Win-Win Scenario

Because of the effect of the global recession, majority of companies are looking for ways on how they can cut their operational cost. One of the ways that companies thought of to help them save thousands of dollars is implementing the Fleet program of Corporate Reimbursement Services, Inc.

What CRS does is they help companies manage the reimbursement of their employees for using their private vehicle to perform their function for the company. By doing this, company saves money with the need to provide employees with company owned vehicle thereby reducing cost on the purchase of a new vehicle and in maintenance cost of the vehicles also. Also, by getting the services of CRS, companies are assured that all their employees have a valid driver license with the regular motor vehicle record checks being done my CRS. Vehicle safety training is also provided by CRS to employees.

It is also a win scenario for all the employees since they will be sure that all expenses incurred in the use of their private vehicle in the performance of their duty to the company are all reimbursed and have been computed using accurate reimbursement rate.

The fleet program is indeed a win-win scenario for both the company and the mobile employee.

Our Brave Girl

Last Saturday, we visited my daughter’s Pediatrician. One thing I am proud of with my daughter is that ever since she was a kid, she was so brave every time she had a check up. Every time her doctor asked her to lie down in the exam tables (which I think they got from Claflin Medical Equipment because the quality is so nice and comfortable), she will gladly obey. But I guess her doctor is also good in convincing her because she will be rewarded with a lollipop or a candy after her check up. Even if it is her schedule for vaccination, we never had problems in making her sit still and wait for her doctor to finish the injection.

Just like last Saturday, when she was asked to sit down on the exam table (though she played right away with the toys sitting in the exam table also), her doctor did not have a hard time checking her ears and her breathing because she followed every instructions that her doctor gave her.

I am just so proud of her. Really one brave girl like her dad.

SG IT

In just two days, we will be leaving for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. This is a very short notice trip and I only have a week to prepare – book flights, hotel accommodations, plan our Itinerary, etc. so I am in a little panic already. Most of you might know that I really plan ahead every time I went on a trip so I feel really unprepared for this trip.

So before I look for acne treatment, I decided to make a research first so I can finalize our IT in Singapore. We will only be in Singapore for two full days. So what can you do in Singapore if you have two days?

Day 1: Visit to the Singapore Zoo. The zoo is open only until 6 PM so hopefully we will be able to wake up early (even if we are coming from a late flight the day before), so we can visit the zoo as soon as it opens. We will probably be here until it closes at 6 PM. After a visit to the zoo, we will be meeting with our friends at Sentosa. If we will finish early, we might try to catch the last dolphin show in Sentosa before meeting our friends there at around 8 PM.

Day 2: Visit to the Jurong Bird Park. This will be our first time here so for sure we will be here until the park closes also. Then we will go check out the malls in Orchard road. I am sure hubby would love to visit the toy store in Takashimaya Mall and I am planning to visit one store that will make my heart jump in excitement. LOL. I checked and most of the stores closes late (between 9 PM – 11 P) so we definitely have time after our trip to Jurong Bird Park.

I am so excited already. Now if only I can just wave my hand and all our stuff will be pack in our luggage and we’re already ready to go.

Are You An iPhone or a Blackberry?

You Are an iPhone

You are one of those early adopter, super geek chic types. You like a gadget that has a ton of features to fuel your tech obsessions. You tend to know the inner workings of every toy, phone, and computer you own. You’re always exploring and learning. You want the most leading edge phone you can find, at almost any cost. You’re usually the first one in line for the latest iPhone!

Are You An iPhone or a Blackberry?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

So I guess, my decision is right when I bought my Iphone. I was choosing between E71 which I got for free when I subscribed to a new line subscription from Globe and the Iphone. It took me days to decide if I will sell my E71 and buy an Iphone or I will just stick with my E71.

Functionality wise, E71 is the winner. Iphone has a lot of missing functions that is present with Nokia phones and I am so used to these features because I am a Nokia user like Bluetooth Connectivity, Email on the Go, creating folders under Inbox, etc. But I would prefer looking cool, being able to watch my TV series and download and play my favorite Iphone games. Thus I end up selling my E71 so I can afford to buy an Iphone.

I thought I would regret my decision, but my brother is right, if you got an Iphone you wouldn’t want any other phone.

Sky Bridge of the Petronas Towers.

Before I look for manufactured homes, I just want to post here about our upcoming trip to Kuala Lumpur. This will be our first time in KL so hubby and I are both excited. And what made us even more excited is that we will be able to go up the Sky Bridge of the Petronas Towers.

The conference organizers were able to arrange a special trip for all the conference participants and spouses and family members are welcome to join this free trip. My friend recently went to KL and she said that they have to line up as early as 5:30 AM to get the tickets to go up the Sky Bride of the Petronas Towers.

The Sky Bridge is open to public from Tuesday to Sunday and they only release 1300 tickets per day. So we are really lucky that we don’t have to line up and we will get to enjoy a private tour of the Petronas Towers and even go up the Sky Bridge. I am sure my hubby will go crazy taking pictures so watch out for it when I post it on my Flickr account.

Picture snagged from malaysiasite.nl by courtesy of Colinda van Wanrooij

Armed & Ready for Another Adventure

I am so excited. In just a few days, hubby, B and I are going on an adventure. It is indeed an adventure as this is the first time that we will be travelling without my parents. So it is just the three of us the entire trip.

Since this is our first out of the country trip on our own, we made sure that we are really ready:

1. We already bought all the supplies that our princess need – we bought her soy based milk which hopefully will last for 7 days, we bought her medicines and vitamins already, her toiletries and I already prepared all the clothes that she will need for this trip
2. Hubby loaded our laptop with our princess’ favorite movie. Hubby even upgraded the video card so we are sure that her movies have good resolution so she will really enjoy watching her movies especially during our 4 hour plane ride.
3. We already brought her for check up before our trip to be sure that she is really in tip top condition.

I am sure she will have great time again in Singapore and I am excited to go on another adventure with my family.

Pre-nup Agreement

Hubby was so surprised after reading this news that he forwarded it to me in disbelief. It is the Pre-nuptial agreement between NBA Player Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian.

The couple signed the pre-nuptial agreement last week after Khloe got the small things that she negotiated with Lamar before signing the agreement. These are:

In the case of an unfortunate divorce, Khloe wanted:

1. Flat sum of about $500,000 for every year they were married
2. $25,000 a month in general support
3. Their new house
4. New luxury vehicle at the end of every lease cycle
5. $5,000 a month for shopping
6. $1,000 for beauty care
7. Courtside Lakers tickets for everyone in her family

And I assumed that Khloe received thousand of dollars worth of engagement ring or maybe some loose diamonds too. I can’t believe Lamar signed this agreement. LOL. Well, I guess nothing is impossible for someone who is earning millions of dollars a year or for someone who is really in love. But people close to Khloe and Lamar are saying that the two are really so much in love. So never mind this outrageous pre-nup and let us just say congrats to the couple and hope their marriage last.

Pictures snagged from Yahoo Sports.

Inferno Halloween

Do you want to have some fun and at the same time be able to join a good cause and help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy? Then why not join this Halloween event of Puma.

Dance with your favorite Terno bands and artists to Groove Nation DJs Toti D., Cyril Yarisantos, Mario Serrano and Up Dharma Down’s Ean Mayor as they play mix of music from new wave, post punk, indie, electro, house and techno.

Do come in your best costume as Puma will be giving great prizes for those who will come in their most creative costume.

Tickets are priced at P150 and all of the proceeds of this Halloween event will be donated to typhoon Ondoy victims through UNICEF.

The Dance Party will be held at Mag:Net, 2/F B3 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. So what are you waiting for? Grab you tickets now and join a worthy cause while enjoying great music.

Check in or Hand Carry?

Since my daughter is in liquid formula now because Soy based formula is the only milk that prevents her from being constipated, my problem now is how I can bring enough formula that will last for her 7 day supplies.

I called Cebu Pacific and Air Asia and they will allow me to hand carry the liquid formula, provided I have a medical certificate from her doctor and I have the prescription. The problem is, it can be very heavy; especially we have a toddler in tow.

My dad suggested that we just use our big Samsonite luggage and he will help me pack it so it will be safe even if we check it in and I will just put enough in my hand carry that will be her supply for a day. I think that would be better. It will be more convenient for us (specially to hubby since he will be the one to carry the luggage) and we don’t have to run around carrying 24 tetra packs of liquid milk.

Venetian Macao Promo

My best buddies are in Macau right now and on Sunday, they will be watching the historical match between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. I initially wanted to go with them not because I want to watch the match (because I am no sports fan), but because I wanted to stay at the Venetian Macao and maybe visit Hong Kong for a day or two for some shopping.

It would have been a perfect timing since Venetian Macao is offering different promo packages. Like their Venetian Family Adventure where you can stay for 2 nights in their luxurious Royal or Bella Suite where you can enjoy their walk in tubs, fluffy duvets and king sized beds and a whole lot of other first class hotel amenities. The family can even get a free gondola ride with a souvenir picture and free entrance to the Qube play zone and free family game of golf at Grado Mini Golf. This package even comes with free buffet breakfast or lunch in one of the restaurants that you can find in the hotel. This is a great deal right?

The last time we visit Venetian, we only stayed there for a couple of hours as we have to catch the last ferry ride going back to Hong Kong so I really wanted to stay for at least two nights in this luxurious hotels. Hopefully next year we can try staying at the Venetian Macao.

What do Carlo Ople and my hubby have in common?

My friend shared this video with me that she found in YouTube:

After watching it, I was teary eyed and I even have goose bumps and I decided to save this video in my flash drive so hubby can watch it too. You see, this proposal brings back memories of how hubby proposed to me. He also proposed in front of hundreds of people waiting for the premier of the Lord of the Rings to start.

Hubby contacted the movie premier organizer so they can give him a slot before the start of the movie to stand up in front and propose to me. The organizer asked him to pay for a fee so he will be considered as one of the advertisers so he can have his 5 minutes in front with the microphone. In front of the hundreds of people who were booing him at first as all of them are really eager to see the premier and all of them don’t know why hubby is in front babbling. But all of the people cheered and clapped for him after they heard hubby’s speech and soon they realized that it is a wedding proposal. I was in shock but was really happy and proud that I am lucky girl that this man is proposing to.

My hubby doesn’t really like the usual stuffs. He always does things his way and it should be really unique, thus he ends up with this proposal. And in just a few months, we will be celebrating our fifth year anniversary. I am so lucky to have found a man like him.

FoodTripFriday#30

October 12 is Columbus Day in the US and Thanksgiving Day in Canada so it is both a holiday for me and hubby. We took this opportunity to go around the prospective schools that we are eyeing for B’s big school next year. We first went to STC as she is scheduled for an interview there and then we went to St. Scholastica. It was already 11 Pm when we finish in St. Scho and so we decided to drop by at Robinson’s Place for lunch.

We decided to eat at our favorite restaurant, Banana Leaf. We ordered the usual stuff that we normally order:

Tilapia in Sambal Sauce

Shrimp with Mango Sauce

Penang Char Noodles

Roti Canai Supreme

This is the first time that hubby tried the Roti Canai Supreme that is stuffed with banana and you can dip in sweetened milk. Hubby is not really into sweets but he like this one for his dessert. Do try it out when you happen to eat at Banana Leaf.

Join us here.

My Sister...Our Travel Buddy

Hubby, our dear daughter and I will be leaving next week for another family adventure. We will be going to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for a six day vacation (but I will be working half of the trip and it will just be hubby and our dear daughter who will explore Kuala Lumpur for three days).

I invited my sister to join us as she hasn’t been to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and I know she will love the malls in Singapore so she can do a shopping spree. But she is just so busy with her thesis on software development that she won’t be able to join us for this trip.

My sister is really one of our travel buddies as we always travel with her. We went to Hong Kong with her twice already and she joined us when we went to Pearl Farm in Davao so I was really hoping that she will join us for this trip (specially since hubby will be left to baby sit B while I attend the conference so hubby can use a little help. LOL). But I guess she is really busy as she is graduating already this March. But I know there will be a next time. In fact, we are already planning for another Hong Kong or Thailand getaway when she is already off from school. Talk about travel addicts!!

Shopping for the Conference

For P1500, I was able to shop for 3 blouses, 2 slacks, and 2 inner blouses which I will be using while I attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur next week. Since it is Friday today, I was able to get off early from work and decided to go straight to Tutuban. The mall is already crowded when I reached the place and so I only checked out a few stores. I know the exact location of most of the stores that I frequently visit so I went straight to those shops and I was lucky because I was able to find something that I really like (like 2 pairs of blouse and slacks) in the first store that I checked out. Then I check out a few other stores and I was able to buy blouses and inner blouses and belts all at discounted prices. I am so proud of myself. LOL.

So now I only need to look for MBT shoes which will go well with my purchases and I am already all set for the conference. Since hubby and our dear daughter is coming with me, I need to just select my wardrobe for the four-day conference that I will be attending as hubby reminded me that I need to pack light. Now that is the most difficult part. LOL. Even before I made a trip to Tutuban, I already have 4 sets of clothes in mind already and with my recent purchase, I have to choose only 4 out of the 8 sets of clothes that I planned for my wardrobe. So wish me luck and hopefully I will be able to make hubby proud and hope I will fulfill his promise to him that I will really try to pack light for this trip.

Food 4 Thought Friday: OCt 16

Breakfast
Would you or have you ever gone sky diving?
No and I don’t think I will have the guts and the courage to do it. I am so scared of heights. Even just using the escalator scares the hell out of me. What more skydiving. So even if somebody pays me $1,000,000 I don’t think I can really ever do it.

Lunch
What do you think about President Obama receiving the Noble Peace Prize?
I don’t want to comment on this. I am not from the US so I don’t know what it is like living under the rule of Obama so I would rather keep quiet because I really don’t know much about this topic.

Dinner
What is the last movie you saw? Did you enjoy it?
Oh my gosh, I can’t remember. Maybe it was Twilight. Of course I enjoyed it so much because I am a real Twilight fan and I can’t wait for the release of the New Moon movie.

Midnight Snack
How much of a worrier are you?
I guess not that much anymore. I used to be a real worrier that I worry about even the simple things in life. But my husband has influenced me to have a real positive outlook in life so I am trying to enjoy life and worry less.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?)

Nothing is really permanent in this world.

Join us here.

Bellaroca, Island Resort and Spa

I am supposed to look for acne treatments on the net as my pimples are acting up again. Since I stopped using pills, my hormones went crazy and since then I have been having some cane problems.

But I got distracted by the email that I got from my friend. She sent me pictures of their latest escapade in Bellaroca, an island resort spa in Marinduque. I immediately checked out the resort’s website and it was indeed heaven.

Just look at their facilities:

Guests staying in any of their suites will experience the following comforts and conveniences:

* Beddings and pillow selections
* Individually-controlled air-conditioning
* Skype – enabled Belkin telephone
* Personal bar and refrigerator
* Coffee and tea service
* Private balcony / verandah with view of the sea and Mount Malindig
* Modern bath and shower facilities including Jacuzzi and/or bath tub
* Complete range of bathroom amenities (All natural—L’Occitane, AVEDA, REN, Molton Brown)
* Plasma TV with complete DVD Player and home theatre stereo systems, satellite TV, Ipod dock and hifi compact sound systems
* Private balcony or garden
* Golf cart service
* Complimentary Internet connectivity (cable) in the room and in general public areas (WiFi)
* Electronic safe deposit box

I checked out Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines, and unfortunately, they don’t have flights going to Marinduque. I think the only airline that has a flight there is Zest Air and I don’t feel safe and comfortable taking any of their flights. Too bad, if only Cebu Pacifica have flights there, I might have book a three-day vacation in Bellaroca.

Christmas Parties & Get Together

It’s the Christmas season once again and I am sure our schedule will be filled again with family reunions, get together with friends and relatives and Christmas parties here and then.

My MBAP friends actually planned a Christmas get together for October since all of us already have a very busy and hectic schedule for November and December. But because of Typhoon Ondoy, there are a number of our friends from MBAP who have relatives affected by the typhoons or there are some of us who are direct victims of the typhoon themselves so we all decided to cancel our party and instead just use our Christmas funds to help our friends from MBAP who needs help in recovering from the effects of the typhoon.

They said that we can just re-schedule it maybe early next year after the busy Christmas season and we will just have a simple lunch or dinner and exchange gifts for the kids. This is really good news for me, because:

1. I was really glad that we all agreed to use the Christmas funds to help our friends from MBAP who have been affected by the typhoon.
2. This means that I still have a few months to look for the best appetite suppressant to help me loose weight before I meet up with my gorgeous and sexy MBAP friends. LOL.

But I am sure I will still have a chance to meet with my MBAP family before the Christmas season as our November is filled with tons of birthday parties of the MBAP kids. So see you all guys in November!!

Honeymoon Destination

My best buddy from High School is finally getting married in January 2010. Every detail is almost finalized already and the couple is just waiting for the day when they will finally say I do.

But there is one thing left that they have to finalize yet and that is their honeymoon destination. I was chatting with my friend yesterday and I suggested to her Karisma’s romantic vacation riviera maya offer.

She checked out the site of Karisma hotels and resorts and she really fell in love with the place. Who wouldn’t? Having your own private casita suite set amidst the tropical rainforest or a room with a great view of the ocean and the white sand beaches of the Mexican Riviera Maya plus they will be really pampered by the professional staffs of the resorts and they can even enjoy a very romantic spa in their own room. All my friend was able to say to me was, “This is the best honeymoon destination for us!”

I am sure my friend and her husband to be will definetly have a grand time in any of the resorts and hotels of Karisma.

I Like

Have you seen this cool and colorful Iphone protectors? I found them at Iskin.com and I really wanted to have one.

But aside from its colorful and cheek colors, this Iphone protectors are temperature resistant and odorless so it gives more protection for your Iphone. Oh, I really want the purple one. So to my hubby or my sister, if you are reading this post, I will definitely be happy if I receive this on Christmas. LOL.

FoodTripFriday#28

Since I got P250 mobile give certificate from Flap Jacks (check out details here on how to get the GC), we decided to try them out when we went to the mall yesterday.

I was still full since I had gelato from Art’s Cream Gallery, so hubby suggested that we just share their Baby Back Ribs half rack. And we are so glad that we just decided to share since their Baby Back Ribs is so humongous. LOL. I was not even able to finish my share and I have to ask hubby to finish it for me. It comes with potato fries and coleslaw for side dish.

The Baby Back Ribs is juicy and yummy, but Racks’ Baby Back Ribs is still our favorite as it is more juicy plus we love their barbeque sauce more also.

My nanny ordered their 1pc fried chicken and here is a picture also. I forgot to ask her if her chicken was ok but it looks yummy too. It comes with a corn and carrots side dish.

Join us here.

Investment

I logged in to my online bank account today as I need to pay my credit card bills. They already updated my record and the interests that I earned have already been reflected and guess how much is the interest. It is not even close to P100. I know my personal account is not a Time deposit account but I was really surprised at how small the interest is considering I am depositing to this account regularly.

That is why I realized that letting my money sit in banks is really not a wise way to invest my money. If only I have invested it to something else, like buying rare us silver coins, then it might have earned more.

I had a lunch out with my high school friend a few days ago and investment options have been one of our topics. She said that she has been doing some readings to learn about bullion as she learned that it is one of the good investment choices nowadays. She learned about the different bullion coins that she can invest too as this is the most recommended investment for first timers like my friend. Also, it is a very convenient investment too since the size is compact so my friend doesn’t have to worry about storing and handling his silver coins. She said that she also recommends investing in silver coins at it offers high premium over time and it has high resale value also. So anytime she needs cash, she can quickly sell it and convert her investment to cash.

After our lunch-out, I got interested too that I decided to check out the site of Monex. They offer assistance for prospective investors like me to find the best deal in the market. Since they are staffed by professional and experienced silver coin dealer, I am assured that I will get nothing but 99.9% pure silver coins which is the industry standard.

I have compiled what I have gathered from the Monex site and from the research that I have done so I can present this investment option to my husband. I am sure we will never go wrong with this type of investment.

Food 4 Thought Friday

Breakfast

What is occupying your mind right this minute? I have to write a 350 word article and I don’t know where to begin.

Lunch

What is your favorite FALL recipe? Share it if you want! We have no fall in my part of the world and I don’t cook either. But of the favorite food that hubby and I loves to eat is the Korean Bibimbop. I hope I will learn how to make that.

Dinner

What are your Halloween traditions? (If you don't celebrate Halloween, what are your fall traditions?) We usually go trick or treating in the mall with our daughter. I even prepare way in advance for her Halloween costume. Though Halloween is really not one of the most celebrated holidays so we don’t decorate our house with Halloween stuffs and we just rely on Halloween events sponsored by the big malls and establishments like Fun Ranch, Ayala, etc.

Midnight Snack

When is the last time you received a traffic violation? I don’t drive so I never experienced receiving a traffic violation

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?)

You will never really know what the future holds.

Join us here.

House Repairs

Because of the damage done by Typhoon Ondoy, our house in Bulacan now need some minor repairs like the galvanized iron for the roof needs to be replaced and the walls that is made of wood needs to replaced too because it has been damaged by the rain. We haven’t visited the place yet as rains hasn’t stopped since Saturday so we really don’t know the extent of the damage, but my husband is considering in doing some Small Bathroom Remodeling at the same time the minor repairs will be done.

The bathroom is one of the rooms in the house that is not well maintained by the previous owners when we bought it and since we don’t live there also and we rarely visit the house, the bathroom has been left un-repaired since we bought it. But now that hubby is seriously considering for us to move in Bulacan in the near future because he really finds city life congested and polluted already, he wants to do the Bathroom Remodeling when the minor repairs for the damage cause by the typhoon will be done. This makes a lot of sense since we will be hiring contractors for the repairs anyways, so why not have them do the bathroom as well.

I checked out small-bathroom-remodeling.com and I really found a lot of tips for our bathroom remodeling. If you fill out a simple form from their site, they can even help find contractors near you as they will give a list of possible contractors that you can contact in your area.

I have filled out a form already and I already have a list of the contractors that we can hire. All I need to do now is contact them and have hubby approved the budget for this repair. After the typhoon has subsided, hubby plans in pushing through with the repair and hopefully it will be get done soon.

Car Wash anyone?

My brother is really a business minded type pf person. Yesterday he was discussing his plan to open up a new business. His friend is selling his Car Wash business because their family will now be migrating to Canada. The sale includes all the things needed for the car wash business like the pressure washers but my brother has to pay for the monthly rent of the shop.

He surveyed the area yesterday and he said that business is good as it is near the main road so a lot of car owners bring their car to the shop for a car wash. His only concern now is the personnel who will man the shop as he can’t do it himself since he is busy with our cell phone shop in Greenhills.

The cost to buy the business is quite good considering it is already establish and it already has a steady source of clientele but my brother has to think it over since he knows that the success of a good business also relies on good management and he doesn’t know if he still have time to manage this shop if he decides to buy it.