A Walk Through Life

A few days more to go and it's already Christmas. I'm in the middle of work but yours truly is feeling kind of nostalgic because of the many Christmas songs that are being played on the radio. I really can't help but sing along and make a quick post about this as well. Right now, as I am writing this post, they're playing " A Perfect Christmas " by Jose Mari Chan. I so love all his Christmas songs but this one is my favorite Christmas song of the week. I think it is safe to say that I will forever be a Jose Mari Chan fan. Period. I dedicate this song to our families and friends. You know who you are. I hope to see or hear from all of you this Christmas.

The last time he gave me something for Christmas, it was a pair of shoes (Hush Puppies). This Christmas, I am not going to expect to get anything from him because I am already aware of what our money can or cannot buy. Anyway, it goes for him as well. Everytime I would attempt to buy him a new shirt as my gift for Christmas, he would warn me not to because we have to make ends meet first. Yes, he's not the type who would agree to buy gifts from credit card. Obviously, between the two of us, he's the more frugal and practical type.

For those who are into online gaming and animation, you might find this 3D animation movie "RPG Metanoia" a movie to watch for. I am not really a gamer but I would definitely look forward to watch this one, if time would permit. You see, it is so hard to be in the Cinema these days when you're already a mother of a toddler. :-) Take a peek at RPG Metanoia's movie trailer for further details: By the way, this is an official entry to the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival . This means that you can catch "RPG Metanoia" along with other MMFF entries in Philippine theaters on December 25, 2010. Watch it guys because this is proudly Philippine Made and it took them a lot of years and sweat to come up with this world-class 3D animation movie.

I'd like to write about our memories from the past Christmases we've had here in A Walk Through Life . Let me just say that last year's Christmas was our first Christmas together with our then nine-month-old baby. So far, we have enjoyed the challenge in our journey and life as parents. Yes, this was how it was three Christmases ago. Just got married here. And this was how it was two Christmases ago. A picture of us taken during a company Christmas party - where I wrote about my merry bloated Christmas. Why I called it a merry bloated Christmas ? Let the photos speak for themselves. :-) Now, I realized when I wrote about last year's Christmas in my other blog - I showed photos of me wearing the same pink blouse I wore when I was still pregnant. I also wore the same blouse during my daughter's baptism when she was about four months old. Do you know what this means? It means I don't have a lot to wear! Kidding aside, I think it looked like I los...

Having trouble going to sleep? Something worrying you? Troubled and can't sleep? They say counting sheeps will help you doze off to sleep. However, most people would almost run out sheeps to count and realize they're still up and awake. So why don't we count our blessings, instead? This is perhaps the best cure, remedy and prevention for insomnia. :-) Here's that lyrics to the song: Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) When I'm worried and I can't sleep I count my blessings instead of sheep And I fall asleep counting my blessings When my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all And I fall asleep counting my blessings I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds If you're worried and you can't sleep Just count your blessings instead of sheep And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. " - Gilbert K. Chesterton When was the last time you stopped to look at a beautiful rainbow?

Me: Use " meretrisha " in a sentence. You: Use it. Me: Meretrisha and A Happy New Year! Okay, that wasn't funny, was it? How about this? Me: Use "meowy" and "puppy" in a sentence. You: That's hard. Use it. Me: Meowy Christmas and A Puppy New Year! Haha! Sorry about that one last joke, too. I just remembered my ex-officemates' creativity when it comes to coming up with a concept for a Christmas decoration. :-) The company came up with a Christmas Decoration contest last 2007 as a way to motivate us more to beautify the room and give it a Christmas feel. It was a unique concept that we did for the room and we liked it but unfortunately, we didn't win. Turns out that our officemates from the other departments were more creative than us. :-) Anyway, Christmas reminds me of gift giving, Christmas parties, and Christmas bonus. Well, speaking of Christmas gifts, do you already have one for me? A Blackberry Curve would ...

If there is one thing that help other friends remember the day of my birthday - that would be because my birthday falls on Veterans Day. In short, you also need to remember what date Veterans Day is being celebrated annually. It's funny because some of my friends I met at work a few years back would rather celebrate Veterans Day than celebrate my birthday with them. I really don't blame them if they'd like to get rid of my birthday on the calendar because I usually celebrate my birthdays the frugal way. That means "no birthday spree" from me especially now that we have a baby. :-) Anyway, it is definitely an honor to have co-celebrated my birthday with the military veterans. The bravery/courage they have shown for their country is truly admirable and worthy of emulation. Now, I've learned that there's a very good way of honoring these military veterans. You can do this by donating your old vehicle. Wow, I wish I can do something like that but we don'...

If you have visited here via Entrecard, you might have noticed or read one review that says nice words about me. Those words actually came from Gee of Georyl dot com back when she was still blogging as the twitterer. That's where I have come to know her first. Right now, I even got to know her better when she decided to focus on blogging with her heart . Would you like to know the best post that I loved reading from Gee/Georyl? Well, personally, I love the words she has recently written about me on the occasion of my birthday in her blog. Below are excerpts from that post that I'd like to keep as a sort of memento on my blog: Coming from someone who blogs with her heart, these words made me blush, smile and grin from ear to ear (LOL). Indeed, sweet, kind and sincere words make us feel good inside and out. However, if I were to vote on her " best post " for blankpixels' contest, I believe I should vote on a post that's not totally about me. I'm t...

I'd like to take this chance to thank everybody who took the time to greet me on my birthday today -- mashkans , bloggers, friends and relatives. As my way of branding my page or blog, I am sharing this short 30-second video all mashkan visitors and friends. I am dedicating this new blog station ID to all of you.:-) How do you like it? :-)

I used to be this thin! What was going on with me? I've gained a lot of weight and it started when I got pregnant. Losing weight has been so DIFFICULT to do even if it's been more than a year and a half since I've delivered our little girl to this world. I didn't think I can still attribute this to post maternal weight anymore. I believe this has something to do with not watching my appetite (I am a sucker for rice) and not moving a lot because I have focused on my sedentary job and other things that keep me longer on the computer. How did this change affect me? To tell you the truth, I didn't like the change I see in my body. I wasn't feeling really good about myself before just looking at my still bulging belly in the mirror. I didn't like it that nothing I have in my closet that I would wear would look good on me. I thought that was already enough to badly injure me and my self-esteem. But there was more. Who encouraged me to change? Because of ...

I really think I'm getting older. I know my birthday will be in the next few days but that's not the only reason why I feel like I am getting older than I was before. Lately, I have noticed these things about myself: I watch and read a lot of news. No more horoscopes and stargazing :-) I'm beginning to become forgetful and I have this tendency to repeat myself that if people were like the Wordpress comment notification, they're likely to tell me " it looks like you've already said that! "... Oh, my bad, I'm sorry! I don't use my cellphone that much anymore like I used to. SMS has taken a back seat. I realized that cellphone load is an expense - so I have cut down on that SMS habit. This may also be the reason why I'm not getting messages from friends anymore. LOL. Thank God there's still Facebook. More importantly, now that I am getting older, I have gone through some changes in my life - MAJOR changes ! And I'm going to revea...

Do your children sleep with you at night? Our little toddler does. She is less than two years old. She is too old to be in a crib and so we gave it away so somebody's baby could have better use for it. Actually, we gave it to mother-in-law because she knew who to give it to. The last time we spoke, she told us it's already in good hands. We believe she is also too young to sleep alone in a separate room yet, so we let her sleep with us. I wonder at what age we are going to let her sleep alone. Frankly, right now, I am not comfortable at the thought yet. For safety purposes, the three of us sleep on just the mattress part of the bed. Hubby has discarded the bed frame and stands just to prevent our little girl from accidental fall in case we won't notice her rolling over. It's practical that way. I think it would be great to have rustic bedroom furniture, don't you think so? Oh, I really like it when there's a rustic bedroom nightstand beside our bed. R...

There are less words to say today .... "Today, I wished and prayed to God that all my words would bring good tidings. Words that will help build a church and bring up a lowly creature of God so that I can also create good karma for me and for my children and for my children's children." - lifted from my mom's journal Grateful to mom for all the good examples.   This is my prayer, too - not only because I'm afraid of karma but primarily because I love God and I want to do things that please Him.

C9FN9ZHHPPA8   Excuse me guys. Just adding the code above for Technorati claim compliance. Turning off the comments notification for this post.

One of the many things that I learned from my mom that I probably have not mentioned yet on any of my posts is to wear something that I am comfortable wearing - from the choice of lipstick down to my most intimate or private apparel. If you are a man reading this post, please be reminded that this is a wholesome post and is not intended to invite or provoke comments that are beyond the wholesome point. :-) Yes, I do wear lipstick when I go out if only to enhance my plain and simple look and I'm comfortable with paler shades. When it comes to the choice of clothes, "comfort" and "quality" will always be my basis. This goes the same when it comes to my choice of lingerie . I don't know if anyone notices it but if you are wearing quality and comfortable lingerie, it gives you that certain confidence and poise - something that a bad inner or undergarment can't usually provide. Speaking of lingerie, women now have a lot of choices. In fact, they can choos...

The good thing about married life is having someone to grow old together with - someone who can put up with you despite your imperfections. I'm happy that we've come this far. It's been three years of marriage and we cannot say for certain that we've learned enough about married life. What matters is that we're learning each day as it comes. Inspired by Brother Mel's reminiscing post , I can't help but recall again the day we got married. If you want to know how our love story began, here's a comic strip that a mutual friend (and ex office mate) introvertedwriter made for us. When he asked me to marry him, he made it like a simple proposal. Nothing you will ever see on television or read from mushy novels but something you will read from simple blog posts like this. :-) To me, the mere fact that he asked me to marry him was already mushy enough for me. :-) He's a man of few words but with strong principles in life. I'm not afraid i...

This song always makes me remember my late Mom. She passed away in 2007, just a few days before Christmas. Always has the same effect on me everytime I listen to this song. Would you like to know what Christmas is all about? Listen to this song by an alternative band called NewSong . The Christmas Shoes (Lyrics) It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously Pacing 'round like little boys do And in his hands he held a pair of shoes His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe And when it came his time to pay I couldn't believe what I heard him say Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time You see she's been sick for quite a while And I know these shoes would mak...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - at least here on A Walk Through Life . I noticed that my 2008 post A Merry Bloated Christmas has climbed up to No. 3 on the list of my Popular Posts (see sidebar). I was still very pregnant with my daughter back then and this gave me a pretty good excuse not to join my ex-officemates during their winning performance. Yes, they bagged the First Prize for their Christmas presentation. I was like the stage wife to my husband during this performance. I am not in this video but you could hear me laughing so hard in the background. Hahaha I was really amused. I guess when you're pregnant and bloating, you could either be super depressed or super happy - glad I felt the latter! So, here's that controversial video I took of them where you could hear me laughing in the background. The first few minutes of the video has a dark effect because we had the lights put off to highlight the candles. But don't worry, you will not see d...

A picture is worth a thousand words as the saying goes. Actually, for me, it's worth more than a thousand words - they're priceless! Aside from food, family gatherings are not complete without the picture taking. Cameras are indispensable during special occasions to document important moments. If you have kids, you want to take pictures of them growing up so that you can also share it with them and to their future offspring later on. In the past, cameras used film cartridges and you have no way of knowing if your pictures are good unless you're a professional photographer (but even professionals know the limits of films). There's also the hassle of going to developing centers because sometimes you have to go back the next day only to be told that the films were over exposed. Thanks to the new technology, we now have digital cameras. A digital camera is very user friendly and more cost-effective compared to its predecessor. All you need to have is a memory card with a ...

So, you think my husband's too serious that he can't throw in some punchlines? Well, let me prove you wrong with these two things that happened within the week. 1. I am not a singer but I love to sing. I thought my husband was already used to hearing me getting carried away with the song when his comment suddenly stopped me from belting out a song. Husband: It's not my birthday today. Me: I know. Husband: Then why am I hearing a butchered pig? :-) 2. When there was power outage, we used candles to light the house because our emergency light was no longer working. I got bored waiting for the power to return so I tried to dance my boredom away by teasingly doing it in front of my husband. Hubby then exclaimed, " Where's the manager of this club? I want the dancer replaced! " Grrrr.. I hate brownouts. :-)

There are two things to celebrate for this month of October - our wedding anniversary and my husband's birthday. FYI, and as usual, we are going to celebrate them our own way (the frugal way, that is. LOL). You know, I'm always excited about the anniversary of important dates in our lives even though my excitement doesn't mean we are going to celebrate them in a major kind of way. Somehow, it just feels great to remember what it was like on our actual wedding day. When that day comes, we will have officially reached the three year milestone in marriage.  Yes, up until now, we still smile when we look at our wedding photos. Ah, priceless! Three days after our wedding day, it's going to be hubby's birthday - truly an October to remember. If you want to know how we celebrated this month last year, check out this short video that hubby made for us. Then comes November. Oh, let's not talk about my birthday. Okay, we can talk about it. It's funny because I ...

After learning about the success of John Mayer Live in Manila concert last October 1st despite the heavy rain, I thought it must have been a really really good concert. When I was still single, I had the chance to watch concerts of bands and even solo performers playing this type of music genre. It's nice to watch concerts once in a while especially when you don't have any guilt feelings about spending for your tickets to the show because you know you deserve it. John Mayer is really known for his great acoustic music and for talking a lot in his performances. :-) To give you an idea of what it would have been like to be in one of his concerts, you can check out this video I found from youtube. It's called Love Song For No One and I dedicate this song to the DGs (read my previous post about what the acronym stands for) and to all people who are probably tired of being alone . LOL. Love Song For No One Lyrics Staying home alone on a Friday Flat on the floor...

Today marks another year of my friendship with the DGs group. DG is an acronym for (" dagang guwang " - translated to " old maid "). LOL. Yes, we didn't think of getting married eleven years ago because we were either heartbroken, or, in my case, I wasn't dating anyone. As a matter of fact, our theme song at that time was " Ocean Deep " because the lyrics goes something like " Will I ever find a lover? ..." hehehe Well, more than three years ago, I already resigned as a member of the group because I already met my man but the friendship with them still remains. So, cheers to the DGs. Hope the rest of the members find their match and get married soon.

I'm here again reminiscing on the old times. My thoughts are now bringing me back to the day when Stephen, together with his family, went over to my parents' house in Medellin to ask for my hand in marriage. Well actually, I rode with them on a two hour drive from the city to be their road map. It was nothing too formal, by the way. Just some casual talk, a few drinks and some karaoke for a little entertainment I couldn't believe this was all happening right in our living room. Yes, the living room was my favorite part of the house because it was where the family would sit down to watch tv together or to talk about a lot of things. I then realized that we were all sitting there full house to discuss about getting married. That was the first time that Stephen's parents visited our humble abode that I had wished we had them seated comfortably on a beautiful Modern Furniture because I really want to make a good impression when I don't really have to because S...

I have a new favorite song that I would like to share with all the music monday participants and to my few mashkan readers as well. Sometimes I do feel like the easiest job in the world that won't feel like a job at all would be being a DJ on the radio. Oh, that's if you like all kinds of music and you love to chit chat with your listeners. Agree or disagree? Hmmm, just a thought but I am actually not considering it because I don't have a lovely speaking voice, anyway. LOL. Anyway, going back to the song - this one is entitled "Opposites Attract", sang by one of my favorite OPM singers, Juris Fernandez. She was once the lead vocalist to the MYMP band. Now, she's a signed member of the ASAP Sessionistas . I dedicate this song to my hubby.  I really can't wait for October , huh! Check out the song - nice melody, nice lyrics, nice voice. What a great package! Opposites Attract (Lyrics) You're a morning kind of person Everything is spic and s...

My uncle M had been singing in different bars and hotels ever since I was about six or seven years old. He does not only sing - he plays the guitar, the piano and he makes the audience laugh with his jokes and antics. Today, I heard he would also add some "magic" tricks to please his audience, a new talent he had learned from the Internet. When he was here, he took the time to have a really good photo of him taken. I can still remember his very first business card - he had used the beautiful view of the Chocolate Hills in Bohol as the background and he was sitting on a chair with the guitar on his lap. Well, that was like nine or ten years ago then... The card had his name with the title "Multitalented Artist" and contact details. With the use of business cards, he was able to manage his own career and he had a lot of bookings. Today, you can easily have custom business cards online to speak for your business. If you want your businesses to stand out, it is not ...

Okay. It is still September. I thought I should sing Green Day's " Wake Me Up When September Ends " because I couldn't wait for the great month of October to come! Well, there's a reason why I am looking forward to October because some time next month hubby and I will be celebrating our third year wedding anniversary! I know we still have a long way to go but hopefully with God's help we can maintain the same love and respect that we have for each other until death do us part. :-) I am just so glad to be blessed with a really wonderful husband. Today, I looked back at what I have written about married life and I realized that nothing has really changed much. We are still the same simple couple with simple dreams. I am not getting any younger (and so does he) but I still feel the same love love love for my husband. And now that we have a toddler, I still have so much love love love . It's been a busy September so far (and I have a really bad cold) but...

To let you in on one of our short-term plans, apart from being able to visit Bohol, I'd like for us to be able to visit my hometown before the year ends. I am putting it on schedule so that hubby and I would do something to be able to achieve it. We cannot just go there without clear plans because: 1) money is an issue so we have to save up for it; 2) time is also an issue so we have to find time for it. My high school batch is actually planning on a reunion this December. It's been ages ago since I saw my classmates back in high school and I'm looking forward to see them again. More importantly, I also miss miss miss the place, in a major major kind of way (inspired by Maria Venus Raj). For the record, this is going to be reunion #2 for the batch. I missed the first one because I was pregnant then. If this pushes through, I'd like my husband to see what it is like in my hometown, so this is the perfect time to go (if the budget will allow).  Just another high school...

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. – Japanese Proverb I looked in the mirror today and realized I am already getting older. Honestly, I keep forgetting how old I am until my next birthday comes and people would ask my age. That's when I would instantly use calculator application on my desktop and subtract the year I was born to the current year today and I couldn't believe that the resulting difference represents my own age. Haha! I keep telling them though what I read somewhere that it is not polite to ask a woman her age. At the back of my mind, however, I would already have some panicky feeling about my age and how much I have yet to accomplish in life. Has it been less than a year ago  since I've written about my legacies in life? I believe I'm still not far from fulfilling my dreams for my family and even the goals I have set for myself although I am afraid that without a clear timeline, I would not have enough time to fulf...

I ran into this beautiful video presentation about seeing life through a cup of coffee. I'd like to share it with you guys so we can all have a coffee-inspired life. :-) I guess, at some point, we are guilty for choosing the best cups even if what we really wanted was the coffee. Today, I resolve to enjoy  my coffee everyday even when they are not served from the best cups! Care to drink with me?

Having a baby is really life-changing. I really believe that becoming parents is the best thing that has ever happened to me and hubby. She’s already one year and five months old – look at how far we’ve come! Even though we’re working everyday and she is under the care of our nanny while we go to work, we are still able to closely watch her grow. I can still say that we’re still hands-on parents to her. You see, we are working in the convenience of our home; so there’s not a single day that we don’t get to see her. Our toddler is a real copycat. She would observe how I would click and scroll the mouse and type something on my keyboard. She would like to do them as well. Oh well, what is ten minutes a day of distraction, right? Two weeks ago, she showed us another talent of hers. She can already climb up our rustic furniture in three counts. Next thing we knew she was already standing and smiling at us, as if to brag about her newly discovered talent. This week, she climbed up the r...

Happy Monday, everyone. We've been singing along with this song that's been playing on the radio for weeks now. So, I'd like to share this one as my entry for Music Monday. It's called Where Are You Now by Honor Society band. Ever heard of it? Even though not all the lyrics to the song fit me but somehow I can relate a little (or probably more) - especially when it comes to memories of high school and friends, best friends and some secret stuff. :-) Okay. This video already has one million plus views. So I wouldn't be surprised if you've already watched it. LOL. Just wanted to share. So, for those who have not yet seen it or heard the song, go ahead and indulge. :-) So, what do you remember when you listen to this song?

It's too late for Wordless Wednesday, indeed. I'll make sure to put some words still to these pictures. Inspired by Andrea's look alike post, I tried this one just for fun. I wonder how they got those percentages :-) Neighbors, beware! Flower picker on the loose. LOL

A whattt? My elder brother's shirt reads " Happiness is not a fish... " If you ask me, it's like a strange description of what happiness is not. I've googled for "happiness is not a fish" and I then realized that it is actually part of the lyrics of a song from the rock genre. " Happiness is not a fish that you can catch. " Does it make sense now? :-) Do I think so? I am actually not sure. What's running in my head right now is that we all have a different way of seeing and feeling true happiness. Some people may find it easy to catch a fish and they're already fine and happy with it. Some find it difficult as well. However, for some people, happiness cannot be compared to catching a fish and neither can it be measured by the type of fish being caught. :-) Oh, in any case, it doesn't matter if we don't know what happiness is not. As long as we know what happiness is. This post may sound crap but I am actually surprised bec...

I just read from a friend's blog at At Home With Georyl , that her other blog needs a new home. Mind you, it's a special blog in the sense that it has already acquired a PR3 status. I know she has reasons for giving up this PR3 blog of hers but I thought maybe she shouldn't think of giving it up. In fact, I just pledged to be her co-author so that we can work around topics to write for the blog. However, if she's seriously considering a new foster home, I'd gladly receive it with open arms. It's not that hard to maintain her blog because being a twitterer , you can always work around writing topics that could be of interest to everyone. So, that's what I'm going to do mostly if I become the rightful foster parent. Just in case she chooses somebody else, well I'd still check and see who's that lucky one and will still visit the blog whoever that new owner will be. On that note, she is seriously considering a new foster parent. So, if anyone ...

I was scanning through mom's journal again and found this interesting to share to everybody. This is great for Sunday reflection. So, in spirit, I asked her permission for her journal to guest post on my blog. I think she said yes! So here it goes... My eldest sister and her husband went mountain climbing. No one's going to be left home except my brother S who was living with them. Supposedly, the house could be my mother's place if everybody's out but she visited me here in the province. Brother S who was to man the house had a class in the morning so no one was around except when his class in the afternoon would end. So, he decided to bolt the door while he was yet away.

Last week, I got a message from a friend of mine who I have not heard of in a while. Well, let me correct that- she was the one who has not heard from me in a while. I know it is so easy to connect with her because of the existence of social networking sites that can somehow help bridge the distance between us. However, I had been so busy these days that I haven’t really checked and updated anything in a while. In short, busyness is almost my business these days. Well, anyway, her message came as a good reminder to catch up on everybody else so it won’t feel like I am shutting them down out of my life. She had asked me some ideas about how to set up a great party for a grand reunion with their clan. This year, it is their family’s turn to host the reunion party. I am not really a party person, so I was really surprised that she wants to know my opinion about what kind of party the family would throw in that would make every member of the clan look forward to going. For a while, I ...

Here's the late Luther Vandross ' version of A House Is Not A Home . I love this song - this was exactly the song I had in mind when I wrote about our house.. ER.. home sweet home . For me, whether it's from Dionne Warwick or Luther Vandross, this song is timeless! I must say though that I love how Luther Vandross sang it with so much emotion. In fact, someone described it as "flawless" even though this was sang live. Check out the music video and you'll know why. Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice. PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

than to say.. Happy 4th of July to my friends and relatives from different states of America... As far as I can remember, I have friends and relatives from the following states: Florida - oh, bchai should be one of these people New Jersey - my aunt and her family lives there Washington - a nurse friend lives and works there (with family) Texas - another childhood friend..(I haven't seen her for ages until one day I got an FB message and was surprised to see pictures of how beautiful and sexy she has turned out over the years that we hadn't seen her.. She used to be so boyish back then). California - another nurse friend works there Nebraska - Is that where you're from, Andrea? Hmmm, I guess I'm having mental blockout. I could not go on. I forgot all the other states where my friends are at. I guess I should really do better than this. On another important note, July 4th is also Philippine-American Friendship Day . So I guess, in some way, we're one w...

At her very young age of one year and two months, I think somehow my toddler already knows how to pay attention. So, in many of our walks in the mooonlit night, I kept asking Dipdip this question, " Where's the star? " and then I would also teach her the answer " Star! (pointing my finger up in the sky)". I was amazed because each time I would ask her that question, I would instantly get an answer from her by pointing her finger up in the sky. So, this is why I got scared hehehe... fast forward...

What a title, hahaha! Well, we just hit the hardware store today. My handyman husband wanted to change the oil of his motorcycle but he didn't have the tool to loosen its drain plug. Well, he desperately wanted to buy a whole set of wrench tools but we ended up buying only a piece of closed end wrench. It was so tempting to swipe the credit card to buy the whole set for him - after all, I really wanted him to have what he wished for especially because Father's Day is almost near but he didn't want me to do that because it's not really necessary to buy at the moment. When her sister was here, she gave him a monetary gift so he can buy himself some tools but my daughter almost ran out of milk and diapers and we're short of cash at that time, so off the money went to the baby's needs instead. Now, I remember my uncle N when he said he just can't understand why many of us (including himself) would want to get married and end up having a hard time managing ou...

Sometimes, when it comes to shopping for shoes, it would take you almost forever to find what you needed from your favorite store. You'd have to consider a lot of things like the design, the quality and the price before you buy. Sometimes, you'd hope for really good deals but you can't find any. If you're not lucky, you would end up not buying anything because the store that you went to didn't have the right size of shoes that you desperately wanted to have. That's quite a shopping dilemma, right? Well, if you don't have the time and the patience to go through all that, then maybe you can use a little online shopping. If you're the online shopper type, as much as possible you would really want to get better deals. How is that possible? I've learned that the use of coupons can give you a few percent off the price on some items. Now I just remembered that when my aunt from New Jersey was here for two weeks to be with grandmother in time for her eigh...

o Woohooo... I'm so happy today. I just received the book " blogging from home " by Janette Toral . This is part of the prize I've received from winning third place in the Make A Wish Blog Contest. After two years of blogging, I thought I already learned a lot but I guess I still have a lot to learn especially on the aspect of monetizing blogs.This book is packed with a lot of ideas and information - all the good stuff! Thanks, Janette Toral! You are truly an inspiration to us women, especially the mothers, who are blogging from home!

Does anybody know how to interpret what my one year old princess is actually talking about here? I can't seem to transcribe her words more clearly. For those who can give an interesting interpretation, I'm giving 100 EC credits. Is that a good deal? :-) I am really amazed at how interested she is in communicating to us even though her words don't make any sense just yet. Oh, what a milestone!

When I was a child, my mom used to tell me that she really believed that dreams can come true and that if I really pray and wish to have something with all of my heart, I just might get it at the right time. What she had wished for at that time was a beautiful house with an orchard. We would take a stroll together and then we would stare at the exact house that she liked and then wished long and hard for it. Even though that dream never got fulfilled during her lifetime, I believe that her dream was more than fulfilled UP there. Well, anyway, even though our house was nothing like the house that my mom dreamed about having, I still am thankful that we have settled here. My dream is for us to finally be able to make the improvements on it someday. Also, I've been wanting to get us a new Dining Room Set. I've seen the need to own one because when my in-laws or my family would come over, we could not get them properly seated during dinner time. It seems like it will take awhile ...

My Music Monday entry is a classic song called " Never Ever Say Goodbye " from Nonoy Zuñiga. Oh, I really love his voice. Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice. PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Even though we had already agreed that the sendoff party was also our celebration of mom's birthday, we (hubby, yours truly, Dipdip, and the nanny) went to Compostela to celebrate with grandmother. We're the only ones who are available on that day since my brother already returned to Abu Dhabi while everyone else (including dad) has already returned home for the next day's work. And so, we just brought with us a cake, lola cooked two or three dishes, and my aunt prepared macaroni salad. Well, I can't show a lot of pictures because my camera was showing symptoms of A.D.D. again  :-) But look at how amused my Tita S (mom's sister) was with my daughter who seemed to be energetic at that time to show everybody her talent in dancing. Yes, lately, our one-year old princess dances everytime she hears music from the television commercials. Sometimes, she would sing, too (believe me). We didn't really celebrate that much because my Tita S has been diagnosed with th...

Before my brother flew back to Abu Dhabi, the family dined out together per his request. This is like his sendoff party. It was not our first time to eat at Chika-an restaurant but it was our first time to dine in at their branch in Park Mall, Cebu. We love to eat at Chika-an 's because they serve, among other things, grilled pork, sinigang, lumpia shanghai, chopsuey, and cooked monggo beans (mung beans)!   My all-time favorite is chopsuey! Although we can cook these dishes at home, we needed some ambiance once in a while. Besides, it's one of the neatest places where everybody can meet up because we're already residing in different parts of Cebu. He'll be gone again, huh! Dad looked a little sad right there... We sat outside, too (for posterity's sake) Is there someone missing in the picture? Oh, there she is! We're family... I hope to show MORE pictures but nah, I'll probably post some of them in Facebook one of these days. Or I'll probab...