storage Box, Piggy Bank, Small Kraft Boxes

2. Kiddie Crafts
For Ages 3 to 6
Let's just keep 'em creatively productive! Come in clothes which are acceptable for messy art sessions.
Week 1 – Stamp Painting / Crayon Resist / Beach Picture Frame / Collage Element 1
Week 2 – String Painting / Door Knob Name Plate / Collage Element 2
Week 3 – Cotton Bomb Painting / Dog Puppet / Collage Element 3
Week 4 – Finger Painting / Aerial Mobile / Putting Designs Together Onto Collage

3. Bead Craft
For Ages 13 and Up (adults are more than welcome!)
Learn how to make useable, sellable jewelry with this workshop!
Week 1 – Intro to Materials / Using the pliers / Earrings
Week 2 – Bag Charm
Week 3 – Necklace & Eye Glass Holder
Week 4 – Bracelet

4. Music and Movement
For Ages 3 to 6
Great for kids who need aerobic exercise and an outlet for all their happy energy!
Week 1 – Exercise, Finger Plays & Hi/Low, Loud/Soft, Fast/Slow
Week 2 – Exercise, Making Maracas & Getting the Rhythm Using Percussion Instruments
Week 3 – Exercise, Balance/Coordination through Scarves & Counting Using Songs
Week 4 – Exercise, Make Believe & Relaxing Through Music

5. Papier Mache (and Others)
For ages 8 to 10
Learn to make basic shapes out of papier mache then modify it with your imagination!
Remember that papier mache takes awhile to dry up so participants will take home items and bring them back at the next session for painting and embellishing.
Week 1 – Bowl, Plate, Cup
Week 2 – Make Your Own Mask, Wizard's Cone Hat, Shield/Wand
Week 3 – Embellish a paper Waste Basket with papier mache
Week 4 – Paint and embellish finished papier mache items

6. Reconstruct Your Tees
For Ages 13 and Up (adults are more than welcome!)
Be hip, be resourceful, recycle and express yourself by
Week 1 – Intro to Materials, Parts of a Shirt, Ripping (Broken Heart)
Week 2 – Rutching, Design by addition (embellishments, painting, tie-dying) or subtraction (cutting, transferring)
Week 3 – Beanie Hats, Drawstring Bag, Cell Phone Pouch
Week 4 – Slashed Shirts, Safely Pinned and Vests (Vested Interest)

7. Working with Felt Cloth
For Ages 7 and Up (adults are more than welcome!)
Week 1 – Cell Phone Holder and Pen Friends
Week 2 – Notebook Covers and Headbands
Week 3 – Bookmarks and Door Knob Signs
Week 4 – Embellish everything else (Pen Holder, Key Chain, Gift Tag)

8. Creative Writing and Book Making
For Ages 7 and Up
Week 1 – Creativity Exercise 1 – The Creative Limit, What Makes A Book?, Collages & Writing About Me
Week 2 – Creativity Exercise 2 – What is It?, Books With Pop Ups & Journaling My Feelings
Week 3 – Creativity Exercise 3 – How Does It End?, Accordion Book & Working with What If's
Week 4 – Creativity Exercise 4 – Solve It Another Way, Books with Pull Outs & My Written Masterpiece

9. Storytelling with Crafts
For Ages 3 to 6
Make a craft project and retell the story!
Week 1 – Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister- paper puppets of rainbow fish, the octopus and the other fishes
Week 2 – Chicka Chicka Boom Boom- make your own coconut tree and paint letters made of plaster
Week 3 – The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins- make homemade playdough cookies
Week 4 – The very busy spider ( with clock) - paint and embelish a clock face, make puppet characters

SCHEDULE
Monday
Art You Can Use – April 20, 27 and May 4, 11
Storytelling with Craft – May 18, 25 and June 1, 6
Tuesday
Kiddie Crafts – April 14, 21, 28 and May 5
Reconstructing Your Tees – May 12, 19, 26 and June 2
Wednesday
Jewelry Making – April 15, 22, 29 and May 6
Working With Felt Cloth – May 13, 20, 27 and June 3
Thursday
Music and Movement – April 16, 23, 30 and May 7
Creative Writing & Book Making – May 14, 21, 28 and June 4
Friday
Papier Mache – May 15, 22, 29 and June 5

Me and Hubby

Hubby and I have different personalities even if we are born in the same month and have the same birth signs. Hubby is the more outgoing type and he loves sports and is very adventurous. On the other hand, I don’t like sports and is always on the safe side and is very scared to try out new things.

But when it comes to food and dining, hubby and I are the same. We are ever adventurous when it comes to food and we will only try out a restaurant only if it is recommended to us by a friend. That is why we love the site Westword because it is really the best guide for Denver Restaurants. We just have to check their restaurant reviews or check the restaurants in their list based on the type of cuisine that we want or the price range or even the restaurant features and we can already select the restaurants that we want to dine in.

Do check out their site. They are the best source for news, entertainment or anything about Denver.

UP OU

Have you heard about University of the Philippines’ Open University? I heard and read a lot about distance learning program and how I wish we have something like that here in the Philippines. And so I was so surprised when I found out University of the Philippines has been offering college courses online for fourteen years now through their Open University.

The UP Open University or UPOU is the fifth autonomous university of the UP System and was established through a resolution of the Board of Regents in its 1084th meeting on 23 February 1995.

They offer undergraduate programs like Associate and Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies. They also have post-baccalaureate programs like Diploma in Social Work, Diploma Mathematics Teaching or even a Diploma in Computer Science. They also have Master’s program and Doctoral program and even non-formal courses like Introduction to E-commerce, Caring for Special Children and a lot of different non-formal courses.

This is really very convenient especially for busy individuals who can’t leave their job to study or who are stay at home moms and would still like to pursue further studies. They only have to report at least once a month to meet with their tutor and classmates and then the rest is online. There are also examinations which the student has to take at learning centers.

New Shows at AXN

AXN has a new list of shows lined up this coming love month.

1. CSI Vegas Season 9
Starts on February 18, every Wednesday at 10 PM

I am sure that first episode will be a very dramatic one with the death of Warrick Brown. The CSI Vegas team is so close to each other that I am sure it will be a heavy blow for them when they found out about the death of Warrick. I wonder how the team will handle the processing of the crime scene and the evidence of a victim who is very close to their heart.

I heard that Sarah Sidle (who left the show last season because of personal reasons) will be brought back to the show with the lost of Warrick.

I love the character of Warrick Brown (played by actor Gary Dourdan) and I hate to see his character taken out of the show that way. But I guess if Warrick is leaving the show, the writers have to make it more interesting for its viewers.

2. The Duke
Starts on February 9, every Monday at 8 PM

Remember the funniest, cutest and smartest team from the Philippines from the Amazing Race Asia 2, Mark Nelson and Rovilson? They are one of my favorite teams who ran the Amazing Race and when they lost the race as was one of those who got really disappointed and affected. But I am glad that AXN decided to give them a show.

The Duke is one of the latest AXN original productions. It is a glossy men’s magazine talk show that will have topics from politics, finance, sex, wellness and just about anything under the sun in a very stylish and sophisticated manner that will surely make the men glued to their sit and watch the show.

The pilot episode will feature inspiring stories of 13 very successful and powerful men from across Asia.

3. Amazing Race Asia 14
Starts February, every Monday at 8 PM

The Amazing Race is one of my favorite reality TV shows. I can’t wait to meet the 11 teams who will race around the world again to win $1,000,000.

Digital 101: Photography and the Computer

I was looking for information about medical coding training courses but instead I found this information which really caught my attention.

Filipinas Heritage Library will be conducting a workshop on photography entitled “Digital 101: Photography and the Computer.” The workshop will be held on February 16, 18, 20, 23, and 25 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Reading Room of the Filipinas Heritage Library.

Topics that will be discussed include:
- factors affecting photographic output
- basic understanding of light
- the digital camera and its functions
- exposure setting
- how to see and take better pictures
- basic image manipulation and output considerations

The workshop will entail photo assignments, critiquing, and a photo clinic so participants are required to bring their own Digital Camera (preferably SLR).
The speaker for the workshop is the countries leading photography instructor, Jay Alonzo. The fee for the workshop is P4, 000 and it includes handouts, meals, computer use and certificate.

Those who wish to reserve a slot for the workshop can pre-register and pay a reservation fee of P500 on or before February 9, 2009. For more inquiries, call Filipinas Heritage Library at 892-1801 or 0917- 5594417.

OLD & NEW

I miss my old room here in the office. I moved to my new room a month ago. It’s bigger than my old room but since we don’t have a separate room for our work table, they decided to put it in my room. Another thing that I miss from my old room is the nice view that I have every time I look out of the window. I just have to pull up my Window Blinds and voila, I have a great view of the city.

I moved to the other side of the building that is why I lost my window. And if before my room is just in front of the pantry and is very close to the restroom, now I have to walk a little further around the floor if I need to take a bathroom or lunch break (But at least I get to do a little exercise).

But I am not complaining though. With the thousands of people loosing their jobs because of the recession, I’m still very lucky that I still have my job which is one of the sources of income for my family.

TY for Overtime

Yahoo, I go my overtime pay last Thursday. So how should I spend it?

1. Buy a new Louis Vuitton bag for me
2. Buy an Iphone for me (I just so love it but I still find it very expensive)
3. Buy my daughter a PSP or a Nintendo DS Lite (I also enjoying playing the game Cooking Mama and Cake Mania so I am sure I will enjoy this new toy if I decide to buy one for my daughter)
4. A wine of the month for my father
5. A new camera lens for my husband
6. Another out of town vacation either in Boracay or Bohol (I want to go to the beach again this summer)
7. Spice up our house by buying a new living room set
8. A plasma TV for our bedroom
This list can go on and on. The sad part is I just don’t have that enough money to buy all that is in my list. But I am not complaining though. I am happy that I was able to work overtime and earn some extra cash that I can spend for some of the extra things that I’m dreaming for me and my family.

Cooking for Couples: 2nd Time Around

Are you tired of the usual ways of celebrating Valentine’s Day? Or do you want to avoid the crowd who swarms the malls, hotels and restaurants to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones?

Then why not try to set a date with your spouse, your boy friend, your friend or a family member and bond through cooking by attending Del Monte Kitchenomics, Cooking for Couples.

Registration fee is P2, 800 per couple and it includes the ingredients and materials, apron and toque, recipe hand-out, certificate of participation, and a take home meal that you both can enjoy after the class. Meals that will be taught during the class include Pan-Grilled Chicken Fillet Barbecue with Garlic Pasta, Parmesan Garlic Toasties, Sun-Dried Tomato & Pine-Smoked Fish Dip and Fruit Panna Cotta.

The class will be on February 14, 2009 at the G/F, Building 3, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. If you want to register just call Doreen or Llena Mondays thru Fridays from 8AM to 5 PM at 856-4226 or 856-2888 local 1465.

Our Weekend

We had a lot of activities lined up for this weekend.

1. We will drop by at the school that we are considering for our daughter this coming school year as we will enroll her for their summer program.
2. It is our anniversary weekend so hubby is planning for an out of town getaway. Not sure though where we are going as we haven’t sit down to talk about it.
3. We might drop by at a furniture store to accompany my mother as she needs to look for discount furniture for her office.
4. Hear anticipated mass on Saturday as we sill surely arrive late come Sunday if we will go out of town.
5. Finish all my tasks on Saturday so I don’t have to worry about it on Sunday.

But instead we were only able to do item number 4 on the list as my daughter got sick since Saturday so we just stayed at home during the weekend. We will take her to her pediatrician tomorrow. We’re hoping that she will get better and that her doctor won’t recommend for her confinement as I don’t know if we can take it when she starts to cry while they are putting her IV or if they prick her with needles to do some blood tests.

For Valentine’s Day

I can’t believe that January is already over and for sure malls will be filled with heart decorations in time for the Valentine’s Day celebration.

We’re really not the type of couple who gives a big fuss about Valentine’s Day because we know how crowded malls and restaurants can get on this special day. We just prefer to stay at home but we still give gifts for each other.

This reminds me that I only have two weeks to search for gifts for hubby. What do you think of my choices?

1. Hotel memberships – This is an annual membership where members get discounts on published room rates of participating hotels. At least we can really get value for our money since we can enjoy discounted rates for a year.
2. Polar watches – hubby needs to replace his watch and so I am thinking of getting one for him for Valentines’ Day
3. A new NBA or NHL action figure or any kind of toy – but he has tons of this already
4. Out of town vacation – so our daughter can join us in celebrating Valentine's Day so for sure it will be much fun

How about you guys, what do you plan to give your loved ones this Valentine’s Day.

Happy for my Friend

My good friend is getting married! Finally! Al of us in our group is waiting for her announcement on when she will get married and so we are all so excited and happy when she finally told us that her boyfriend already popped the question and she said YES.

All of us will be a part of the entourage (including my daughter). We are all excited since all of us in our group are already married so we can all help prepare for the wedding. Can you imagine as soon as she told us about the good news, we all brainstormed right away on how we can help our dear friend turn her dream wedding into a reality.

We even started planning for her bridal shower when she left us to meet with her now fiancée after our dinner even though the wedding is still months away from now. We all agreed that we will give her sexy corsets as our bridal shower gift.

Is it obvious that we are that excited for our friend? We love our dear friend so much and we all know his fiancée is really the perfect match for her so we really can’t wait for the day when they will exchange their vows and their promise to be with each other forever.