A few weeks before Christmas, I was telling myself that I couldn’t wait for it to be all over. From the numerous get together, last minute shopping, and more, I got so tired and stress that I want for this season to be over and just relax and rest.

But now that Christmas is over, I can’t wait for the next Christmas season to come. Weird huh? What I love about the Christmas season is the overflowing of love, joy and gratitude. It is only the chance where we get to see and spend time with friends and family members that we don’t spend that much time with.

As for our Christmas, we had our usual family traditions. We all heard mass at my alma mater and then we all went to our home for our Noche Buena. On the morning of Christmas, all my relatives went to our house too for our family reunion and gift giving. We initially planned to go to my in-laws house but they went out to watch a movie.

The kids are ecstatic with their gifts and they can’t contain their happiness as they received a lot. As for me, we did not find the time yet to get my present but I am checking out kraftmaid kitchen cabinets here as I am thinking to ask this as my Christmas gift from hubby.

It was a very meaningful Christmas for my family. Hope you had a fun and memorable celebration too of Jesus’ birthday.

Now that we are done with one of the biggest expenses we have for 2012 which is our daughter’s 7th birthday party, we can finally start with our house renovation project that we postponed for a year now.

Hubby is excited as he has a lot of projects lined up for the house. He wants to repaint the whole interior and exterior of the house plus he also wants to have the flooring done.

We would have wanted to use granite or marble for the flooring but we are working on a tight budget but thankfully there is a better alternative and that is polished concrete.

With polished concrete, we will be able to achieve the look of granite, marble or terrazzo flooring without breaking our bank account. Aside from the price, another advantage of polished concrete is it is very easy to maintain and is environment friendly too.

Polished concrete can also be stained to achieve different colors and different styles and designs can also be incorporated to imitate the look of traditional floorings. Hubby is really excited with my discovery and he has already contacted Forrest Concrete, one of the best contractors in the market for polished concrete, so he can have a meeting with them and discuss the projects that he is planning for our home sweet home.

Will I see you again?

Hopefully soon…if this happens, it will be the best Christmas, birthday and anniversary gift ever. I am not putting my hopes up but hubby is positive that this will push through. But I am getting excited already just thinking about it.

Howell would want the kids to come but I don’t think we will be able to afford it if all four of us will go and besides Bela has school and she can’t be absent for 2 weeks, minimum.

I am just too happy about this news that is why I am sharing it here but still, let’s wait and see if this will really push through or not.

This is one of the highlights of my 2012: 

This picture was taken during the Meet and Greet session when the Prime Minister of Canada, visited the Philippines last month. He was gracious enough, despite his busy schedule to allot a time to meet the staff here in Manila.

We were instructed that we would just have a group picture with the Prime Minister. The security was really tight in the room. They must have checked a wide selection of stanchions too to provide barricade and security post inside the room.

But we were all surprised when the Prime Minister announced after his speech that he could have individual pictures with all the staff. Everybody got excited and we really appreciate this gesture. I was one of the first few who lined up right away and had our pictures taken with the Prime Minister.

It was really one of my most memorable events for 2012.

This will be one of my busiest weekends. Just look at what’s lined up for me:

• My friend from Qatar is here in Manila for vacation and she sponsored a Saturday feeding today in Ulingan. Howell and I will fetch her and her boyfriend at Manila Hotel and will accompany them in Ulingan.
• After Ulingan, we will go out for lunch with Vanessa and her boy friend.
• Hubby will also try to see if we can squeeze in our schedule, the birthday party of the kid of his high school friend.
• Our last booking for today will be the Project Pearls Christmas party, which I am sure, will last the whole night.
• For Sunday, I plan to go to Robinson’s or Lucky Chinatown Mall for more shopping.

Just looking at this list makes me feel tired already but I am happy because it involves meet ups and get together with my closest friends which is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.

The household is preparing for this: 

My brother subscribed to Sky Cable’s Pay-per-view of the Pacquiao-Marquez fight and so all my relatives, from my cousins, aunts, uncles, will be coming over today to watch the fight live and in HD.

My aunt will be cooking lunch so we can all feast on my Tita’s home-style specialty after the fight.

Hope this fight will end the saga between Pacquiao and Marquez and hopefully, we will know who really is the better fighter.

Male relatives: Check

Female relatives: Check

Bela’s Classmates and teachers: Check

Officemates: Check

Godchildren: Check

So I guess I am almost done with my Christmas shopping list. The only ones that I need to buy gifts for are my husband, Bela and Cobi and my parents.

Among these individuals, it is hubby that I am having a hard time deciding what to get. My friend showed me some nice michael kors perfume and watch for men but hubby is not the type of person who cares for these kinds of things. He would rather get a toy than an expensive watch.

As for the kids, I will order everything online so it would be cheaper than buying it from Toys R’ Us. Bela is definite on what she wants and Cobi said he likes robots. LOL.

I can’t wait to finally tick everything off my shopping list.

This is the current wallpaper on my laptop:

Our latest family picture courtesy of our photographer friend, Jojo Francisco taken during Bela's 7th birthday party.

So what’s up with us? I have not been able to blog lately as we have been really busy. Well for one, I am so up to the neck with workload for my sideline work. This is very exhausting but I am thankful still as I really need this extra work to help hubby with all our expenses. Then we were also busy attending get together and advance Christmas parties specially last October to November where we attended 3 parties excluding Bela’s 7th birthday party. And of course, one of the major thing that kept us busy the past weeks was preparing for Bela’s 7th birthday party.

But the craziness of our schedule does not stop there as December is yet another busy month for us as we juggle from holiday shopping to attending parties, reunions and more.

So hopefully in between this, I can still get a chance to update this blog.

A week before Bela’s birthday I have to work overtime for three days from Friday to Sunday. We were working until 1 or 2 AM and so I did not go home for 2 nights as we just stayed in the hotel where the event was held.

I miss my family during those three days and 2 nights but I am thankful for this great opportunity because I have earned a little extra to treat my family. And just the perfect timing because the Wednesday after that weekend, Cebu Pacific offered a 75% off to all their domestic and international flights.

My husband and I woke up at 4 AM to book our tickets and we are so lucky because we were able to secure a flight to Singapore on February 23-26, 2013.

The good thing about the flight that we booked is that it falls on a weekend and the EDSA People Power holiday so Bela will only be absent for one day.

Now I am really excited. This will be our third time in Singapore but the first time for Cobi and the last time we were there, Universal Studios, Marina Bay Sands and Lego Land is not open yet so there are a lot of new places that we can explore on our trip there this February.

Are you running out of ideas for gifts to your families and friends this Christmas? Except from my dad who I am not worried of what to give for Christmas because I know how much he loves swishers cigars, I am in the same boat as the majority as I can’t think of anything unique to give as Christmas presents.

But thanks to my wonderful and creative friends, I can now start my shopping list with their handmade and 100% made with love products:

• Embellished Designed Studios is a graphic design company that specializes in printable needs. Some of the nice items that are perfect for gift include note cards, note pad and ball pen set, and more.

• The Clay Craft Studio makes 100% heart-made tokens and gift ideas using polymer clay. Some of their cute products include cell phone pluggies, key chains, bookmarks, and more.

• Dainty Ashley is all about handmade dainty hair trinkets and accessories just like some of the pictures below:

I have been out of the loop for weeks now as I have been really busy. So what have I been busy with?

• we have 3 parties to attend to every Sunday: Ashley’s 1st birthday, Byko’s 1st birthday, Twitterafia’s Christmas party
• we are so busy preparing for Bela’s 7th birthday party
• a week before Bela’s party, I have to work overtime from Friday to Sunday
• and of course my sideline job

This is the reason why I have not been online lately, thus I rarely get the chance to post updates here. And I think this will be the trend as the busy Christmas season enters….

If you are planning for your next family adventure and you are thinking where to go, then going to a beach resort might be something that you may want to consider as the sea, sand and sun is something that the whole family will surely enjoy.

There are a lot of things that kids and adult alike can do while in a beach resort. It can be a whole day full of fun activities, a weekend and even a whole week. If you check out the Things to do in Provo, one of the newest beach resorts in Utah, you will discover a whole lot of activities to keep you and your family busy and entertained while on your vacation.

When planning for a beach vacation, here are some tips that you should consider:

1. Get ideas from all the family members. This will ensure that you will find a beach destination that everyone will enjoy and that they have something to look forward to in your destination of choice.

2. Decide when to go. Do you want to go during the high season where the beach may be crowded or during the off-season where you can have the beach to yourself to relax and have fun? You can also check for events lined up, as it may be something that you don’t want to miss.

3. Check the resort facilities. When choosing your beach resort destination, check for the services that the resort offers especially if you are traveling with kids. You can check if the resort offers babysitting, kid friendly activities, family suite that has a lot of space for the whole family and more. 

If you plan ahead, you will be able to choose the best beach destination that will give your family the ultimate fun and relaxation during your vacation.

November 1 is an official Philippine holiday but we decided to go to Divisoria anyways to shop for prizes for Bela’s party. We feel that it will not be that crowded since most of the people are either out of town or in the cemetery to pay their respects for their departed loved ones.

We left home early around 7:30 AM and we went straight to 168. Unfortunately, 168 will not be open until 12 noon but good thing Divisoria market is open and this is where I shop for toys anyways.

It was a bit crowded already as there are a lot of people shopping for things that they can sell to the cemetery. So I just checked out 2-3 stores and got all my loots from there. We were done by 10 AM and these are our loots:

I hope this is enough for the prizes for the party as I am expecting more than 100 kids.

When you invite guests into your home, you want them to feel as welcome as possible. Having a messy bathroom is a sure way to make your guests feel uncomfortable. Before anyone comes to visit, do a few simple things to straighten up your bathroom so that it is clean and inviting. Clean the tub and the sinks, put out fresh towels, put the bathroom scale away and use a scented candle to clear the air of any unwanted odors.

If you have porcelain sinks, scrub them thoroughly until they are as clean as they were when first installed. Get rid of any unsightly stains in the tub, and give the toilet a good cleaning. Do not forget to wipe any smudges off of the mirror. If you are all out of clean sheets or towels, do some laundry before your guests arrive so that you have enough linens for them. Make sure that you tell your guests which towels they should use to avoid any confusion. Whether you have a bathroom digital scale or a bathroom analog scale, you should put it away before your guests arrive so that it is not in the way. 

Whether your guests are just visiting for an afternoon or are staying with you for several weeks, it is important to make them feel welcome in your home. By taking the time to clean your bathroom, you can ensure that your visitors do not feel awkward when they are using it. With the right touches, you can make sure that your guests leave with nothing but good memories.

When I was in High School, I hate writing essays required by my Language professor. I always do it last as I can’t find the energy to start on my essay work. But look at me now, I maintained a number of blogs and one of my sideline work is being an article writer and freelance content provider. Who would have thought that I am one of the students before who thought that they can’t write.

This is the aim of World Poetry Movement, which is to encourage more people to write especially amateur poets to express their thoughts, emotions, ideas through a poem. One of their ways to achieve this is through the poetry contest that they have launched.

They have this contest several times per year and anyone can submit an entry for free. To date, they have awarded almost $250,000 in cash and prizes to the talented poets that they have discovered through the contest.

The World Poetry Movement also have a Facebook page where members can interact, share their poems with each other, have a poet discussion or just find a venue where they can get to communicate with individuals who share the same passion as them for poetry.

So start composing your poem now and submit it to World Poetry Movement. Who knows, you might be their next winner.

It was a very busy weekend for us especially for hubby. He has been working overtime for more than a week now that he will arrive home late everyday. The latest was last Saturday when he arrived at 6 AM so he worked for almost 2 whole shifts.

He was supposed to go to Ulingan with me but I let him stay at home and he just drop me to Ulingan so he can sleep and rest.

In Ulingan, we have two celebrants who sponsored our feeding program. One was Evelyn who is one of the volunteers and the second one was couple Sarah and Noel who is celebrating their anniversary. They are the former teachers of our volunteer, Ben.

We had the usual feeding program and after filling the tummies of the kids, this is what we had for the Brain Booster:

They will wear these Halloween masks on our Halloween event next Saturday. I’m so excited for the kids.

On November 4, we will be attending our first Christmas Party. This will be for my Bebots/Twitter friends.

We usually have our parties early, as we are all busy especially during the Christmas season. And we made sure that we will be having an early Christmas party again this year as one of our friends from the US, Trin and her family, is here in the US to celebrate with us.

It will also double as a Trick or Treat event for the kids as the kids will come in costume and we will setup a Candy Buffet station, courtesy of Sweet Royals and as gift from our friend Apols, Ems and Faye (thank you girls).

As for the mommies and daddies, we are asked to come in our funny hat or fancy headdress for I am already looking for Women's Dress Hats at hat country so I will have something to wear for the party.

I am so excited already and I can’t wait to meet up again with all my online friends.

I was feeling a little down last Friday, but this gave me an ultimate lift: 

I received an email from one of Project PEARLS’ Scholarship committee to give me an update about my scholar, Jenny Rose Caparida. I am glad that she attends school regularly as we believe that education is one way for them to escape poverty.

I regularly go to Ulingan every Saturday to volunteer but I rarely get a chance to see Jenny Rose there. Probably because there are a lot of kids at the Day Care during feeding program that it is difficult to spot her. Hopefully, I can visit her one day so I can talk to her mom and Jenny Rose.

My wish is that I will be able to support her schooling until she graduates from college. God willing…

Sponsor a child. Join our advocacy. Visit www.projectpearls.org

It was a fun Musical Saturday in Ulingan as we have been fortunate enough to be visited by the group Feed Hungry Minds (FHM) and some casts of the famous musical, Phantom of the Opera.

They had a mini concert as they sang for the kids and for the volunteers that we really had fun. But aside from the entertainment, they also brought 500 packs of rice meals for all the children in Ulingan. They also hand out hand towels that the kids can use.

Thanks again to FHM, for the cast of Phantom of the Opera and for Fionna who celebrated her birthday with our kids.

This week has not been a very good week for us as we received some bad news that will affect our financial state for the coming months:

* the tenant who is renting our commercial space said that they will only stay until October.

* our second tenant who is renting our residential unit also told my mom that they will only stay until November

We were even planning to replace the tacoma seat covers of our Toyota Vios but looks like we will not have a budget for it. The rent that we are getting from these tenants is what we use to add to the amortization of our car loan and housing loan and without these, we will experience a big financial problem.

I don’t want to think about for now as it is really stressing me out. I believe that God will provide, which He never really fails to do and everything happens for a reason so I am hopeful that we will surpass this.

I have been going to Ulingan to volunteer in the Saturday feeding program of Project PEARLS since March and I feel really happy every time I influenced friends, relatives, and even strangers to join our advocacy.

My good friend Ate Annie has been seeing my posts of Ulingan in Facebook and she and her daughter Mimille, joined us one Saturday there. Upon seeing the plight of the kids, Mimille was heart broken. Majority of the kids in Ulingan are malnourished and have pulmonary diseases. Their houses stand on a dumpsite and they walk around bare footed. That is why the very next day, Mimille started a campaign / challenge to raise 700 rain boots for the kids and she created a Facebook page for it called “Botang Maliit Para kay Bulilit.”

With the help of her family and friends they were able to raise the 700 rain boots (and more) in a month and last September 29, I joined them as they had an art workshop, story telling, feeding and distribution of the first 200 rain boots to Project PEARLS scholars.

One of our regular volunteers who joined us kept on saying that the kids have never been this pampered as the food was really overflowing and they really enjoyed the different activities that Ate Annie and Mimille’s group prepared for them. It was nice to see the smiles on the kids’ faces.

Thank you again to Ate Annie, Mimille and the Guzman family and friends who made all of this possible.

It will be a busy weekend for us. While I will be joining my Project PEARLS family for our Saturday feeding and activities in Ulingan, my husband will be busy for the photo shoot of Bela.

He attempted to have two photo shoots this week with Bela but since Bela is tired already since it is a school day, he was not able to get great pictures since Bela was not in the mood already for a photo shoot.

So I told hubby that he better schedule it on a weekend instead. So hubby is freeing up his schedule this Saturday and Sunday for the shoot. He had prepared his photography tools already and he even borrowed an electric guitar as additional props to the drums, beat box, and organ that we have at home.

I on the other hand will have to check smallflower.com tweezerman to get beauty tools and products so my sister will have all the things that she will need as she do the hair and makeup of Bela.

I am so excited and I am looking forward to this weekend. I am claiming that it will be another fulfilling and productive weekend.

I found this in Facebook:

Isn’t it cute? I will include this in my dream board. With all the stories about infidelity that I have been hearing from friends, I feel that it is a blessing from God if couple can stick together, till death do they part.

I am grateful that God has given me a loving husband whom I know will stick with me through tick and thin. And I am confident that when we retire, we can do this t-shirt thing, just like in the picture, and we will join a group tour wearing this t-shirt which says “Together since 2005.”

Hubby is working overtime today, thus we can’t do our usual Saturday morning routine, which is to go to Ulingan to volunteer for Project PEARLS’ feeding program there every Saturday. We have been absent for weeks now since I went to Siem Reap for work and then our Saturdays are always full of other work and family activities.

My good friend Ate Annie and her daughter have started a fund drive to raise rain boots for the kids in Ulingan. They were able to collect more than 400 rain boots and they plan to distribute it next week plus they will also sponsor a feeding program and do an art therapy. I am freeing my schedule so I can attend this.

And for today, we will be off to Tagaytay after hubby’s duty as they have a visitor from work who wants to see the Taal volcano. We actually have plans for today but I am sure my daughter can’t miss the chance to play with turnbuckles, ropes and horses in the horse back riding place that we always visit when we are in Tagaytay.

So I better start preparing now as we are leaving in an hour. Happy weekend everyone.

I am so excited as my social life is active again with all the parties lined up for us from September to November. You see, children’s parties are my only time to meet up with my mommy blogging friends. We get to talk everyday via Instagram and Twitter but it is still different to have a chance to talk in person so we are all looking forward to these parties.

Just look at how busy our Calendar is:
• September 15 – Sandy’s 7th Birthday @ Valle Verde 6
• October 21 – Byko’s 1st Birthday @ Oasis
• October 28 – Ashley’s 1st Birthday @ Acropolis Clubhouse
• November 4 – Our Christmas party at Prestige Tower
• November 15 – Bela’s 7th Birthday party

Meet Jenny Rose. She is my family’s scholar and she is one of the preschool students studying at the PEARLS Day Care learning center.

Education is one of the best things that we can give the children of Ulingan as it is their only way out of poverty. In Ulingan, kids as young as 3 years old are already working in the charcoal factory helping their parents or are gathering nails from woods that they will sell for P17.

Thanks to the scholarship program of Project PEARLS, we were able to send around 200 children to school this year.

It is nice to see the kids in Ulingan attending school instead of inhaling the toxic fumes as they help their parents in the charcoal factory.

Join our advocacy. Give Project PEARLS a chance.

In my short stay in Siem Reap, I have learned the following: 

1. I may not be the arts and culture type of girl, but I so love architecture and history as I fell in love with all the temples that we visited in Siem Reap. On the top of my list is Pre Rup and Bayon temple.

 2. There are a lot of vendors outside the temples and if they offer you their goods, don’t say “later.” I said this to one of the girls on our way inside the temple and on our way out she kept on insisting that I buy something from her as she waited for me because I said later.

3. Most hotels have free wifi and some are not even protected by password so we were able to get free Internet connection all the time. But we have to make sure also that our laptop has an updated virus scanner, especially when connecting to unsecured networks.

4. If you will visit the temple, make sure that your shoes are comfortable and water proof. LOL. I was wearing my Toms on our first day and it suddenly rained that my Toms are drenched. Then I realized that it is the reason why the tourists are wearing either flip-flops or Crocs. Good thing I brought 2 pairs of Melissa shoes also.

5. Restaurants surrounding the temples are more expensive compared to restaurants downtown. One meal of rice and viand cost around $4 in the small eateries around the temple when it only cost $2-$3 downtown.

6. Bring a lot of cash when in Siem Reap as majority of the establishments don’t accept credit cards. Even the big restaurants around the temples, the office where you can buy the tickets for the temples and souvenir shops don’t offer a credit card facility. Some shops will have a sign that they accept credit cards but the staff doesn’t know how to use it that we will end up paying in cash.

7. Souvenirs being sold by the kids outside the temple are definitely cheaper compared to the big souvenir shops downtown. The water globe that I bought from one of the vendors in Ta Phrom temple cost only $3 while it is priced at $15 in the big souvenir shops downtown.

8. 3.5 days is not enough to visit all the temples and don’t think that you have seen them all if you visited one as each temple has each of its own characteristics.

My husband and I together with my father-in-law, just got back from a short vacation in Siem Reap. I had been selected to provide IT support for a conference that our company attended there so we found it as a great opportunity again for a short vacation.

We decided to just stay only in Siem Reap and not visit other Indo-Chine countries like Vietnam and Thailand, as I don’t want to stay for more than 7 days as we will be leaving the kids behind for this trip.

For our 3.5 days stay in Siem Reap, we have hired a tuk-tuk as our service. Out Tuk-Tuk driver, Thommas, really provided us with excellent service because not only he served as our driver but he also was our tour guide as he took us to all must-see temples, shopping places, restaurants, and more making our stay in Siem Reap very enjoyable.

His daily rate is very affordable, plus you will get to enjoy the ride more while riding the Tuk-tuk, with the fresh air and the beautiful scenery that you can see during the ride. He also speaks English very well making our communication with him very easy.

Next time you are in Siem Reap, contact Thommas to give you a one of a kind and very affordable Siem Reap tour. Here are his contact details:

Thommas 
Mobile: +855 – 977289909 (To call him when you are already in Siem Reap, just use this number: 0977289909) 
Email: leyhaklucky@yahoo.com

Are you planning on buying toys for your kids or as gifts to your friend or relatives’ children? Then here are some of the tips that you can consider before purchasing a toy:

1. Age of the child. Each kid in different age level has different developmental needs that is why it is really important that you know the age of the kid who will receive the toy. This will make sure that you will be able to buy a toy that is appropriate for his or her mental and psychomotor skills.

2. Hobbies and interest of the child. The interest of the kid will give you a clue on what toy the kid will love and appreciate. If the kid loves to play pretend, then you can buy a doctor set where he or she can pretend to be a doctor.

3. Safety of the toy. When purchasing toys for your kids, it is also important to check if it passes the safety standards. You can also check the toy association website for any toy recall. It is also good to inspect the toy, especially if it is to be given to babies or toddlers, to make sure that there are no parts that might fall off and may cause choking.

4. Budget and value for money. The price of the toy should also be checked and assess if the price offers a great value for your money. There are a lot of hot items that might be popular for a particular time but not all popular toys can be considered as best buys.

There are a lot of online stores where you can shop for utah toys and with the above tips in mind, you will surely never go wrong when choosing the perfect toy for that special kid in your life.

Our last hurrah for the long weekend was a quick trip to Tagaytay. I actually have work but I just filed for a vacation leave because we wanted to take the kids out before my husband’s trip to Ilocos and my trip to Cambodia the following weeks.

We left around 11:30 AM as we were busy watching the news about the recovery of Sec. Jesse Robredo’s body (Farewell Secretary and may your soul rest in peace). Luckily, there was no heavy traffic and so we reached Tagaytay around 1 PM.

Hubby was craving for Crispy Pata and so we decided to have lunch in LZM. After lunch, we went straight to the horseback riding area near Taal Vista hotel as per request of the kids.

After they are done horseback riding, we went to Cliffhouse and had merienda at Café Breton.

We went home after eating, which was around 5 PM as we all have school and work the next day. There was also no traffic on our way home and we reached the house around 6:30 PM.

Last weekend was one of my busiest and tiring (but fulfilling) weekend:

Saturday morning: My husband and I attended the weekly Saturday feeding of Project PEARLS in Ulingan. It was a special Saturday though as it is Project PEARSL second year anniversary so the kid prepared different presentations for the volunteers. And what made the day even more special was the surprise appearance of our founder, Ate Melissa, who came all the way from San Francisco to be with us. 

 

Photo Credit: Sidney Snoeck

Saturday evening: We hosted the First Annual Project PEARLS Family Day at our house. The party lasted till dawn and it was fun to interact with the volunteers in a different way, than the usual interaction we have every Saturday in Ulingan. 

 Photo Credit: Sidney Snoeck

Sunday: Audrey’s first birthday party. My cousin and I were also busy helping my brother and sister-in-law during the party.

 

Photo Credit: Jojo Francisco

By the end of Sunday, I was so dead tired already that I was not able to do anything for my sideline job. LOL. But that is okay, because it was a weekend spent with my family, good friends and our children from Ulingan.

Because of the torrential monsoon rain enhanced by tropical storm Haikui, streets in Metro Manila became flooded and one of them was our place. This is the first time that we have experienced flooding and so we were really scared as we watched the flood rises.

My husband was up early that Tuesday morning even if we are not going to work. Hubby told me when I woke up around 6 AM that it is starting to flood in our streets. I thought hubby was just joking but I was really surprised when we went down and saw how the water is rising.

By 8 AM, there was ankle-length flooding in our street and around 9 or 10 AM, it was waste deep already that water started to enter our garage and reached up to our foyer.

My cousins and my brother evacuated to our place before lunchtime as water is continuously rising and the water entered their house already. We felt a little secure once we are all together.

We pray almost every hour for the rain to stop so the flood will stop to rise. We have no power and so we have no idea what was going on in other parts of Metro Manila but we know that it is as worse as us.

By Wednesday morning, flood is starting to subside and by lunchtime, the street is already cleared. Power was restored also around 6 or 7 PM so we were able to charge our cell phones.

By Thursday, my husband and I still took a leave from work to clean up the mess that was left by the flood and we don’t want to risk commuting as we heard from the news that majority of the streets in Manila is still unpassable.

It was a very scary experience for us. We lost some material things but still we are thankful that God kept us safe.

Sweet Royals is thankful for the blessings that we have been receiving the past weeks. In the last two weeks that we have actively promoted Sweet Royals in Facebook, we have received 6 bookings for the month of September and October and we are receiving a lot of inquiries already for the month of November and even for 2013.

We did not realize that Sweet Royals can be a full time business for us and we thank our customers who trust us for their parties.

That is why as early as now, we are already looking at holiday cards business that we can send out to our valued clients come Christmas season as one way of thanking them for the trust and confidence that they are giving for Sweet Royals.

We wish that we will continue to get more reservations for Sweet Royals and we are continuously improving our products and designs to give nothing but the best for your child’s party.

So if you want candy/dessert buffet stations for all your parties, contact Sweet Royals now.

The condition at Ulingan was the worse I have seen. There was flooding that the houses are soak in knee-deep flood or mud. We can’t visit the other houses to give out food, as we can’t reach them because the flood was too deep for us.

Instead of having the feeding program in the daycare center, it was held in the chapel outside Ulingan where there is bigger space, which is what we need, as there are around 100 volunteers who came that day. Marie Young was the birthday celebrant who sponsored the feeding and she brought lots of goods and food for the kids and the families in Ulingan.

It was one tiring but fulfilling day for us volunteers. Rain or shine, we will try to be there in Ulingan.

And as the rainy season are here again, please include the families in Ulingan in your prayers. Keep them safe from flood and typhoons.

When we were just boyfriend-girlfriend, watching movies is our favorite pastime. I remember there was even one occasion that we watched two movies in one day. We are updated with the latest movies, as we never miss to watch all the good movies being shown.

Things changed when we had kids. Of course, our kids should always be our priority. Instead of spending time outside, we prefer to go straight home after work to spend time with our kids and we will just download the movies to our archos tablet so we have something to watch before going to sleep.

But of course, married couple should still find time once in a while to go out on dates for their bonding time. And I am thankful for Lucky Chinatown Mall as their last full show is as late as 10 or 11 PM which gives us an opportunity to go to the movies when our kids are already asleep.

Since the Lucky Chinatown Mall opened, we have watched almost all the good movies that went out, the latest one being the Dark Knight Rises. The next movie in line for our movie date is the Bourne Identity and I can’t wait as the lead character there is one of my Hollywood crushes.

This is me wearing my Project Pearls shirt for the very first time.

I got this shirt last month but we were absent for almost the whole month of July that it is only last Saturday that my husband and I were able to wear them. We were so excited, because we are proud Project PEARLS volunteers.

Last Saturday was a very hectic Saturday as we had a medical mission courtesy of the doctors and students of UST. I was initially in charge of crowd control then I helped also in the registration booth.

My friend from work also sponsored the feeding last Saturday for her birthday celebration. It was her first time to go to Ulingan and I am happy that she had a great time with the kids. She even joined the volunteers who went to the Ulingan factory to distribute food for the children working there. She promised that she will come back to Ulingan soon.

Tomorrow will be another busy day in Ulingan. One of the supporters of Project PEARLS will be celebrating her birthday with the kids also and they will be bringing spaghetti, ice cream and more.

I can’t wait for Saturday to come.

When my husband and I were preparing for our wedding, we had a hard time searching for groomsmen gifts as I left the decision to my husband and he has no clue as to what to give his groomsmen and where to buy it.

If only we have discovered the site of Groomstop.com during our wedding preparation days, then things would have been easier for us. This site offers a wide selection of groomsmen gifts and they are of high quality that any member of the wedding entourage would be thankful to receive it. They even offer free shipping for orders $75 and above for more discounts and shopping convenience.

Just look at some of the items in their store:

They are not only limited to gifts for the groomsmen as they also have choices for gifts for other male members of the wedding entourage like the bearers, the ushers, the father of the bride and the groom and even for the groom himself. Majority of the items can be customized adding a more unique feel to the present.

If you are looking for the perfect token for the male members of the wedding party, then Groomstop.com is your perfect choice.

I love weekends as it is the only time that my husband and I can get to spend the whole day with our kids. We are both working so we make sure that as much as possible, weekends are for family.

Every Saturday, Bela and Cobi attend swimming class at Colegio San Agustin in Makati. After the class, we will drop by Bonifacio High Street to eat, shop and play. Just like two Saturdays ago.

We ate merienda in Conti’s then we just went to Bonifacio High Street where we just let the kids run and play.

Too bad it started to drizzle so we went home before we all get wet.