Rosie Dunne

Ok, I know I have to look for Mesothelioma lawyers but my colleague offered to lend me her book entitled “Rosie Dunne.” I started reading it when I reached home and I can’t seem to get my hands off the book.

Rosie Dunne is a novel written by Cecelia Ahern, author of the book P.S. I Love You. The novel is about Rosie and Alex who have been the best of friends since childhood. When they entered their teenage years, they are starting to discover each other romantically but then Alex and his family have to move to Boston. Rosie finally decided to be reunited with Alex when she decided to enter Boston College but then she got pregnant and so she missed the chance of moving to Boston. But they still get in touch through emails and letters even after so many years had passed.

All the people around them knew that the two are soul mates and they are really meant for each other but will they finally end together. That is for me to find out that is why I can’t put the book down.

So I have to sign off for now and continue reading, Rosie Dunne.

Weekend Snapshot # 35 - Meet the Whole Gang

We attended another Jollibee party last Saturday. It is the second birthday party of Djuan, the son of a fellow nawie Pheng and Donar.

My daughter really enjoyed the party. As soon as we enter the party venue, Jollibee is already there joining the kids with the party games. So as soon as my daughter sees him, she immediately ran and join the other kids with the game. She even won second price and she was so happy with the prices that she won.

Too bad she fell asleep when it is time for the mascots to do their dance numbers. My daughter will definitely love it specially the whole Jollitown friends are present. Everybody was so excited and even the adults had their picture taken with the whole gang as soon as they enter the party venue.

Jollibee is sure hit to the kids. Thanks for inviting us Pheng, Donar and Djuan. We sure had fun.

Punta Riviera Resort – Bolinao, Pangasinan

Looking forward to this:

Photo Credit: Punta Riviera website

Since we are having a hard time looking for a nice resort in Batangas for the next weekend, we decided to change venue and try calling the resorts in Pangasinan. Since it is also a four hour drive from Manila, we decided that going North will still be a good idea for hubby’s company outing.

I tried searching the net and I landed on the blog of Anton and I saw the pictures that he posted when they went to Punta Riviera in Bolinao, Pangasinan. My brother also recommended this place and so I inquired and low and behold, they still have rooms left for the coming weekend so I made temporary reservations.

Hubby asked his colleague to send an email so they can have a head count on how many will be coming so we will know how many rooms we should book. I am excited already. It is the first time for us to go South and we haven’t explored the beaches there so it is something new for us.

I can’t wait….But first I have to take Lipovox and it better work so I will be in a better shape when we go to the beach next weekend.

Things that I learn when buying cars

This may not be a tip when joining online auctions, but I learned a few things when purchasing brand new cars and I like to share it here:

1. Shop around. Visiting showrooms is free and car agents (specially now that sales are low because of the crisis) are really friendly and will be willing to entertain you with all your questions. It is also a good chance to see the actual cars, because there is really a big difference from its actual looks than what is posted on the dealer’s website.

2. If you already selected your car brand, visit their other branches too since different dealers, even if they are selling the same car brand, offer different car packages to their customers.

Like one agent is giving us P5, 000 discount, plus free car insurance, and free LTO registration even if we are purchasing the car thru bank financing. While the other agent can only give us this discount if we avail of their in-house financing which has higher interest rates than most banks.

3. Make an Excel sheet to compare the prices, the freebies, the interest, etc so you can have a clearer picture of the different packages that each dealer is offering. Sometimes you might think that one dealer has the best offer but if you will sum it all up, in a period of five years, that offer has higher interest rates.

4. Ask for freebies. Don’t be shy to haggle for discounts and ask for freebies. When we first inquired, the only freebies that they are offering is the basic like the seat cover, floor mat, rust proofing and tint. But after haggling with the agent, we were able to get additional freebies like the back sensor, muffler cutter and car cover.

5. Don’t rush things. Always think it over and make sure that you are truly happy with your decision before finalizing the deal with your car agent.

Three Times Thursday

I know it is already Sunday, but I saw this on Yen’s site and I decided to snag it.

1. How are you doing today? Is it a Good Day, A Bad Day, or an Indifferent Day? Why?
+ I’m feeling great today! We received great news regarding the car that we want to buy and hopefully we will be able to get it this week or early next week. I was also greeted by my daughter’s great smile when she woke us up by saying “Good morning mom and dad.” This sure is one great way to start my day. And she is still awake and is playing beside me while I am still working.
2. What are you up to/what have you done so far today?
+ Still a busy day at work. I was also able to call a few persons that I need to talk to today. I just have to reschedule my MCTS exam that is scheduled for Friday and I will hit the sack after that.
3. What are your plans for the evening? Anything fun?
+ Finish all my pending tasks then go to bed.
Have a great day/night wherever you are!

Shopaholic & Sister and on Traveling

Have you seen the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic? Unfortunately for me, I was not able to see it, not even on DVD. I haven’t found the time to go to the mall to buy the DVD and I am even not sure if the DVD of the movie is already available.

I love the Shopaholic series of Sophie Kinsella. They are so down right funny and there are times where I can really relate to Becky Bloomwood while reading the book. The Shopaholic and Sister is my second favorite book, next to the first book of Sophie Kinsella. I love the idea of going on a one year leave and traveling around the world with my husband.

One of my friends dreams of doing the same thing as Becky, but instead he wants to go on a gay travel. He said that this will be a perfect opportunity for him to meet new friends while exploring the world and at the same time the retreats that they give to participants can help him on his journey for his personal growth.

I am sure we all have dreams to explore the world one day. If we have all the money in the world that is definitely something I would love to do with hubby and my daughter.

Never Been Kissed

I am not talking about Drew Barrymore’s movie. I am talking about Susan Boyle who’s been the talk of the town after she impressed the three judges, including Simon Cowell, in the show Britain’s Got Talent.

Susan Boyle is 47 years old, never been kissed, and lives alone in a small Scottish village with her cat, Pebbles. She was even the target of bullies when she was a kid and who knows, they might even be teasing her that she needs the best weight loss pills because of her figure. The audience was laughing when she was being interviewed by Simon Cowell but they were all speechless and some are even in tears after she sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables.

I was watching her video and even Simon was amazed at how great her voice is. One of the judges even commented that this is his biggest surprise ever in the three years that he has been in the show. She even received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges. Simon even said that Susan Boyle can go back to her village heads up because she just received three big Yeses from the judges of the show. And she is already meeting with Simon Cowell’s Sony BMG label.

I was so moved also after hearing her performance and her voice was like an angel and it is indeed the greatest performance I have ever seen. I can't find a video from YouTube that I can embed here but just type Susan Boyle in YouTube and you will definitely get a lot of search results of her performance.

I am sure we can expect to see more of Susan Boyle soon.

Classic Cooking for Beginners

Cooking Mama. I have been addicted with this DS-Lite game for days now. Even my husband is complaining since I am always glued to my cousin’s DS Lite and I looked very busy playing with my favorite game, Cooking Mama.

I don’ know how to cook and this is a frustrating fact but it is even more frustrating since I always get a failing mark too every time I am playing with Cooking Mama. I guess I need to attend a Cooking lesson such as this:

Classic Cooking for Beginners

Del Monet Kitchenomics will be offering a basic cooking lesson where they will teach participants cooking techniques needed to prepare classic and simple recipes like Pork Adobo, Chicken Afritada, Menudo, Beef Caldereta and Sweet & Sour Fish.

The class will be held on April 30, 2009 at 9:00 AM to be held at Del Monte Test Kitchen (G/F B3 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig). The registration fee is P2,500 per person and it includes ingredients and materials, recipe hand-out, apron & toque, certificate of participation, and take home samples of the meals prepared during class.

For inquiries, call 856-4226 or 856-2888 loc 1465 from Mondays thru Fridays from 8-5 pm and look for Doreen or Llena.

Ashton @ Twitter with 1 Million Followers

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I miss tweeting. I used to be an active Tweeter and I can say Twitter is really addicting because you tend to reply and comment on all the Tweets posted by those you are following. There are even times that I end up prioritizing Twitter above all my other chores like when I need to search for a lighting fixture or a hotel accommodation or travel deals. But ever since I got really busy, I barely had the time in my hands to monitor and reply to all the Tweets that my Tweeter mates had posted.

But I can say that Twitter is really making it big since Hollywood stars are also into it like Ryan Seacrest, Demi Moore, Oprah (who just started on Twitter) and the most popular of all the Hollywood Tweeters, Ashton Kutcher. He even had a duel with CNN in getting the mark to be the first Twitter member to have one million followers.

And last April 17, Ashton (@aplusk) has hit his 1 million follower mark shortly after 11 PM. His wife Demi Moore, Soleil Moon Frye and Sean "Diddy" Combs have helped him campaigned via phone to reach his one million mark. Ashton was leading most of the day but CNN took the lead before 10 PM. So Ashton used Ustream.TV to ask his fans to follow him on Twitter. CNN lost by 1,200 followers.

Ashton promised to donate 10,000 mosquito nets to “Malaria No More Fund” if he hit the 1 million mark. He also promised his one-millionth follower would be made into a Sims character.

Sick Leave

I decided to call in sick last Wednesday because of a terrible head ache. Actually I have been hit bad by my migraine since Tuesday and so when I woke up with a terrible head ache again last Wednesday, I decided to just stay at home since I won’t be productive at work with this terrible migraine anyways.

Tuesday, I already woke up with a throbbing headache but I still manage to go to work since I still have a lot of things to finish. I thought that I have my medical supplies in my bag like my pain reliever capsules but I did not realize that I already run out of supplies. And I was so lazy to go down to the nearest drug store to buy my medicine because it was so hot so I just tried to endure the day with my headache. (Which I know is a really bad idea).

That is why I should really enroll to the auto reorder system of Allergo Medical so I won’t forget refilling my pain reliever supplies. Oh well, next time I know better.

Weekly Wrapup #29: I Forget

Have you forgotten anything in the past week? If so, what? I think I have forgotten quite a few (but I can’t remember exactly what it is. LOL). Ever since I had my CS operation, I became more forgetful

Are you usually scatter-brained or more organized? I try to more organize. Like I will make a list of all the things that I need to do for the day, and strike them off once I already accomplished it. I also try to follow my schedule as much as I can so I will be able to accomplish a lot of things.

Do you use any sort of planner or agenda for your dates? Does it help to not forget? Yes, before I use the Task reminder in MS Outlook. This really helps me to remember the things I have to do since it will send a pop up message on my PC to help me remember things. But for this year, I bought the Belle de Jour planner and I love it more since I can write my To do list for the day and even my future plans and I love striking off all the tasks that I am able to finish.

What do you feel about the phrase “forgive and forget?” Hmm, I forgive but I don’t forget. LOL.

X0X0 and AR

Looks like I will be really busy for the next coming days. Not with work, but with the current movies and TV series that I have on my Ipod.

I am now finished with the latest season of CSI Las Vegas and so I need to load my Ipod with new TV series that I love watching. Thanks to micro torrent, I was able to download the complete Season 1 of Gossip Girl and Season 12 of The Amazing Race. Since my daughter is always glued to the TV, we can’t convince her to switch channel no matter how we try to bribe her so we always miss all the TV series that we love watching. So I am really glad that I was able to download all of them so I can catch up with my favorite shows.

Hubby already converted it last night and he already started to load it on my Ipod (thanks dad, I really appreciate it) so I will be able to start watching all my favorite TV series this week. But for the mean time, while I am waiting for all the movies to be uploaded on my Ipod, I have to look for wood flooring first, for our planned house renovation. – X0X0

Way up North

Looking for a new beach getaway this summer? We always go to Batangas since it is the closest place that we can go from Manila where we can experience clean, white sandy beaches. For two summers now, we always head south of Manila to try any of the resorts in San Juan Batangas and so we want to try out something new for our next beach getaway. So when I read about Thunderbird Resorts from Sassy Mom (you can check her blog for more pictures of Thunderbird resort and her experience when they went there), I instantly fell in love with the place and tried to make a reservations right that same moment. Too bad all their weekends from April to June are already fully booked.

.: Photo snagged from Thunderbird Resort Website :.

Thunderbird Resort – Poro Point is located north of Manila, in San San Fernando La Union. Thunderbird resort is just a newly opened resort in La Union. It opened its doors to the public last May 2008. Thunderbird resort is a Mediterranean-inspired hotel and each of their rooms offer a magnificent view of the ocean. They have an active boardwalk by the sea, a balcony equipped with outdoor cushions, a nine-hole golf course, and a Cabana Bar inside the Casino with live entertainment.

I hope we will be able to visit this resort soon.

Weekend Snapshot # 34 - Lenten Season in the Philippines

Every Lenten Season, a Senakulo is held in our barangay. Senakulo is a tradition during Holy Week which is a play depicting the life of Jesus Christ until his resurrection. In some parts of the Philippines, devotees who are acting the role of Jesus Christ in the Senakulo will literally be crucifying themselves which they say is penance for their sins.

More Summer Activities

More Classes for Kids and even the whole family this summer

1. Maya Kitchen’s Summer Cooking and Baking Classes for the whole family

Junior Culinary Workshop
(for kids aged 6-12)
Tuesday-Friday; 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
April 14-17
May 5-8

Young People's Cook-In
(for teens aged 13 & up)
Tuesday-Friday; 9 am to 1 pm
April 21-24
May 12-15

Parent & Child Cooking Tandem
(cooking & baking bonding with Mom or Dad)
Saturday; 9 am to 2 pm
April 18 & 25

For inquiries, contact the Maya Kitchen at 892-5011 loc. 108.

2. Manila Soccer Academy's Soccer Summer Camp
* Soccer class for kids 3.5 years old up to 15 years old
* Classes will be every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
* Fee for three times a week schedule is P 6,240 for members and P6,790 for non-members.
* Fee for two times a week schedule is P5,850 for members and P6,210 for non-members.

At the end of the training program, there will be a major football festival to be participated by all students of MSA.

For inquiries, contact MSA at mobile 0917-8415530 or 828-8674.

3. Dusit’s Cookie and Baking Class for Kids
Class is open for kids 5-12 years old. Classes will be held every Friday and Saturday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM from March – April 2009.

For inquiries, please call 867-3333.

Showbiz News

I need to look for a site where I can get free insurance quotes, but before I do that, let me post an update here about the latest happenings in Hollywood.

1. I just learned that Clay Aiken (a former American Idol runner up) is one of the judges for the new season of America’s Next Top Model.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Some are saying that he signed up for the ANTM because he needs more exposure. His newly released collection, Playlist: The Very Best Of Clay Aiken from BMG, only sold 3,000 copies and lands to the #173 position in the Billboard album chart.

But Clay is not the only one who is experiencing this since other once famous American Idols like Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks (one of my favorite), Bo Bice, and Katharine McPhee has been dropped by BMG because of the drop in the sales of their album.

2. Lindsay Lohan wants to buy the rights for the life story of Rock legend Stevie Nicks and play the role of the legend in big screen. But Stevie Nicks’s reply was “Over my dead body. She needs to stop doing drugs and get a grip. Then maybe we'll talk.”

I am a nobody but I won’t even allow Lindsay Lohan to portray my life too. LOL.

3. Sarah Michelle Gellar, the star of the hit TV series Buffy the Vampire slayer, is pregnant with her first child to her husband of six years, Freddie Prince Jr. (he is really so handsome). Sarah is reportedly due this fall.

Moved In

The renovation of our apartment is now finish. Thanks to my mom and my dad who supervised the renovation for us. All the galvanized iron on the roof has been replaced, the house is newly repainted, the doors for the main entrance and the rest room has been replaced also, the glass window has been installed and the PVC fence is also now up.

One of our two apartments has been vacated when one of our tenants left. It has been vacant for almost two weeks and we took that opportunity to do repairs for the apartments. We received a couple of application for the new tenant and after interviewing the applicants, we gave it to my mom’s friend since he is the most capable to afford the monthly rent since he has a stable job.

He moved in the other day with his wife and is really a good timing since we will be getting a new loan for our car and so we can use the income that we will be getting from the rent to pay for the new loan.

Saturday 9: Enjoying Your Holiday

1. There are several religious holidays going on this weekend. Any plans? We will be sponsoring one of the stations in the station of the cross in our barangay. We will also be doing the “Caridad” where we will prepare food to be shared to all our neighbors.

2. Do you look forward to holiday events or do they stress you out? Look forward because that means that I don’t have to go to work and spend time with my family.

3. Do you have any traditional meals that you will eat? None.

4. We are changing seasons. What are you looking forward to? No more snow and the beauty of spring.

5. Around here it is turning to spring. What signals spring to you? We don’t have spring here in my part of the world, but for me, spring is signaled by the beautiful flower blossoming after winter which is when they are the prettiest.

6. What is your favorite season and why? Spring, because I love the beauty of the flowers around me.

7. Do you have a favorite food when dining out? We love the spicy foods in Banana Leaf.

8. What is your favorite beverage when out? Iced tea since it is affordable and refillable. LOL.

9. When is your next big night out? Still no plans as we still don’t have a car.

Video 48 Shop - for the FPJ Fan

“Turn Back the Hands of Time. No one can do it literally, of course. What one often does is to simply relive, or try to remember the past, the good old happy days, the years gone by. Some do it by reading old letters, some by looking at old albums and photographs. Some reminisce to talking to old friends. Well, others simply watch good old movies.” – Mon Santos

Mon Santos is the author of the Video48 Blog and FPJ Blogspot. He is also the owner of the Video 48 Shop which sells and rent old movies like the movies of the late Lino Brocka, Fernando Joe Jr, Dolphy, Nida Blanca and other old Sampaguita picture movies just to name a few. Their video shop is located at West Avenue, Quezon City.

Mon Santos is the number one fan of the late Fernando Poe Jr so if you are looking for old FPJ movies, you can rent or even get a copy from their shop. That is how my husband discovered Video 48. Being a true FPJ fan himself, he got really interested (and envious. LOL) of Mon’s collection and wish he also has them. He finds his collection very extraordinary because of its vast and rare number of movies and memorabilia in his shelf.

We visited his shop a few months back because hubby joined an online contest sponsored by Video 48 where contestants have to answer a trivia question about FPJ and my hubby was the second winner. He got an FPJ shirt and we picked it up from their shop. After seeing their vast collection of FPJ movies, he started to look at their library and we went home with more than a dozen of CDs of FPJ movies. That is why he is planning to upgrade the video cards of our PC and laptop so he can watch his new FPJ collection in good resolution.

Do check out his shop specially if you are an FPJ fan and I am sure you will go crazy too like my husband with the hundreds of FPJ movies they have in their collection.

Toyota's Bigtime Summer Promo

Are you planning to buy a Toyota Vios or Toyota Innova anytime soon? Well if you are, then this month is the right time for you to buy your dream car as Toyota is having a Bigtime Summer Promo from April 2 to 30, 2009.

This Bigtime Summer Promo will give Toyota buyers an opportunity to just have initial cash out of as low as P65, 000 for Toyota Vios and P78, 300 for Toyota Innova. There will also be no Chattel Mortgage for those purchasing using Toyota Financial Service Lease- to-Own plans. They are also giving away free auto insurance, free gas card and free LTO registration (that is almost P32, 000 worth in savings).

Those who are qualified to join the promo are those who are planning to buy a Vios or Innova through Toyota Financial Services during the promo period. The promo is nationwide and is open for those customers who will be buying Toyota Innova and Vios 1.5 and 1.3E only.

So what are you waiting for now? Grab this offer so you can start driving your dream car now.

Fit Flops

I really need a work out. Gosh, my tummy so big, no wonder a lot of my colleagues are asking me again if I am pregnant or what. But since I have a very busy lifestyle, I don’t think I can fit into my schedule an hour of workout at the gym.

So when I learned about Fit Flops, I got really interested. Basically, Fit Flop is flip flops but what makes it different from the other flip flops is it allows you to do a work out while wearing it.

So how does it do that? Fit Flop uses a micro-wobble board technology which places varying densities under your feet each time you step allowing you to do a work out. It also has a multi-density midsole that stimulates your muscles more while you're wearing them. This helps tone your legs and bum muscles more. Fit Flops have been proven to increase the amount of time that the gluteus maximus muscle is 'activated' during every single step. Plus Fit Flops are so comfortable to wear, you will feel like you’re walking barefooted.

Look at the cute styles available for Fit Flops.


And they even went high fashion with their collaboration with Beth Buccini and Sarah Easley of Kirna Zabte. Meet the Aurelia Gladiator Fit Flop.

Photo Credit Fit Flop

Being an MCTS

I have been quite busy these past few weeks. (Oh well, since November of last year, I have been saying this). The reason why I am so busy is I have to juggle my time with work, my mommy and wife duties, with my sideline and the first thing that is at the top of my priority right now is I am reviewing for my certification exam.

It is no biggie though. It is not something which can change my career like getting jobs in banking. I am just planning to take my MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) exam before I start to go back to school in June. Hubby has been asking me to take this exam for months now. I am already a Microsoft Certified Professional and I got this certification a few years ago. This is the entry level of certification for IT Professionals that Microsoft is offering but since I got my MCP certification, I did not really pursue in acquiring additional certifications.

And since by June, it will be my annual Performance Appraisal again, I thought that this will be a good time to get my certification. For days now, I have been reading the books that hubby supplied me. My target is to take the exam this month as I know I will really be busy by May since it is already the start of enrollment for my Masteral Degree and I don’t want to wait till June since I will definitely be busy when school starts.

Wish me luck guys and I hope I will be able to pass my second certification with Microsoft.

Riviera Maya for their Honeymoon

Guess who we saw at the mall today? Hubby and my daughter picked me up at my office after work and we decided to drop by at Rockwell Mall. We were already on our way out after having dinner when we saw the newlyweds Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo dining in one of the restaurants in the ground floor. Today is exactly a week after their much talked about wedding.

Looks like the couple hasn’t left for their honeymoon yet but I heard they are looking at a lot of options on where to go for their honeymoon. If I were to choose, I would definitely go to Riviera Maya. Being a high profile celebrity, I am sure they will need the peace and quite and the private and relaxing feeling if they stay in one of the Casita Suite of El Dorado Royale Resort where they will be pampered and feel really relax. Imagine, if you step out of the room, you will gain access to the winding river connected to a swimming pool. They can also try the spa of the resort where they can relax with the romantic view of the beach.

Just thinking about it makes me really want to plan for our Family Vacations. Hopefully someday we can try the world class resorts of Karisma Hotels in Riviera Maya.

2 Ds

David Archuleta and David Cook will have a back to back concert here in Manila on May 16 at the SM Mall of Asia Open Ground.

You can buy your tickets now online through the Ticketworld website or you can dial 891-9999. Ticket prices are:

Titanium - P12,425
Platinum - P6,215
VIP - P3,625
Gold - P2,075
Silver - P625
Bronze - P315

(I can’t believe that concert tickets nowadays are that expensive).

Too bad the concert date coincides with the MBAP’s Summer Outing. But at least I will not have any reason to think about going to the concert as I don’t think I would want to spend that much just to see them perform. Maybe if it is Elliott Yamin (yes, I am a true Elliott fan. LOL).

~~~~

Hubby and I were watching the Eraserheads Final Set concert on GMA 7 last night and it made me feel really sad because we were not able to join my sister and my cousin when they watched it. We have no yaya that time and so we don’t want to leave our daughter with my mom since he is already taking care of our daughter while we are at work. Then I also miss the Craig David concert. I heard he is really good.

Oh well, I don’t have the budget for the tickets anyways so maybe I will just wait for the concerts to be replayed on TV. LOL.

Brad and Angelina in Bora?

Is it really true that Hollywood celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will be going to Boracay this Lenten Season?

Reports say that a US registered private plane arrived in NAI but reports confirmed that the couple is not in that flight. There was also a rumor saying that the couple chartered Sea Air using the name Frangelina, to take them to Boracay but it still hasn’t been confirmed by Sea Air.

Rumors say that the couple will stay at the new Shangri-La resort in Boracay for a vacation during the Lenten season. Apparently they will be staying at one of the resort’s priciest suites which cost around P300,000 for an overnight stay but hotel’s spokesperson already denied the reports.

Wow if this is true, then it is really good news. Oh well, with the rumor circulating already even before the couple’s arrival here, do you think the couple will still push through with their plans. Let’s wait and see. For the meantime, I will look for Lortone rock tumblers first as I am sure if the rumors are really true, the paparazzi will find a way to get a picture of the couple in Boracay so we will definitely see and hear about it in the news again.

Located

Finally after months of trying to contact my good friend Jeff, I was able to get hold of him last week. We have been trying to call all his cell phone numbers but all of them are out of service. We are already thinking what might have happened to him as we have no news whatsoever with his whereabouts.

So when I saw him online last week, I quickly sent him an instant message and I was so glad when finally, he did replied. He was out of the country for months because he was sent by his company for a business trip. He did not bring his cell phone as he has no roaming account so we can’t get in touch with him all the time he was in US.

Too bad he did not inform me that he is going to New York and Los Angeles. I could have recommended to him the car service Laguardia Airport that I rented when I was there which really made my airport transfers stress free because of their on time and good service. And if only he had mentioned that he is going to Los Angeles, I could have given him the contact number of our friend, Jacq, who lives in Los Angeles. I am sure Jacq will be delighted to see him and he might even get a tour from Jacq of LA.

Oh well, at least now we know that he is safe. We actually got really worried as we have no news about him. He promised that he will visit us after holy week, so Jeff, we will be expecting you and we really miss you!

What I learn about Holga Cameras

I have been doing some reading about lomography and the Holga camera is the Lomo camera model that really caught my attention. There are different colors of Holga camera that you can see but this are not the different Holga models but rather Holga cameras that has just been painted with different colors to make it look more unique.

There are a few models of Holga camera. To know what model that Holga camera is, you have to look for the letter(s) after the "120" in the model number. Below are the corresponding meanings of the letters that you can find in the different Holga models:

N is for New. This means that the camera is a revised model with a few improvements.
F is for Flash which means that this camera model has a built in flash.
C is for Color which is a feature of the camera that allows the user to use rotating color filters for the flash.
G is for Glass which means that this particular camera model has a glass lens instead of the standard plastic.

These codes will be used in combination with each other. Like the multicolored Holga, the model is 120 GCFN. This means that this camera model uses 120 mm of film and it has a glass lens, a color splash for the flash, a built in flash and it is a new model.

.: Sample shot using Holga 120 GCFN. Photo snagged from Jeskavendora Site :.

I really haven’t played with my camera that much. I still haven’t sent my first few rolls of films for developing but hopefully I will get to learn more about Holga cameras and then I can explore the other Lomo cameras after that.

My Old and New Blogger Template

I got bored one afternoon and so I decided to change my templates to this:


I love my new template. I love the three column layout, the minimalist effect and the scrap booking theme of the template. I patiently restored all my widgets from my old template which unfortunately was not copied when I changed my template.

I have only enjoyed that template for less than a week because I switched my old template back. I noticed that my new template is causing problems like the background image is not loading and all I can see is plain white background instead of the green scrapbooking background of the template. The header image for the widget is also not loading. I am not sure if it is because my laptop is just low on system resources (because I know that it badly needs cheap computer memory upgrade) or maybe I need to host the images so it will load properly.

But whatever the reason is, I gave up in troubleshooting the problem and so I just restore it back to my old Pink and Brown themed template. Maybe if I have time during this long weekend, I might find the energy to change my template again.

What I love about mileage points….

I have a North West World Perk accounts so every time I travel I always make sure that I travel with North West or with its partner airlines so I can get mileage points. After I traveled to Canada and the US, I was able to earn enough mileage points to redeem two round trip tickets to Hong Kong. Then I earned enough points after I traveled to US and Canada again last 2005 and so I got another two round trip tickets to Hong Kong for free.

That is why I love perks like this being offered by airline carriers. And what makes North West World Perks even better is their frequent clients can use cash and miles to redeem free tickets with their Perk Choice Program. Under this program, World Perks members can use their World Perks miles for one half of the round trip and cash for the other. World Perks members can use as few as 12,500 miles and what is even better is that there are no time or date restrictions on any Northwest flights.

I already have around 30,000 mileage points under my account and another 30,000 from hubby’s account. So we are thinking now if we should use it to redeem round trip tickets again or just use it to get free hotel rooms for our next vacation.

Virgin Galactic - Book your ticket to Space

Do you want to go to the moon or even just few hundred kilometers above the surface of the earth. Before, this is a remote possibility, but if you have $200,000 to spare, then you can be one of the first tourist to join the space flight of Virgin Galactic.

The first tourist flight leaving from the United States will start around 2011 and then Kiruna (which is in the northern part of Sweden) will be next in 2012. Flights will be run by Virgin Galactic which will send paying customers around 110 km above the earth from Mexico.

Kiruna will become the main launch pad of Europe. Kiruna has always been famous for adventure and wildlife tourists. They attract tourists who want to witness the Northern Lights phenomenon or the Midnight Sun and so Kiruna being Europe’s main launch pad is really a fitting place for Kiruna’s adventurous reputation.

Virgin Galactic has signed up five Space Travel Agents who will be authorized to sell tickets for both the US and Sweden launch. So if you want to be the first non-professional astronauts to fly to space, then book your tickets now. (I read that more than 300 tickets have already been sold because everybody wants to be the first to experience this).

Accidents

On my way to work the other week, I was crossing the street of Ayala when I heard a loud bang. When I turned to face the street going to Buendia, I saw two motorcycle drivers lying on the street because they collided with each other.

It is a green light for all vehicles going towards Buendia but then the other motorcycle driver suddenly decided to turn right to Ayala which caught the other driver off guard which cause their collision.

That is the problem with motorcycle drivers here in the Philippines. Since it is the cheapest mode of transportation, majority are switching to motorcycles instead of bringing their car to work. But the problem is, majority of them don’t know how to obey traffic rules. Even the simple rule that all drivers should wear a helmet is being violated. That is why motorcycles are the number one cause of vehicular accidents. I just hope those drivers have good motorcycle accident attorneys so they can get their claims from their insurance company in case an accident happens to them.

It Can Wait

So we are getting another loan to finance the purchase for our new car. We don’t want to buy a very expensive car because we are still saving up for another loan to finance our house repair.

This has always been my husband’s top priority. He can already imagine our house with a big garden, a swimming pool complete with patio furniture, a big room for our daughter and our soon to be kids, a nice kitchen where I can be inspired to prepare meals for our family, a nice living room where we can spend some binding time together after a long day at work.

But we realized that we also need a car since our daughter will be going to school five times a week already this coming school year and our car now is so unreliable. So even though we are already imagining our own patio complete with wicker furniture, I think it has to wait for the meantime.

By next year, we will be finish with our second housing loan so we will be able to get another housing loan for our home improvements. Maybe by that time, we will be able to make our dream come true for our dream house. Who knows, if we have the extra budget, we can afford a swimming pool complete with patio umbrellas. LOL.