After our small get together yesterday to celebrate my grand mother’s 83rd birthday, we (me, hubby, my sister and my two cousins) decided to go bowling.

It has been a long while now since we last played. Bowling is one of our favorite bonding time since all of us (well not so much for me) are avid bowling fanatics. My daughter even had her first try with this sport and she loves it (although she was a little scared at first with the loud sound that the bowling ball makes when she tried to roll it on the lane).

But we had fun. I played one game only since Bela got bored already after finishing one round so I have to take care of her while my two cousins, hubby and my sister played for a second round.

Hope we can this more often and I’m sure Bela will be a good player like her dad someday.

I was chatting with my good friend last night and she is asking me for gift suggestions for the birthday of her mom. I love giving gifts for every occasion. My relatives even call me the Santa Claus in the family as I always have gifts for everybody for every occasion.

So I got all excited too when she asked for my suggestion and we both started to search online for the perfect birthday gift for her mom. She said that her mom loves bags, clothes and accessories but she decided that she will give her mom a watch instead since her mom already has a wide collection of bags and accessories already.

She showed me the site of bvlgari watches and we both agreed that she should buy her mom’s watch here. They have a wide collection of nice ladies watches which she thinks would be perfect for her mom. I bet she will really have a hard time deciding which watch design to select. All the watches from the diamond, dress, and complication collection of Bvlgari are so nice that I myself got confuse as to what to suggest to my friend.

So good luck girl. You have a good sense of style so your mom would surely love whichever watch you decide to buy.

How has the internet made wonders to your social life?

I was once a believer that no true relationship can ever exist online. But that belief of mine has changed since I discovered that the Internet can really create a lot of wonders in my social life. Let me share some of those:

1. Ever since I got active in blogging, I have met a lot of wonderful friends (MBAPs, w@wies and n@wies) online who are bloggers like me too. We got updated with each other’s lives just by reading each other’s blog. My blogging friends are one of the few people that I ask for advice with regards to being a mom, being a wife or just about anything like our shared passion for shopping. They sometimes are the first one to know about my problems, my secrets, my rants, my joys since they are all active readers of my blog and so they are the first one to comfort me, to give me advice and support or to share with my joy.
* I have a former colleague who moved to the US since she resigned from work. When she was still working in the same company that I am employed now, we only get to talk if ever she got a chance to go up to my floor or if ever I dropped by at their floor. But ever since we became blogging mates, we became much closer even though we are in different time zones. We talk almost everyday and she is one of the few person that I can talk to about anything.
* Mommy Bloggers Association of the Philippines(MBAP) - I met them through blogging too. They are my constant chat mates, blog readers, advisers and one of my closest friends.
2. I have a childhood friend whom I haven’t talked to in a decade and guess where I found her? At friendster. Since then, we never lost touch and although we are miles apart, it just like she is here with me in Manila.
3. Yahoo Messenger and email is the cheapest way to communicate to all my friends who are abroad. I get to talk to them almost everyday thru YM and email.

randomness...feed your mind and your blog
This week's questions are book related....

1. Who are your favorite authors? Sophie Kinsella. I find her books very funny and entertaining.
2. What are your favorite books? Shopaholic Series
3. What kind of books do you tend to read? Romance
4. Do you prefer to borrow books from the library or buy them? If I really like them, I would love to buy them so I have my own copy.
5. Do you prefer hardcover or paperback? Paperbacks. They are cheaper and ligther so I can carry it with me everywhere I go.
6. What was the last book you read? What are you reading now? Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. I am not reading anything as of the moment. I’m so busy that I don’t have the time to sit down and read a good book.
7. Do you read everyday? No.
8. On average how many books do you read per year? I am really not a book reader. Maybe 1-2 books a year. LOL.
9. Do you belong to any book clubs? No.
10. Recommend a good book. Sophie Kinsella’s books. LOL.

Every Saturday, my daughter has a swimming class at Ace Water Spa. Ace Water Spa is the first European Concept spa here which offers first class health spa facilities. They have hydrotherapy massage facilities like their bubble bed, waterfall bath, head and shoulder jet system and even a bathroom that has a steam shower.

We always enjoy our time here as we are guaranteed to have a relaxing time after our spa sessions. And so my husband and I though that this would be a great thing to have at tome. But we know that we can’t afford to have a hydrotherapy massage system at our house, and the closest thing that we can have to enjoy the benefits of a hydro therapy is to install a steam shower at our house. We need to replace our bathroom showers anyway, so this would be a good timing to install a new shower in our bathroom.

I have been doing some reading and I learned that steam showers have a lot of health and therapeutic benefits. The moisture content of the steam bath is helpful in relieving symptoms of respiratory problems like asthma, allergies and bronchitis. A steam bath also helps in maintaining a healthy and supple skin. The perspiration that is produce when we have a steam bath opens up the skin’s pores which help flush away deep seated dead cells. Steam bath is also an effective way to relieve muscle pain and is also a great form of relaxation.

Having these benefits in mind really convinced us that we should install a steam shower. Not only we will be able to start the day with a relaxing bath, but we will enjoy the many benefits that steam shower has to offer. We better start looking for steam showers and shower enclosures so we can have it installed in our bathroom soon.

randomness...feed your mind and your blog
Week of June 8: More nosey questions

1. What is your favorite day of the week? Saturday. As this is the day where I can spend a whole day with hubby and my precious daughter.
2. How do you usually wear your hair? I just let it down.
3. What is your favorite item of clothing? My pants.
4. Where would your dream vacation be? In Paris, with hubby.
5. Who is your favorite author? book? I am really not a book reader but I enjoy Sophie Kinsellla’s Shopaholic series as it is very light and doesn’t require me to think. LOL.
6. How often do you log on? Everyday.
7. What is one of your favorite internet sites to visit? Blogs of my friends
8. Coke or Pepsi? Coke
9. Do you prefer healthy snacks or junk food? Junk food. LOL.
10. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night owl..

I can say that my husband is a collector. He loves to collect NBA action figures, NFL action figures, old DVDs or just about anything that he thinks will have some value in the future. We were chatting one day and we both realized that he already spent a big amount of money for his collection and come to think of it, his collections are not really rare so we are not really sure if it is really a great investment if ever he plans to sell it in the future.

So I suggested, since he is really into collecting, then why not collect something that will be a good investment like a rare coin. I have read that hard assets are a good investment nowadays specially with how unstable our economy is. Values of hard assets don’t depreciate right away so it is a good way to secure ones investment.

And the collector in my husband kicked in right away as he got interested with my suggestion. At least if ever he started to collect rare coins, it would really be a wise investment for his money rather than on investing it to expensive toy collectables.

In just a couple of days, we will be leaving for our Singapore trip and I just realized now that I have to go to the Philippine Tourism Authority to get Bela’s Travel Tax Exemption Certificate so we will get 50% discount for the Travel Tax. That’s big saving considering that the travel tax costs P1620.

We are holiday on July 1 so I can go there early in the morning. The last time I went there was for our Hong Kong travel and I didn’t have any problems in getting the certificate. I spent I think two hours in the PTA office since after filing for the exemption, I have to wait since the certificate will be processed and released right away. At least I don’t have to go back there for another day to pick up the certificate. Hope the process is still the same.

It is the fifth day today that I don’t have an Internet connection and since I really need to go online, I have to find a way so I can connect to the net while at home.

At first I planned on going to Starbucks before going home and do all my things that I need to do online there. But aside from the fact that it is not cheap, I would rather want to go home to my daughter. Good thing I was able to share my Internet problem with one of my colleague and she suggested that I use my cellphone instead to connect to the net. And so I inquired at Smart, I was put on hold for like 20 minutes but I was able to get the answer I am looking for.

So right now, I am using my cellphone to go online. Although it is a little sluggish, at least I can go online once in a while and I think I can stand this speed until tomorrow (hoping that my Internet connection will be restored tomorrow).

Have you ever own something for the first time and you want to hold on to it as long as you want because it is something of value to you?

My friend owns a Ford Mustang and it is his first bought asset. Although he has been having problems with it because it always breaks down due to its age and he always has to sent it to the shop for repair, he still don’t want to give it up and he is determined to make it work. Good thing he found a shop that sells Mustang Radiator and it can deliver the Mustang parts quickly to any US destination and they can even refer my friend to a certified installation center.

I’m sure my friend would be really happy if he will be able to use his Ford Mustang again as it really has a sentimental value to him.

I did something stupid. I know it is a big thing for hubby so I should just kept my mouth shut but instead I choose a bad timing and at a time when hubby is a thousand miles away from me. I know hubby feels bad about what I said; we were not able to talk about it before he hung up the phone and so I am filled with worries now.

All I did was just be honest about what I feel but I didn’t realize that it will be a big thing for him. I tried calling his hotel room but he is still not in and it is already 10:30 PM there. I wish things would be okay for me and hubby.

With the advent of the Internet technology, you can find almost anything on the net. I remember when I was preparing for my wedding, I discovered a great cake maker on the web. She was surprised at how I was able to find her since she only makes cakes as a hobby and not really as her business. But since then, she has received a lot of clients from referrals and from those who discovered her on the web.

So it is no surprise then when businesses are utilizing the power of the Internet to promote and market their product and their company. A lot of businesses have engaged in different internet marketing strategies like the affiliate marketing of Clickbooth Affiliate Network, search engine optimization, email marketing and even paid search marketing.

And looks like it is really an effective marketing strategy since more and more companies are engaging into these types of online marketing. And it is a win-win scenario for both the affiliates and the advertiser. The affiliates get a reward from the advertising company while the company gets to advertise their product at a much cheaper cost than print advertising. Plus with internet marketing, companies will be able to reach a wider audience since their promotion has a potential to reach any country in the world as long as a potential customer has Internet access.

So expect more of these types of Internet and affiliate marketing as this is the growing trend for a more effective and cost efficient marketing strategy.

I received this very special award Sharing the Love from Eds. Thank you very much sis! I really appreciate it.

This award is extra special because Crystal created it in honor of the donor who saved her sons life. Her son Noah had to have a heart transplant when he was just over a month old. This award is supposed to help raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

So, here are the rules Crystal gave:

“The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

As you may have recently seen on my side bar, I have finally created a custom blog award!! I have wanted to do this for a long time but never came up with something that “fit”. I didn’t want just anything. It had to be something that meant something to me. And what could mean more than Sharing the Love by giving you pieces of my heart??

So I created this award in Honor Of The Donor That Saved Noah’s Life. I share this award with those of you whose love and friendship have enriched my life and made my world a better place.

I hope by passing this award around the blogging world we can all help raise awareness of the need for Organ Donation.”

And now I'm sharing the love with Vien, Big Eyed Gal, Yvelle, Farah, Peachy and Jason.

I need your help guys. A good friend of mine will be getting married in two months and has asked for my help in looking for cheap wedding favors.

I love wedding preparations that is why I got really excited when my friend asked me to help her for her wedding. But it has been four years since I prepared for my won wedding so I am a little out of the loop when it comes to new trends on weddings.

They like something personalize and something that reflects their personality as a couple. I already have some ideas in mind but these are the wedding favors that are in when I was still preparing for my wedding so I am not really sure if my ideas are still the “IN” thing now. I will be checking out the bookstore too and check on bridal magazines so I can get more ideas. Do you have any suggestions, guys?

I still don’t have Internet connection. Yes, it’s been four days now and Smart still hasn’t restored my connection. I have been calling them since Sunday morning and every time I called them, they always give me a generic answer “Ma’am our engineers are already looking at your problem and we will try to restore your connection as soon as possible. Please monitor your connection within 24 hours.”

I keep telling them that I badly need my Internet connection but I guess even if I call them three times a day everyday since Sunday, it still didn’t work as I am still offline as of this writing. I even have to go to a Gloria Jeans the other day to go online and check on my emails.

I just wish that they will be able to restore my connection soon.

I know I owe a lot of tags and memes from all of you guys. But up to know my Internet is still down so I can’t access the Internet while at home. I am also swamped with office work that’s why I can’t blog even on my lunch break.

After making numerous calls to SMART, they promise that an engineer will be visiting our house on the 27th to check on our antenna as they now suspect that it is the antenna that has the problem. (For three days, they have been reasoning that it is the base station that has a problem and now that it is fix, they are saying that it could be the antenna).

Hopefully I will get my connection soon so I can start doing all your tags and memes.

Bela almost didn’t make it to class today according to my mom. They left late for school as the technician for my brother’s car called my dad to inform him that the steering rack that he ordered has arrived. This means that my dad has to bring the car to the work shop for repair and my dad has to wait until it is finish.

My brother needs his car tomorrow so it really has to be sent for repair today. Good thing, the repair was done just before lunch time so they were able to leave the house around 12:45. And it is good also that my dad is a good driver and he knows a lot of shortcuts so they were able to arrive at Toddlers Unlimited just in time for Bela’s 1:30 class. They were even early for class so Bela was able to play at the romp area for a bit before the class started.

I have a colleague who just got back from his US vacation. He is one of the official make up artist of Maybelline here in the Philippines so he visited the Maybelline headquarters in New York and had a training there.

When I asked him how was his vacation, he said that he enjoyed it so much that he initially thought of not coming back at all. He said that a lot of his friends are encouraging him to pursue his makeup career in the US. My colleague really has the skill and the talent to make it big in the US and his friends are telling him that there are a lot of beauty jobs that are open for him so he won’t have a hard time looking for a new job there. He can try a lot of industries like film, fashion, music which really needs a talented makeup artist like him.

But when my colleague went there, his intentions are to have a vacation so maybe he is not yet ready to jump to a new world and leave his life here in Manila. But I know when the right time comes and he decided to move there, I’m sure he will make it big as a makeup artist in the US.

My brother was fuming mad when he woke up the other day as the hood of his car has deep scratches. This is not the first time that this has happened. Since they don’t have their own parking lot since there is not enough space in their area, my brother just parked his car on the street and so it is really not safe from incidents such as this. And since my brother is a little obsessed with his car, he will send his car right away for re-painting job to remove the scratches and it cost him big bucks to do this.

So I told him, since he is spending big bucks for repainting his car, why not try Garages for rent. This way, he will have a safe place for his car and he doesn’t have to worry that the same accident to his car will happen again.

A number of these garages for rent are emerging in our area and it is very cheap and for sure he will save big bucks rather than sending his car to the auto shop for repainting over and over again. And having his own parking space will really give him a peace of mind that his beloved car is safe and secure.

I was checking on Farah’s site for the tag the she passed to me and thought of answering this one first. She got it from Aggie’s page too and I think this is one of the topics discussed in n@w .

How many sq meters is your place, and how many people live there?
I’m not really sure also of the exact measurements of our house as hubby is not here to help me with answer this but I think we have a big house (big enough for all four of us - me, hubby, Bela and yaya). It is a two storey house with 2 bog bedrooms and one small room which our yaya occupies.

How much is your electricity bill monthly?
* Water? P100 – P120 plus an additional P300 for our drinking water (we order mineral water)
* Electricity - P4500 average monthly

Other utilities?
* House Rent – P8000
* Internet - P999 (SMART Bro)
* Mobile Phone Plans – P1800 for me and P800 for hubby
* Fuel/Gas – Hubby is the one paying for the gas and I think he consumes P6000 for the gas
* LPG – P690 as of the latest purchase
* Sky Cable - P550 (It is supposed to be P1100 but I split the bill with my next door neighbor since we share our cable connection. LOL)* Maids (one) – P3500
Groceries? Market?* Groceries- P6000 – P7000 monthly
* Milk – P3600 monthly
* Pampers – P1000 monthly (I wish Bela is potty trained already)
* Rice – Included in our groceries
* We still have a housing loan and there goes a big chunk of hubby’s salary – P34000

I know it is almost the rainy season already on our part of the world but my daughter still has five more sessions to go for her swimming lessons. We enrolled her in the middle of summer and she only goes to class once a week so she is still not finish even if it is the rainy season already.

Every time Bela goes to class, Howell was the one who goes with her to class. And since Howell is away, I am now Bela’s designated swimming buddy. Bela had a class this morning and it was only know that I discovered that my swimsuits are not in good condition already so I better go to the mall before next Saturday to buy a new swimsuit.

If I am sexy as them, I would choose to have these swimsuit styles

Thanks to Vien, Jody and Shimumsy for this.

The Flame of Friendship. A symbol of spirit of unity.The burning icon of love.Undying picture of hope.The hot symbol of oneness.The Flame of Friendship.And now it's your turn to flame yourself!Meet new friends. Discover friendship. Make bonds.

Copy this post starting from the PICTURE ABOVE to the end and add your blog on the list below. Let's start FLAMING!

Tiklaton: We are the witness
Janeth's Vicy's Life Journey
My Precious
Pitstop
Thea is Blogger Happy
Thea is Berry Scrappy Too
Scribbles of My Life
In This Game of Life
Shimumsy's Republic of A
Princess Vien
Our Journey To Life

END COPY HERE

I am now passing this flame of friendship to:
pheng, yvelle, em, and pam

I juts got a text message from my sister in-law and she just shared with me the good news that she is pregnant again. Since Howell is not here, I immediately send him an email to let him know of the good news. We are so happy for them as we know that they wanted to give their son a baby sister. (They are hoping that it will be a girl this time).

The next question that my sister in law asked me is when we will have our second baby too. (I know this question is coming). Last time, I got pregnant just two months ahead of her so she was hoping that I would get pregnant too now that she is pregnant again.

Actually, my husband already wants a second baby but it is me who is postponing it. My daughter is just 2.7 years old and it is only now that she doesn’t demand that much attention as compared when she is still younger. So I wanted to enjoy this moment a bit. And I would love to do more things with my daughter first like traveling, which I think would be difficult because we would want to give as much attention and as much time for our second baby when he or she comes.

I promised my husband that I will agree for a second baby next year after one more out of the country travel. Since he is the ever supportive and understanding husband, he gave in to my request. He said that I should start looking for Cheap holidays in one of the popular resort destinations or just a getaway in any Asian destination so we can start with our baby making soon next year after this travel.

My husband discovered about this secret garden in Tagaytay when he read about it in magazine. So one weekend, he just drove us to Tagaytay to have a late breakfast at the Moon Garden Restaurant.

Initially it was set up for family gatherings of the owners of the restaurant but since a lot of people are inquiring from them, the owners decided to open it to the public. You would see a lot of smiling moons hanging from the trees as one of the owners is fond of it.

They are open for breakfast from 7am – 2 am and you have to make a reservation at least a day in advance if you want to have lunch or dinner at their restaurant. They also organize moon parties there every time there is a full moon (this one I got to try).

The food is not really extra special but what I like abut the place is it is really not crowded. We have our own nipa hut where we had our brunch and we were really able to have a breath of fresh air and a taste of nature.

I had a busy Sunday. We started our day early as I wanted to hear mass in the morning instead of in the evening (like we usually do) as I’m quite sure that we will be arriving home late from the party. After hearing mass, I have to bring Bela and yaya home so I can go to SM to do some last minute shopping for the gifts that we will be bringing for the party.

It was still a little early but the mall is crowded already since it is Father’s Day. There are a lot of families celebrating and so all the more I missed Howell. After SM, I went straight home since we have to leave around 2:00 PM for the 3:00 PM party. And since it is Father’s Day, there was heavy traffic in the Pasig area even if it is a Sunday. But we arrive just in time before the party starts. I was not able to bring camera in our hurry but I was able to take a few pictures and video using my cellphone which I will be posting in Bela’s blog later.

So weekend is over and I’m back to work again. This reminds me, I have to eat lunch early today since I will be going out for a meeting with our mortgage lenders.

What are your top 3 gift suggestions this Father's Day?

My husband would have loved to receive any one of these.


Howell is currently away on temporary duty so we won’t be able to celebrate Father’s Day with him tomorrow. But I told him to order online those toys that he want and just have it delivered there. But looks like luck is not on Howell’s side. First attempt to order online, his orders were cancelled since they don’t accept credit cards not issued in the US. Then my friend Peachy offered to order for us since her Paypal has a US address but then it was cancelled again as they don’t deliver in Majuro even though it is a US territory. And now Em offered to order it and have it shipped at her address and then she will just mail it to Majuro. But Howell has to check first if the goods will be able to make it before he leaves on the 28th.

Oh well, if our third try will still not work, I guess I have to think of something else as our Father’s day gift for Howell.

I have a friend who is now four months pregnant. I asked her, if she were to choose would she rather have a boy or a girl. Of course I got the usual answer “I don’t mind whether it is a boy or a girl. What’s important is that she is healthy.” But I was able to persuade her to give me a straight answer and she admitted that she wanted a boy.

First is because she wants her to still be her hubby’s baby even after the child is born. She reasoned out that if it is a girl, her husband’s attention and the rest of her family would now be turned to the baby girl and no one will ever take notice of her. Second is she said that she finds it more difficult to raise a baby girl. Her reason would be that she would have to worry all time if her daughter is okay or if she will be able to finish college before she ever get pregnant and things like that, that mothers often worry about their daughters.


While I agree with her that boys can really take care of themselves more compared to girls, I am still glad that God gave me a baby girl as our first child. I get to enjoy dressing her up and shopping for her and I can already imagine that my daughter will be my best friend and my shopping and travel buddy. I guess I just have to enroll her to self defense classes like Karate or I can just buy her stun guns for her protection and of course, we will always be here for her to make sure that she is always safe.

I’m sorry if I have no real post lately. Nothing much is keeping me busy these past few days as it is just work – home for me during weekdays and Bela and I normally just stay at home during weekends.

You see I don’t know how to drive so I have to rely on my dad to drive us if we need to go somewhere. Like tomorrow, we will be attending a party and I still haven’t talked to him about driving us there.

I intend to take driving lessons before Howell left since I experience the same problem on relying on somebody to drive us the last time Howell was away. But you know, I kept postponing and postponing it until it is time for him to leave again and I still haven’t taken my driving lessons.

Oh well, maybe I’m just not really up to driving for myself and I enjoy the feeling that someone is always doing for me. LOL.

I was planning to spend time with my daughter this weekend but then I was assigned by my boss to do my office works this Saturday. I was a bit frustrated but the good thing is I don’t have to go to our office and I was allowed to finish all my duties at home. Although I am busy doing my works, I’m still enjoying my day with our princess Bela.

As I was doing my office works, my computer suddenly shut down. I was really worried since I was not able to save some files that I’ve been working on for several hours in my flash drive. When I opened the computer, I was so devastated because some files were gone and obviously I need to work on it again so I can submit all the works on Monday.

I tried to check the problem and scrounged for the possible solutions to what has happened. My computer memory has crashed down and I think it’s because of so many applications that were installed before. Some contains viruses and the bad thing is I was not able to upgrade the antivirus since we normally use our laptop.

I still have loads of stuffs to work on so I guess it’s time to reformat our computer so I can start working again. I really have to do this even if it will take for a couple of hours so that things like this will never happen again.

The use of illicit drugs is continuously spreading in our barangay. It’s like a contagious disease occurring not only in our barangay but most likely in our country. It’s been a catastrophe that must be given more focus and attention by our government. This can be due to poverty and ambivalence to some things that has been happening in their lives. At times, they use drugs to cover up the pain and depression that they are experiencing whenever they have problems.

This is the main reason why my mother decided to conduct a drug intervention in our barangay. As a barangay chairman, of course she wants to help her constituents to overcome drug addiction which is somehow considered by many as a taboo since it ruins the lives of every user. This will serve as a tutelage for the parents that seems to be apathetic regarding the lives of their children and also the users who continually become so addicted and as well as the youths to fathom the different effects of drugs in their lives.

This seminar wants to encourage users to undergo drug detox which can clean up their body from dangerous drugs and as well as alcohols. This will obviously help them avoid the different possible diseases that they can acquire because of drugs and alcohols.

Moreover, this also encourages users to have an adult addiction treatment so they will not become a victim of drug addiction anymore. And somehow, this will give them further knowledge on how drugs can ruin their lives physically, emotionally and mentally.

My mother is really hoping to push through with this subject and she hopes that she will be able to help and inspire many people. I too, hope that this will be a successful one since this will be a great start of saving so many lives.

Do you like doing stats? If you will ask me, I just hate it. Imagine I have to record all the technical support that I did for the day then I have to enumerate the all the steps that I did to solve the problem, plus I have to indicate how many minutes I spend in doing it.

They said that they need these data for management purposes and to gauge also if we are overworked or not or if we are over staffed. I was staring at my file where I have a bulleted list of the technical support that I did for the day and just looking at it makes me feel lazy already.

But then, I have no choice. I have to do it otherwise my boss might reprimand me if I don’t do it. So I spent almost 3 hours yesterday to input all the data and I am down to two more days of data which hopefully I can finish by Monday. And I was really happy since I was able to meet my quota of at least 5 hours of technical support per day.

Oh well, so now you know a little about how my life is as an employee.

Some months ago when I accompanied my daughter in her school field trip at children’s art museum, I was completely surprised and overwhelmingly amused by the ravishing changes that took place in it. Although most of the old exhibits were still among the display, I noticed the presence of some new portraits, sculptures and antiques recognized in world history with depicting mementoes which accordingly were transported or shipped with utmost care from foreign shores to find their place in this museum.

As I and other parents followed the group of our child on their journey in the museum, everyone particularly I was in complete admiration of the exquisite Fine Art Storage display that were masterfully culled and arranged by the most adroit persons abreast with all the nuances behind any work of art. The fine art collections of pictures and portraits on the walls chronicling the years are real eye catching that evolved so beautifully and aesthetically adorable which produced a delightful and refreshing ambiance close to paradise conveying an aura of happiness in this exuding modern life. I was even more enamored by the excellent choice for the perfect location of sculptures and antiques displays that even some of the nook and cranny were punctuated with art stuffs yet still sets a fantastic dazzling sight for every viewer’s eyes to see and creates a passion to deeply understand that the exciting world of art is filled with beauty that greatly emphasize the elegant splendors of everything that goes around it. It’s a real masterpiece work of the master of the game whose impeccable knowledge in the world of art is a reminiscent herald of a great connoisseurs.

The trip was such a beguiling experienced. On our way home I remembered I asked my daughter how she felt about the museum, but instead of replying she threw her query on me, “mom can you help me be a fine art artist”, sure baby sure I uttered her and we both wore a tingly smile.

I have been tagged by Em. Thanks for this sis.

The rule of this tag is for you to brag about "Daddy" (your husband if you have one or your dad if you do not have a husband yet). Started by Mitchteryosa
Rules:
1) Copy from {Start Copy Here} to {End Copy Here}. 2) Blog ‘Brag’ about your husband - yes, the father of your child/ren. As I’ve said singles may also join by bragging about their own fathers, or even grandfathers. It doesn’t matter! Of course, Daddy bloggers themselves may also join, but you have to blog about your fathers and not about yourselves, deal? Okay. Good. 3) Add your blog in the master list below linking to the post that you just made. Or if you wish, do it as how I’ve done it in my other blog by adding a new page. 4) Leave your comment here and don’t forget to leave your link so you can be added on the masterlist. Yup. Here. Thanks! 5) Let’s not forget Peppermint Creative for the corner border I used for the badge. Masterlist.

1. When Silence Speaks
2. Everything About Deye
3. Etc Atbp
4. Pinay Mommy Online
5. Coffee Cup Princess
6. Garden of Moments
7. Aeirin’s Collection
8. Never Dainty
9. The Long Journey Of My Life
10. A Mother Of Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow
11. Everything That Has Breathe Praise The Lord
12. Can Of Thoughts
13. Anything And Everything In Between
14. No Place Like Home
15. Pinay WAHM
16. Only In Silence
17. Bisdak Footprints
18. Simply Me, Simple Life
19. Fun Fierce Fab
20. Confessions Of A Supermodel Wannabe
21. Embracing Health For Life
22. Jona Thinks
23. Whatever Comers To Mind
24. BOTH SIDES NOW
25. Why Babie?
26. My Virtual Closet
27. My Views On My So Called Life
28. Mind Bubbles
29. Vanity Kit
30. Stripe&Yellow
31. Em's Detour
32. Something Purple
33. Our Journey to Life
{End Copy Here}

Here are the worth-bragging characteristics of hubby:

- He is our energizer bunny. He never gets tired specially if it for us. Like even if she worked overtime (until 4AM), he would still find the energy to drive me and Bela to class or just take us out for a weekend of fun.
- He is the most responsible dad I have known. He will always put our needs first before his.
- He would really stand up for his family.
- He always has the time to play with Bela even if he is so sleepy and tired already
- He spoils me and Bela.
- He really works hard to get promoted so he can provide a better future (and more shopping budget. LOL) for us.
- He is open to new ideas for her daughter like enrolling her to play class, swimming lessons, etc even if a lot of our relatives are against it.
- He is a hands on dad and would always help me in taking care of Bela even if it means he has to wake up during the wee hours of the morning to prepare Bela’s milk or just to put her to sleep.

And to Howell, you are the best dad anyone could ever ask for. Happy Father’s day to you. We love you very much!!

I am now tagging: Eds, Peachy and Jane.

These pictures was taken during our daughter’s last Show Day at the Little Gym. Parachute time is one of Bela’s favorite activities at the gym. Even though she is always wandering around at class, as soon as she sees the parachute she will right away join her teacher and her other classmates for the parachute activity. Look at the smile on her face which shows how much she likes this activity.

She has been enrolled under the Beasties program of the Little Gym for three quarters now and I can say that it has really helped a lot for her psychomotor and social development. We decided not to enroll her for the next quarter as she will be starting her classes at preschool come June but we will definitely come back at the Little Gym come summer time.

When Elliott Yamin came here in the Philippines for a free show at Glorietta, hubby accompanied me at Glorietta and waited with me for two hours just to see Elliott performed live. He was also our photographer as he took some photos while Elliott was performing.

And so when he asked me to accompany him at Robinsons Place Ermita to attend the autograph signing of the album of his idol, Joey De Leon, I can’t say no. So last Thursday (even though he just arrived from his overnight stay at Bicol), I accompanied him and I was his photographer while Joey was signing his CD.

He was the happiest man on earth after he met his idol. Yup, that’s how easily you can make hubby happy. He has long been wanting an autograph of Joey de Leon because he is really a big fan. He even asked my cousin who works for GMA to signed an old picture of the TVJ (Tito, Vic and Joey) that he was able to buy from a vintage collector. And so when he learned that Joey is doing a mall tour at Robinsons Place, he really can’t miss this opportunity to meat his idol. And so even though he is tired because he just came from Bicol that day and he was not able to sleep that night because he was the driver from Quezon to Bicol, he still preferred to go to Robinsons to attend the autograph signing.

Below are some pictures.

.: I told you, he is the happiest man on earth. :.

.: Of course I strike a pose too :.

It’s always been a hobby for me to take pictures and videos of my daughter because I want to have a remembrance of her childhood memories in the future. These also allow me to see the development of my child as she grows up and by doing these, I can somehow identify the strengths and weaknesses of my daughter as time pass by.

At times, I only use my mobile phone because our digital camera is not always available since it is being used by my hubby for his business. My mobile phone uses a 256mb micro sd but I think, the capacity is still not enough to handle many pictures and other profiles of my daughter because I’m now really addicted to capture every moments of my princess Bela. That’s the main reason why I’m planning to upgrade my phone’s memory so I can save more files and even different applications such as music and games.

This can be a lot of fun and excitement for me since I’ll be able to share more of my daughter’s and family’s memories.

I was tagged by Kelly.

RULES:
1. add your blog/s to the list. feel free to add all your other blogs. it’s okay if you only post these questions in one blog as long as you answer them.
2. get back to ME {refers to YEN} and i’ll add your blogs to the master’s list here! yup, another linking thingy but this one has 15 questions and you get to enjoy answering them too!
3. tag as many friends online you know. but you don’t need to be tagged in order to join.

QUESTIONS:
1. when you buy a greeting card, are the words or the picture more important to you? Words

2. what’s your favorite kind of cake? Betty’s Chocolate Cake and Costa Brava’s Cakes

3. do you ever make gifts for people, if so what, or do you buy them? I’m not the creative type of person so I always buy gifts for people.

4. what’s your favorite holiday? Christmas

5. are you going on holiday this year? if so, where? Singapore and Hong Kong

6. what was the best party you’ve ever been to? Bela’s 1st and 2nd Birthday party specially her parties at the orphanage

7. if you are married, describe your wedding. If not, what would your ideal wedding be like? Perfect! It had glitches but for me it was perfect because on that day, I married the man that I truly love

8. what’s the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to you? When he proposed.

9. what’s your favorite girl’s name? I’ve more than a few: Ysabela, Margrette, Sophia, Alessandra

10. what’s your favorite boy’s name? Aidan

11. which celebrity would you like a dream date with? Hugh Jackman

12. which female celebrity do you find beautiful? Angelina Jolie

13. which male celebrity do you think is attractive? Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman,

14. what is your best character trait? I’m organized.

15. what is your worst habit? I’m a negative thinker and I worry about a lot of things

I am tagging Peachy, Em, Vien, Big Eyed Gal and Farah.

1. Me and Mine 2.Creative In Me 3.Little Peanut 4. Pea in a Pod 5. Sugar Magnolias 6.Me,Myself+2 7.FunFierceFabulous 8. Supermodel Wannabe 9. A Reality Bite 10. My Life Right Before Your Very Eyes 11. My Random Thoughts 12. 100% Kelly 13. Our Journey to Life 14. YOUR BLOG HERE

My mother planned to buy a computer for the Barangay as a means of their monthly project. She thought that this can be a great help for the community especially to the student’s education. She even planned to have an internet connection so that people will have an internet access that will help them to communicate with other people easily and can let them explore new knowledgeable things.

She consulted me before buying since my field is within computers. I discussed to her some of the computers that have the best quality including the different kinds of information that she has to consider.

The following day, my mom already bought a computer and she preferred an lcd monitor since it occupies less space and she thought that it is more trendy than the usual monitors that we have. The computer was already set up at the same day she bought it and it is now being used by the public for free.

My friend is so conscious with her body ever since she gave birth. She really gained a lot of weight that’s why at times; she’s very intimidated whenever there are chances or gatherings that she has to socialize with other sexy girls. She became so insecure and even lost her confidence because she feels so ugly and fat.

Her husband encouraged her to join him whenever he goes to the gym but she thought that she don’t have much time because she has to take care of their kids. Due to that, she started consulting different people and even the experts because of her eagerness to loss weight.

Of course as a friend, I suggested that she has to undergo a diet and start avoiding fatty and oily foods. I also asked her to try Orovo as it is proven and tested by the pros for years now. I’m just hoping that eventually, she can have her figure back so she can have the confidence again to face people.

Thanks Vannie, Vien and Farah for this tag.

The rules:
* 1.Determine your birthday month and get a word that rhymes with it or you can affix to it. Caps lock your birth month (ex: MAYday! JUNE dune, APRILicious, JULYvely, AUGUST pocus, parched MARCH…). Be unique.

* 2.Your birth month plus the word affixed or rhymed shall become the tag’s title in your case.

* 3.Get your birthday and add the digits involved. Example, if your birthday falls on the 25th of July, add 2 and 5 you get 7.

* 4.Whatever is the sum, write a list of the MATERIAL gifts you wish to receive, the number of which shall correspond to the sum of your birthday. For example, applying the case above (in rule number 3), you will write seven (7) things you wish to receive.

* 5.After your wish list, put your name and birthday in the Bloggers’ Birthday Directory, with a link to your blog/s. Note: when you add your birthday, please place it in a way that the dates appear chronological (January, February… 1, 2, 3)

* 6.Pass this tag meme by tagging as many people as you want.

Name: Abie

Birthday: January 19

Calculation: 10

My Wish List:
1. An LV Bag

2. Mac Book

3. New Cellphone

4. New Watch

5. Elizabeth Arden Perfume

6. A day at the Spa

7. Trip to Paris

8. Trip to Australia

9. Trip to Capetown Africa

10. A boss that shows real concern for his staff. Someone who does not discriminate between genders and someone whom we will learn a lot of things. ( I know this is not material but as I tried to think of 10 material things that I want for my birthday, I stopped at number 2 since I really can’t think of what things that I want for my birthday)

Bloggers’ Birthday Directory
January 19 - Abie January 27 - Farah February 23 - Jammy March 7 - Mari May 3 - Vannie May 8 - joanjoyce May 27 – Zang Caesar June 10 - Vien September 30 - Mckhoii December 18 - JoshuaOngYS YOUR BIRTHDAY HERE

Tagging: Jason, Pam, Jody and Eds

When the weather doesn’t cooperate with your plans for outdoor fun, use these quick ideas to keep the kids busy having fun indoors.

STARS OF THE SHOW
Combine dress-up play with a kid performance that you record with the video camera. If you have several kids at home, let them plan a talent show or play to perform for the adults. Record the show for them to watch afterwards.

HAVE AN INDOOR PICNIC
Put a blanket on the floor; get your picnic gear; and serve traditional picnic foods for a festive indoor picnic.

SURF THE NET
Try to explore new sites. Try to search for some interesting places for family getaways.

Just like what I did. I already discovered new places and even viewed the different facilities and amenities such as the Hilton Head rentals. I think this will be perfect for our next family trip.

VISIT THE BOOKSTORE
Is there anything better than a stack of new books on a rainy afternoon? For some of us, that’s the ultimate fun! Take a couple of hours to buy new books and then spend a quiet afternoon reading.

I can still remember the ROTC days of my sister when she was in her first year in college. She was really frustrated and very lazy to attend the class since she has to go to school on a Sunday morning wearing a tactical gear. She also told me that whenever they had classes, all they do was to sit at the field for almost 5 hours, under the heat of the sun. Even though they don’t have many things to do, it was still a very stressful day for her.

I can understand my sister’s situation because she is not really used to those kinds of activities but she doesn’t have any choice but to take up the course since it is a requirement and good thing, she survived.

I just can’t think of any reason why students have to undergo a military training. I mean, why do they have to require students especially girls to finish the course if it is not even in their field of interests and it is not related to their choice of career? I guess I’m just lucky because during my time, we were not required to do any military training at all.

Howell left this afternoon with his family so they can stat their long journey to Bicol. He said that they will arrive there around 6 – 7 AM so they will go directly to church to hear mass that will be officiated by his brother.

I decided not to go with him since this is really a last minute plan that I was not able to file a leave last week. And since my boss is away on vacation leave, I did not want to just take a leave without his permission.

I know Howell really wanted me to go with him so I really feel guilty for not being able to join him and his family for this trip. (I hope you won’t feel bad about it dad. I promise I will make it up to you. Will an Optimus Prime Transformer action figure be enough to make up for it? I saw one on sale at allboardtoys. LOL).

But I think it is also good that I did not go with him as I was able to take care of some of the things that he needs to do before he leaves on Friday. Like I was able to prepare the laptop that he will be bringing. I have installed an anti virus software, install Microsoft updates, installed Yahoo Messenger and I have installed and tested the web cam. Then tomorrow I will be buying the medicines that he will be bringing like Paracetamol, Tuseran, etc.

I think everything is all set for Howell’s trip. It is me that is not ready for him leaving.

I feel guilty. I was having a bad day the whole afternoon all because somebody made a comment that I did not like. And it really made me feel bothered the whole afternoon that I was really having a bad day and I was not able to finish much work.

And when I arrived home, my mom’s friend was at our house and she was crying when I saw her. From what I understand they are having problems with their teenage son. He is only 16 years old, he doesn’t want to go to school and he is a drug addict. My mom’s friend is crying and is asking for my mom’s help since they want to send their son to a drug rehab and they don’t have the money and the means to do it.

All of a sudden, I suddenly feel guilty. Here I am feeling that the world is against me while there are other people who are having a much bigger problem than what I am experiencing. This made me appreciate the blessings that I am receiving and it really made me realize that I am truly blessed.

Lesson learned. Everyday is a new blessing from God and we should never stop counting our blessings.

Have you watched the move Sex and the City already? I already watched it twice and I will highly recommend it as it is really one beautiful movie. The four years of wait was all worth it to see the four girls again and the rest of the cast of the Sex and City.

But this post is not about the movie. I was just stricken when I saw the scene when Mr. Big followed Carrie in Paris and he told Carrie, “You are the one.” It really reminded me of my ultimate dream to go to Paris.

You see, if you will ask me what my ultimate travel destination is, I would definitely answer Paris. Who wouldn’t love Paris? There are a lot of great things to do and places to visit in Paris. I can already imagine myself joining Tours in Paris and we would visit each of the tourist spots in Paris like their well know art museums, and galleries like Le Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Picasso Museum and the famous The Louvre. Then we can also visit the Pantheon, the Notre Dame Cathedral and of course I will not miss to have my picture taken at the Eiffel Tower.

I really have to do some saving to make my dream Paris travel a reality.

I was tagged by Big Eyed Gal, Vien and Chat. Thanks for this girls.

This is the level of education required to understand my blog:

Movie Reviews

Ok, when I found out of the result, I just can’t believe it. LOL. I better improve my writing skills.
Here are the rules:
1. Check out your Blog Readability Test here then post it.
2. (OPTIONAL) Stop asking yourself regarding the results of the test (LOL!)
3. Add your blog from the list together with the results.4. Tag as many friends you like.1. Big Eyed Gal - High School 2. The Chronic Shopper - Elementary 3. Vital Sighs - Genius 4. Our Journey to Life - High School

I'm tagging: Jody, Peachy and Thea

Howell is scheduled to go to Bicol this week because he has to attend an important event on the 5th of June. He planned to go there by land but I think it will be a lot stressful for him since he is scheduled for a trip to Majuro this coming June 06, 2008 and sad to say, he will stay there for three weeks.

The event will start in the morning so he really has to leave earlier so he can catch up with the event. I told him that traveling by land will be a great hassle because the trip will last for almost 10 hours. So can you imagine how stressful it is to travel that long and the moment he gets back here in Manila, he will just rest for a while and then get ready to prepare for his trip to Majuro? Oh well, I just hope he can handle it.

Because of this, I tried to check if there are cheap flights available from Manila to Bicol and then from Bicol to Manila. I insisted to take this option so it will be a lot easier for him to travel and it will surely give him more time to rest and prepare for his flight to Majuro.

My sister wants to buy her own laptop since she will need it to enhance her computer programming skills. She prefers to use it so she can bring it to school every now and then. So I asked her what brand and type of laptop she likes. She told me that she likes the one with high speed and memory because she needs to install some software for her major subjects.

I suggested that dell laptops with expandable dell memory will be great so she can install much software that she needs.

This picture was taken last Friday at Fort Santiago. My daughter was one of the participants for the Santacruzan. We were informed that assembly time is 4:00 PM but the program didn’t start until 6:00 PM. Good thing, my husband was able to find a way to entertain my daughter while waiting. My daughter just so loves to play with bubbles. She saw one of the kids in the park playing with bubbles and she immediately ran toward the kid to play with him.