Saturday 9: Sam's Last Stand of 2009

1. What did you think of 2009? I am thankful for our 2009 because God has given us so many blessings for 2009. I could not ask for more.

2. What do you think was the news story of the year? The massacre at Maguindano.

3. What happened this year that you never want to hear another word about? The brutal killing of innocent individuals by the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao.

4. What was your favorite song of 2009? Nobody-Nobody but you. LOL. Honestly, I am no into music and I don’t know and I can’t recall any song that I particularly like for 2009.

5. What did you accomplish this year? We were able to fulfill our wish of getting pregnant again and I am on my third month of pregnancy already.

6. Did you learn anything new this year? Don’t be too trusting.

7. What are you looking forward to in the new year? More time with the family especially with the coming of our second baby. Hopefully God will give us a boy this time.

8. What are your plans for New Year's Eve? We will be going out of Manila to spend a quiet new year with my family. Manila is too polluted and too noisy on New Year’s Eve.

9. What's the best thing you ever did on a New Year's Eve? Spent it with family.

Security Issues

Since I am on a bed rest, I have been at home for three weeks now and I was able to be with my daughter. Though I can’t do much in taking care of her because I can’t do any heavy work because of my difficult pregnancy, it is still nice to know that I am at home with her so I can personally monitor how my nanny takes care of her.

On January 18 if my ultrasound is ok, I will be going back to work and looks like I am going to have a separation anxiety. My mom is busy too so I don’t expect her to be at our house all the time. Though I trust my nanny already since she has been with us for more than six months already, sometimes she can’t make wise and safe decision so she still needs monitoring. Now I am thinking if we should install security cameras for my daughter’s safety and my own peace of mind also.

I have discussed this with my husband and he is okay with the idea specially since we have heard and read about news on abusive nannies. Since both of us are working and can’t be with our daughter all the time, investing in a security camera would really be a wise thing to do.

Pacquiao-Mayweather fight Cancelled

I was looking for free life insurance quote online but my attention was caught when I read the news from Yahoo that the much awaited fight between Manny Pacquio and Mayweather has been cancelled.

According to the news, Mayweather’s camp wanted Pacquio to have a full blood test just before the fight to be conducted by USADA. First, Pacquio’s camp doesn’t want the test to be conducted by USADA because they see USADA as more of a partisan agency. Second, Pacquio doesn’t want to have an extensive blood test just before the fight because draining blood from him will weaken him which will automatically give Mayweather an advantage.

Pacquio’s promoter, Bob Arum said that the Pacquio – Mayweather fight is already dead as no agreement has been made between the two camps. I am not really a sports fan but I think Mayweather’s demands are unfair and unreasonable. Pacquio just had a test and he was cleared from any drug use after his fight with Miguel Cotto and according to my husband, a test should be done after the fight and not before the fight as what is customarily done in the boxing world.

Oh well, maybe Mayweather is just scared that Pacquio will turn him into ashes once the fight is over. He doesn’t want to decline the offer so he will not appear weak so he is making these ridiculous demands to make Pacquio say No to this fight.

Bob Arum said that the March 13 fight will still push through but Pacquio will fight against Paul Malignaggi. Pacquio has already proven hi worth in the boxing world and he doesn’t need Mayweather because he can get a much better opponent than him. And whoever will be Pacquio’s opponent for his next match, I am sure he will still get the same amount of cash as what he will get if he fight against Mayweather and the same is not true with Mayweather.

Picture snagged from news.yahoo.com.

Wise Move

I am so proud of my friend who just graduated from her MBA degree. He works full time and was studying at the same time and I can tell you it is no joke. I tried enrolling for a masteral degree last semester and it was so draining and tiring on my part that I decided not to enroll for the second semester (and who knows when I will be coming back to school). So my hats off really to him for being able to finish his MBA. I know he has more plans as I know he plans to apply at Asian Development Bank and having an MBA degree would be a plus factor for him.

My best friend’s ultimate dream is to be able to be accepted as a regular employee of Asian Development Bank. Who wouldn’t want to work for the best employer? They have great benefits for their employee that can even be extended to the employee’s immediate family. They even offer educational assistance to employees and their immediate families.

My best friend is thinking of taking GMAT prep from Knewton so she can have an MBA degree too which she believes is really a big plus factor. Knewton offers GMAT courses which are all online so my friend can attend classes even if she has a full time job. They even have the best teachers so my friend will be assured that she is getting the best and the price is even more affordable than other GMAT Prep courses. ADB is a very prestigious company so it is but fair that only competent employees will be hired by them and so my friend thinks that preparing for her GMAT should be her top priority if she is really serious in getting a job at ADB.

She is happy with her current job right now, but who would say No if you will be given a much better offer, right?

Sunday Stealing: The Final Week of 2009 Meme

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Hubby and I went on our dream tour, a Europe tour.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I actually don’t make any New Year’s resolution and I don’t plan to make more for next year.

3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve? We plan to go outside Manila so it will be more quite and relaxing especially for me and my mom. The whole family will be coming so I am sure it will be one fun New Year’s Eve.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully none.

5. What countries did you visit? Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Austria, Italy (Rome and Venice), Czech Republic, France (Paris).

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? I could not ask for anything more. I feel blessed and contented for all the blessings that God has been showering us.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? When we confirmed that we will be having our second baby.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting pregnant again with our second child.

9. What was your biggest failure? I was not able to continue with my Masters degree in UP.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I just have the usual cough and colds and now that I am on my third month of pregnancy, my doctor advised me to have a complete bed rest because I have hemorrhage in my uterus.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My dream LV Neverfull bag.

12. Where did most of your money go? Travel.

13. What song will always remind you of 2009? I am not good with song titles

14. What do you wish you'd done more of? Travel.

15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Procrastinating.

16. What was your favourite TV program? CSI

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Secret.

18. What was the best book you read? Twilight series.

19. What was your greatest musical discovery? I am really not into music.

20. What was your favorite film of this year? Twilight and New Moon (because this is the only film that I remember watching for this year. LOL).

21. What did you do on your birthday? Celebrated it with my family.

22. What kept you sane? My daughter and hubby.

23. Who did you miss? My friends who are working abroad.

24. Who was the best new person you met? Siblings Meg, Kuya Chito and Kuya Danny, Mommy, Fr. Lito whom we met in Venice and Rome and became really good friends of ours.

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: As long as you have your family beside you and you always put God at the center of your life, then everything will fall into place.

Sleeping problem

Can you recommend an eye cream for my dark eye circles? I don’t know but for some reason, I am finding it very hard to have a good night sleep. Maybe it is because my tummy is getting bigger and bigger and so I am finding it very uncomfortable to lie down. But I am just on my third month so now I am imagining how it would be if I am already on my full term. Also, since it is the Christmas season my neighbors are all having a party frenzy with loud speakers. Even up to last night, the house beside us is having a party and they are playing very loud music that I am really disturbed and really had a hard time going to sleep. Also, last Christmas eve, somebody rang our doorbell at 4:30 AM. We thought that it is an emergency since he or she rang the doorbell thrice. When hubby checked, there was nobody there and so we thought that it might be some drunken person doing something crazy and he chose to disturb us at 4:30 AM. I was not able to go back to sleep after that.

Now, New Year’s Eve is coming so I am sure I will not have a decent sleep not until New Year is over. I am glad that we will not be in Manila on New Year’s Eve so maybe I can finally relax and have my much needed rest.

The Lynx Rayvens Christmas Get Together

Last night, my high school best buddies had a Christmas get together. I was really looking forward to it as we rarely see each other and I really miss these guys so much. But I was really not feeling well (I have cough and colds) and I got really tired during our family reunion that I am experiencing lower back pains again and so I decided that I really have to take a rest.


I saw their picture from last night in Facebook and looks like they really had a blast. Well, it is to be expected anyways as Lynx Rayvens are really like that – loud, crazy and fun. LOL.

But they are planning for a bridal shower for the apple of the eye of the group who will be getting married on January so hopefully, I will have a chance to see them again soon. And speaking of our friend’s wedding, it reminded me that I still have to look for tuxedos for my hubby to wear for the wedding. I still don’t have anything formal also to wear and I am thinking if I should just have a gown made by my couturier as I am sure I will have a hard time looking for a formal gown for pregnant woman. But we’ll see. I only have two weeks left, so let’s see what I will be able to come up with.

Weird Dream

Last night, I had a very weird dream. I was lining up for an interview and I was really nervous because it has been years since I last had a job interview. I did well in the interview as the interviewee just asked me to define some technical terms that she had written in a piece of paper. If I remember it correctly, the company is ADB (which is my husband’s dream company) but the building where the interview was conducted looks like an old government building. After my interview, I went out of the room where the interview was conducted and I saw some of my officemates too lining up to apply for the position. It is weird because they came from different sections so I am not sure if the reason why I am applying for the position is I want to switch careers or there is a mass lay off in my office. LOL.

Oh well, all I know is that I am happy with my current job now. I love my work, my colleagues and my supervisor who is very supportive of his staff. I love the working hours which is really in favor for moms like me so I think there is no way that I will be looking for a different job since I plan to retire here.

Manic Monday # 193

What makes you laugh? Anything funny antics that my daughter is pulling like when she is trying to speak in Tagalog because her accent is really funny.

What makes you cry? I am the type of person that cries easily. A sad movie or if I see an old lady on the street, or a sad song perhaps.

What is the best thing about being you? I have no pretentions. What you see is what you get. I am so happy and contented with my life that you can please me with even just the simplest things.

Clean Up, Clean Up

I am so happy because hubby is doing a clean up of our house. He was able to dispose a lot of our daughter’s old toys and old clothes which my mom was able to give away to our neighbors and they are all so happy (especially for the clothes since most of them have been worn by B for at most three times only). Hubby organized his toys also and disposed the boxes as they are just accumulating dust. Hubby also received studio lights and background from a friend photographer and he was able to organize them also though he has to allot an extra time so he can setup his studio at our spare room.

His next project is to clean up the wirings (which reminds me that we need to buy cable ties) of the electricity, cable TV and Internet connection as they really look unruly not to mention it is also dangerous especially we have a toddler at home.

I am really glad that hubby is really serious with the house clean up as he has been busy with this project for days now. On weekends, he will wake up early (as early as 5:30 AM) to start with the clean up. I am sure he will be finish before Christmas so our house will be really clean and organize which is really a very good way to welcome the New Year.

RIP: Britttany Murphy

As I opened Yahoo this morning, I was greeted with the shocking news of the sudden death of Hollywood actress Britttany Murphy.

At first I thought it was just a joke (though it will be a really bad joke) as I know that Brittany is still young. She is only 32 years old and I know that she lives a clean life – not involve in drugs or anything like that as I never heard her name being dragged in news like other Hollywood actresses who have been sent to drug rehab for drug addiction.

But as I read the article, I was able to confirm that the news is really true. Even twitter is filled with news about her death. Reports said that she collapsed in their bathroom in the house that she shared with her husband. She was pronounced dead at 10 AM at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center.

No official cause of death has been officially announced yet as investigators will still have to wait for the toxicology tests but they say that Brittany appears to die from natural causes.

I remember her from the movie Clueless, Just Married and Uptown Girls. I haven’t seen her in movies lately but I read that she will have a few upcoming movies next year. It was really sad to hear about this bad news.

Picture snagged from wikipedia.org.

Secrets of Trade

Some people are born businessmen. Just like my brother. He can always come up with all sort of businesses and he is not scared to take risks that is why he is always successful with his business.

A few years ago, he asked me if I want to share a business with him when he put up his own cell phone shop and I am glad that I decided to make an investment because the business is really doing well.

But aside from my brother’s business skills, we owe the success of our business to the professionals like Las Vegas CPA who helped us with all the finances of our business. By hiring an accounting firm like Kondler CPA, who is a respected leader in the accounting world, we were able to stay on top of our finances and we were able to efficiently manage the most important aspect of our business, which are money matters.

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Good times: Good Friends, Family.
2. My family is my home.
3. Sleigh bells ring are you listening.
4. I believe all of us only need a little. It is just a matter of being contented with our life.
5. Once more I did a Christmas shopping rush again.
6. Is it the end?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a beauty rest, tomorrow my plans include staying at home and Sunday, I want to go to the mall but I can’t because I was advised to take a complete bed rest.

Food 4 Thought Friday

Breakfast
Are you a "real" Christmas tree fan or "artificial"? I would have wanted a real one but it is difficult to get one in my part of the world.
Lunch What is the earliest and latest you have ever sent out your Christmas cards? I never sent out Christmas cards. LOL. But I do send email greetings and SMS on the eve of Christmas.

Dinner

Do you decorate the outside of your house?

No. My husband and I are both busy (aka lazy) to do it.

Midnight Snack

How close are you to being done with your Christmas shopping?

Almost finish. I only have a few names left on my list.

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

A child never fails to bring happiness to our life.

Join us here.

My Dream Caribbean Vacation

Jacuzzi Suites
Beach Beds
Your very own personal Butler
All inclusive Resort package
White sand beaches of the Mexican Riviera Maya

These are just some the perks that you will be receiving if you book an Adults Only Caribbean Vacation in any of the five signature resorts of Karisma Hotel and Resorts.

My cousin just got back from a relaxing and romantic vacation with her husband and just looking at their pictures makes me want to pack my bags and catch a plane to the Mexican Riviera Maya.

I know that I am just on my first trimester of pregnancy and I don’t think I can travel until I gave birth but my husband already promised me that he will treat me to a relaxing beach vacation as soon as I am already safe and healthy enough to travel.

I can already imagine myself lying in one of the Junior Suites of the El Dorado Resorts as I enjoy the wonderful ocean view while I have a very relaxing time with my husband. That would really be a perfect and a very relaxing vacation.

Sunday Stealing: The 6 Ws Meme

Who...

Is easy to love? My Husband, my princess and my soon to be baby

Do you just wanna smack? Someone I know who doesn’t know when to shut up

Do you trust? My Family

Do you talk to when you're alone? God

What...

Dangerous things do you do while driving? I don’t drive

Are you allergic to? Stress. LOL.

Is Satan's last name? I don’t know

Is the freakiest thing in your house?...the insect toy collection of my daugther

When...

Is it time to turn over a new leaf? The coming of the new year I think is the best time.

Will you be all that you can be? I can’t answer that.

Is enough enough? When I can no longer bear the situation.

Do you go to the dark side? I try not to.

Where...

Are your pants? In my closet.

Is your last will and testament? I don’t have any.

Is your junk food stash? In the kitchen

Is Carmen Sandiego? No idea

Why...

Was the Lone Ranger alone? I have also no idea.

Was The Scarlet Letter scarlet? Scarlet is a strong color.

Are musicians sexy and plumbers not? I don’t totally agree with this. LOL.

Are there no seat belts on school buses? I did not realize that.

Would you...

Swim the English Channel for a doughnut and coffee? If not that, what? Nope. I am not an adventurous person specially if it is just for a doughnut and coffee.

Forgive someone who deliberately hurt you? Maybe. It depends on how sorry that person is for what he/she has done.

Rather believe a lie if it hurt you less than the truth? No. I would rather know the truth.

You still be alive if you were sucked out of an airplane window? I don’t think so.

Our Gift for Him

A few months ago, we decided to sell our old Suzuki Vitara to buy a brand new car because it is giving us a lot of headaches already because of the non-stop car repairs that it needs. We decided to buy a Vios 1.3E. But if my husband will really have a choice and if we really have a budget for it, he would really prefer a pickup like the Nissan Frontier or the new Honda City.

That is why my husband was really drooling when he saw this:


Who wouldn’t? I am sure any male human being would drool for these nice looking autos. I know I can’t afford to buy him his dream car but I am sure I can afford auto accessories to style up our Vios. I am sure my husband will be really surprised once he sees his new Vios. I will ask my brother (who is into cars too) to help me select the best accessories for our Toyota Vios. He is familiar with the site of Car iD as this is where he orders his car accessories too so I am sure he will not have a hard time giving me suggestions for the perfect accessories to style our Vios as my Christmas gift for my loving husband. He deserves it. He has been working really hard and though it is not a new Dodge or Chrysler, I am sure he will be happy and contented with our gift for him.

My New Love

I was really not into Melissa shoes until I saw the Vivienne Westwood Melissa Collabo that my good friend Jody was wearing during Mateo’s party.

Picture snagged from: Swyyne.com

I really wanted to buy one that I asked hubby to take me to Greenbelt mall that weekend to look for the shoes. But of course I stopped and think twice. LOL.

Then I got a text from my kumareng Peachy about the SMX Big Outlet sale where Melissa shoes are on sale at 30-50% off. So off we went one Sunday and although they don’t have the Melissa Collabo, I was able to snag a Melissa Campana at a much discounted price.

So now I am hooked. I was browsing the site of Melissa Philippines and I can’t stop adding stuff to my shopping cart. But of course, all the items are still in my cart and I haven’t checked out anything yet (I have to really control my shopping if I really want to save for the all inclusive vacation that I am planning).

Look at the style that I like:

Adanna + Little Prince (when I checked this morning, there is still one stock left for the color blue but now, all colors are out of stock).

Ultra Girl Tinkerbell (I like the red one but it is out of stock also. They only have this style in color blue)

Bubbles (they only have this style in pink and aqua).

The site accepts Credit Card payments and they offer free shipping too. Really, really tempting!

Busy Holiday Season

I need weight loss supplements! For this week alone, I attended three parties already. We had our company wide Christmas party yesterday where all we did was eat, eat and eat. Then after that, we had a surprise despedida party for my dear friend, Timmy. We spent a good three hours at Red Box first. We did not order anything other than the two free drinks that is inclusive with the entrance fee that we paid because we are still full after coming from our Christmas party. But after the videoke party, we had dinner at Café Breton where Timmy treated us for crepes, sausages, sandwiches and desserts. I was so full when we decided to call it a night.

Then the next day, we had another surprise despedida party again for Timmy hosted by Timmy’s colleagues. We had food ordered from CCME and lechon which came all the way from Cebu. The lengua was so yummy that I ate two servings of rice and had 2 cups of fruit salad for dessert. Since the lechon didn’t make it during lunch time because it missed the first flight from Cebu, we just had it for our afternoon snack.

It was already 10 PM when I felt really hungry. And it is just the first week. In the coming weeks, I am scheduled to attend more parties and get together.

Universal Studios, Singapore

I was looking for information about Outer Banks beach rentals that I promised my friend that I will help her with but I was distracted and got caught up with the video of the sneak peek of the soon to open Universal Studios in Singapore.

I have seen Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California when our good friend Jacq and her husband Neil brought us there when we visited them last 2004. Hubby and I really had fun exploring the park as it is really different to what Disneyland has to offer. Our favorite is the tour of the entire studio where we got to meet King Kong, the shark from the Jaws movie and other famous Hollywood characters. LOL.

That is why when I learned that they are opening Universal Studios in Singapore, we are one of the excited individuals who can’t wait for its opening. Initially they said that it will be finished by December of 2009 but looks like the opening will be a bit delayed. But that is just okay, I won’t be able to travel until 2010 anyways so I can still wait for a few more months.

Watch this video from Youtube to have a sneak peak of Universal Studios, Singapore.

I Love to Travel

Because of the last promo from Cebu Pacific where they offer promo fares for all their domestic and international flights for travel from January to March 2010, I got really inspired to research about our next vacation destination like the myrtle beach vacation rentals. (As if I can still travel with my current physical and financial condition. LOL).

But you know, even just the thought of planning for our next vacation gets me all excited already. It is good that hubby and I share the same passion for travelling so this is one of things that we never argue about. Every time I tell him that I want to go on vacation, he will immediately say yes without even asking where and when I want to go on vacation. He knows that planning for the logistics of our travel is what I do best so he just leaves everything up to me. LOL.

But since I am pregnant right now, I am sure that we won’t be travelling in the next couple of months. Probably until I give birth or maybe even until our second baby turns one (my parents are kind of the traditional type and they highly discourage us to go on a long travel not until our baby is already one year old.)

But we will see. I don’t think I can last a year without even going out of town. A short trip to Tagaytay will be enough for me already (actually hubby is already planning for a Tagaytay get away but I am not sure if we can still squeeze it in our busy holiday schedule).

Dora the Explorer: A Present from Santa

Dora and her friends are back here in Manila for a series of mall shows. Robinsons Malls presents “Dora the Explorer: A Present from Santa.”

Dora will be going around Robinsons Malls starting December 8 until December 23 for a series of Mall shows and Meet and Greet sessions. My daughter just loves Dora and I am sure she will go crazy if she gets to see Dora and Boots in person. LOL. The nearest Robinsons Mall to us is Robinsons Place in Manila and they are scheduled to be there on December 15 at 3 PM and 5 PM. My daughter is already off from school on that date so I might ask my mom and my dad if they can drive their dear apo to Robinsons on the 15th. Unfortunately, hubby and I have no more vacation leaves left so we really can’t take a day off from work for this.

For more information, just click on the image below to enlarge it:

My Christmas Wish List

If you will ask me to make my wish list for Christmas, then this will be on top of my list:

1. A Philip Stein watch
2. Jewelries – a Gold Initial Pendant would be really nice (I wanted something like that for me and my princess). Or a Chanel earrings similar to the one that Jacqui posted on her Flickr account.
3. A three day vacation at Shangri-La Mactan or the new Shangri-La in Boracay.
4. A Coach Zoe bag.

Unfortunately, I don’t think my Santa has a budget for any of the items that I listed above. LOL. We have gathered a lot of expenses from the recent months that we said that we will have to be frugal with our gifts this Christmas. LOL.

I already have my gift for him. What else but another addition to his toy collection which he personally picked when we went to Toy Kingdom yesterday so I am really eager to know as to what he will give me for Christmas.

Honestly, I feel really blessed this year and I got what I really wanted and wished for so I can’t really think of anything else to ask hubby. I feel I already have enough, more than I deserve. So I guess a simple day spent with my whole family on Christmas would be the most perfect gift that I can ever ask for.

In Fairness with Smart....

I got this comment from Smart Communications that they posted in my previous post:

Hi! We appreciate your transparency in expressing your insights as this will help us improve our service better. We would appreciate if you could email us the details of your concern at ISMS@smart.com.ph. Kindly provide your Smartbro number, complete name and updated contact number. We will wait for your reply at your earliest convenience.


Thank you.

Social Media Services
Smart Communications

I did not report my concern to their Customer Support because I am really fed up with how incompetent their customer service is. It is either I have to wait for at least thirty minutes before I can get an answer and if I was able to get in, my problem will be dealt with by customer service agent who just gives me generic, out-of-the-tech-support-guide book answers. But I was really impressed when I received this comment as this is one good sign that they are really serious in improving their service.

In fairness with Smart, I was online yesterday checking about Myrtle beach golf and I access the Internet also today and looks like they already resolved the problem with my connection. I was able to access Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon, Old Navy with no problem. I was also able to log in to Yahoo Messenger seamlessly, not like last week where I have to try several times before I can successfully log in.

I hope this is the kind of good service that I will get from Smart all the time.