A Walk Through Life

The Lenten holidays has done us good. Thanks to the long holidays, hubby and I found a lot of time to do some reflection and to bond with our kid longer at home. It's a good thing we weren't able to do our groceries just yet; so, the refrigerator is not really packed with a lot of food and we are not tempted to pig out. In fact, yesterday I skipped lunch without really meaning to. I ate the last crackers at ten a.m. that day, so I wasn't feeling hungry at all when husband announced lunch time. Oh, I wasn't really planning to go extreme on my diet because I also don't like to starve myself. So, rarely will you find me skipping meals because that will not bring about pleasing results. At least not to me. I do read somewhere that you can still achieve a healthier body even if you don't resort to starving yourself. Why would I starve myself when I can eat in moderation and achieve better results, anyway? In fact, a friend told me she achieved her desired body weight

As I am writing this now, my elder brother may still be up on the plane heading to Abu Dhabi . Yes, he is going back to where a job opportunity awaits for him. So many times he tried applying for a job here because he didn't really intend to leave the country again but it seems like he is destined to come back to where he started. With all that he has gone through in this life, I am sure he is a lot wiser now. In fact, before he left, he told me he's going to save money so he can have someone to plant some cacao and lemon seedlings on our late mom's share of the land from our late grandfather. Working abroad is probably not something he sees as a lifetime job. After all, just as life itself, nothing is really permanent when it comes to the world of employment. Nothing is really certain. Thus, I commend him for having thought of collaborating with us siblings to make sure that mom's land will be put to good use one of these days. A photo with my daughter and her un

One of the things we did in the later part of last year was to go mountain trekking. It was an itinerary we had to do with family and relatives so  we can check out the status of our late grandfather's hectares of land there. In other words, it was our chance to see and appreciate what our late grandpa had left as a legacy for the family. For someone like me who isn't used to climbing mountains, I would say that it was really quite an adventure. It was tiring but fun. As for husband, he said he would have enjoyed the activity even more if he wasn't wearing slippers. Indeed, it was a lesson he learned later - that it's better to put on the right footwear when you're going to the mountain. That is really something I would have to agree on. I told him that the next time we pay grandpa's land a visit, he shouldn't be wearing slippers. I thought a pair of Lowa Trekker Boots or anything like it would be perfect for him to use. Thankfully, my aunt left her pair o

I am one of those women who want to be able to sample products first for free. I want to make sure that I won't be spending a lot of money on something that I would later on decide that it is not something for me. Thus, I was glad to learn that there is a website that offers most of the products I want to try using first before actually heading on for a real purchase. Thanks to Sample Room , I only get to choose from the sample products they have and I would get them almost for free. I said "almost" here because I will still have to shell out a little cash for local shipping. :-) Anyway, this is just my first request for samples. Husband was happy I requested something for him. Hopefully, I'll get to sample other products as soon as I am done trying out the products I have now.

Summer is definitely just around the corner... Or isn't it here already? Obviously, this is already time to plan for a fun summer beach outing. Nearly all of us would like to have loads of fun with family and friends at the beach. Indeed, it is important that we find ourselves some time to make ourselves available for our loved ones. After all, we are also entitled to have a really good tan, right? Anyway, while most of us are planning for this family beach outing during summer time, companies and politicians are also getting busy cooking up their marketing strategies in order for them to get that brand recognition and popularity they needed. Earlier this year, I have seen lots of advertisements printed on tarpaulins and they can be seen in places that are widely visible to the public. This summer, politicians who want to be remembered during Election time (I am not really sure if this is allowed, though) and companies that want to spread product and consumer awareness can capitali

I've made progress lately. Yahoo! I'm talking about my losing weight agenda. I am happy to say that I'm no longer stuck in the planning stage like it used to be for the longest time. I know I haven't been a little kinder to my body and health for a couple of years already. Not that I am doing it intentionally. It's just that I have deliberately allowed stress and other factors to conquer my physical well-being. Still, I know the Lord has been helping me all throughout this journey. Through our Zumba sessions in the neighborhood, He has helped me gain new friends with similar goals and interest as mine. Although I wouldn't be able to join them for awhile due to a change in my work schedule, I know I can always join them anytime my schedule permits me to. Laughing the painful cramps off :-) Anyway, I promised myself that my battle with the bulge does not end with Zumba no longer part of my weekend activity. I have to rely on self-help videos and keep my

My husband told me that when he was a child, he used to borrow her grandmother's harmonica. He said he knew how to play with it but that was already a long time ago. If you ask him to play it now, he would probably need a week to revive his knowledge on how to play this musical instrument well. Grandmother-in-law's harmonica, by the way, is already 41 years old but it still looks as good as it sounds. Yes, it is still with her. Isn't that amazing? I personally saw it when we visited our in-laws when she showed it to me. There is no denying the number of years she had it with her as she did not forget to write on the box (something most elders her age would do) the date she received it as a gift from her husband. Yes, the casing on the harmonica is still very much in tact, even as of this time. I was really impressed at how she cherishes this gift. She even showed me samples of old songs she can remember playing with this instrument. So, when my husband started to look aroun

On our way to work one morning, while we were riding our motorcycle, we noticed the van ahead of us bore a mini poster plastered at the back of the vehicle with some words that are not quite readable if you don't get near it. There's a picture within the poster, though, which I later recognized to be that of St. Therese of the Child Jesus . Out of curiosity, I asked my husband to drive closer near it and I forced my eyes so I can have the chance to read some parts of it. I knew I can google it later when work is over. Luckily, I had an idea that the words written in the poster were excerpts from the Story of a Soul . I googled those 4 words and realized it was all about the life of St. Therese. This beautiful and inspiring story about her life has got me reading the rest of the day. I thought I should have just listened to the audio book so that I won't tire my eyes out (I guess I have to accept and acknowledge the need of eyeglasses now at my age) but thought I would appre

After giving birth, I must confess that some things are happening with my body that I have very little to no control of. Among other things, it seemed like my bladder could not always do its part of holding up urine a little longer than it used to. I am talking about urinary incontinence. I thought incontinence can only be experienced by the elderly or those that are already past their retirement age but I was wrong. I didn't even think that a laughter can trigger a flow from my bladder. This actually bothered me for awhile but after a few reads on the Internet and after a word from a doctor (especially), I was somehow appeased. To be honest, my urinary incontinence experience came to a point that I had to rely on these diapers and nappies for adults for awhile but after following a few exercises ( Kegel exercises) that can help strengthen the muscles in my pelvic area, I was able to manage it well. Of course, it was not like I have totally dealt with it or gotten rid of it

I mentioned in my other blog that my little girl is almost ready for school . We have already found the school that she would be going to this coming school year. She will be four years old this coming March and her age by then would be just right for Kindergarten I. I tried to tell or ask the teacher who was in charge of admission that she has not even entered Nursery yet. I was a little worried that she might not be ready to write just yet. However, the teacher informed me that her age is more appropriate for K1; and so, husband and I had to defer to her judgment as well as the curriculum. If it were only up to me, I wished she had tried to be in a Playgroup first but I guess it's already too late for that. Anyhow, we're enrolling her for Summer for a month (on a playschool just near our house) just to immerse her on a classroom setting and to get her started on her writing. As parents, we also have our own sessions with her at home just to prepare her for kindergarten. Hop

There are times when I need to dress up formally for a function or an occasion. In many of these times, I get anxious because I am really clueless about what to wear because I'm simply not the 'dressy' type of person. Looking back, I had been fortunate to have friends who are always willing to help me find something that suits me or to lend me whatever they have in their closet. If it weren't for my friend who had me wear her extra evening dress and done my makeup, I wouldn't have been able to attend the debut of another friend. We are getting ready to attend a debut party. Eight years later, I remembered the last time I needed to wear something formal was the time I played the role of maid of honor for a friend's wedding. At that time, the bride-to-be gave me the freedom to decide what I should wear and how I should look as long as I follow the theme of the wedding. The pressure was left on me to decide on the design and this was something I found difficu

Just want to take this time and space on my blog again to thank my friends for their existence in my life. Like I said before, I don't hold a long list of friends. I do have new friends but I also keep the old ones in my heart and in my thoughts - even though I seldom to never see them. You see, some of them keep in touch while some just went missing in my life as the years go by. The funny thing is that I miss all of them. I will forever remember and cherish the memories I made with each one of them. I do hope that someday I get to cross paths with those I didn't get to see again for ages.

I have plenty of memories during high school that I can probably share to my daughter later on. I'm sure she would love to learn all about my experiences - my joys, struggles and accomplishments as a student. I also have pictures to share to her where I participated in some activities such as the Junior and Seniors Prom. Oh, I wish I had plenty of souvenirs during high school but there were only a few. I remembered I had a slumbook/autograph (owning one was a growing fad at that time) where most of my classmates/batchmates have signed up. Sadly, I had it misplaced somewhere when the family moved from one place to another. Now, I am also thinking about where I placed my yearbook! I wish I had brought it with me when I left home. Today, there's more to just keeping a yearbook or pictures in high school and letting classmates sign autographs to keep, preserve, and hold memories of high school. You see, as I went over joyjewelers.com for class rings , I realized that high school st

I felt compelled to update this blog because it's Valentines Day! :-) Actually, there's not much happening today (maybe later tonight haha! kidding) as husband and I have been busy at work. Despite the lack of time to celebrate this special day exclusively for us, I am already happy (always happy) because we're together every single day. After all, we are working in the same office; so, we go to work and go home together. What more could I ask for? Some people say this routine of constant togetherness can put our relationship to the brink of boredom. However, I don't see it happening with us. Everyday we are getting closer because there's always communication. We understand and respect each other more as we get to know each other and ourselves more. Of course, there are still arguments along the way as neither of us is perfect but what is more important is that we often agree more than we disagree. I appreciate my husband for everything that he is and he is not. I t

Last night, my daughter told me she has a new friend in the neighborhood and that the name was Jim. She described him as someone who plays a drum. Her Nanay Thelma (the sitter) confirmed it. My little girl also tells me she wants to own one as well because she wants to play but her friend wouldn't lend her his drum. I am taking it as another sign that she is really into music. Now, I remembered that when I was younger, I had also wanted to learn how to play the drums. I never had the chance to do that, though. At that time, there was no way my parents could afford to spare an amount for this musical instrument. Now that I am a parent myself, it is also my wish that one day we can afford to buy one for her - if she's really serious about it. Hopefully, we can practically learn how to play the drums together. That would be cool, right? :-) Anyway, above is a picture of my daughter at a store, standing behind a couple of drums for sale.

Surprisingly, I woke up earlier than usual this morning. It was like my body clock was telling me to get up and not wait for the alarm clock to ring so I can have time for my blogging stuff. Ironically, I am not really sure what to write here. Perhaps I should just do a random thoughts post. Today, Tuesday is going to be more than just a day after Monday. :-)LOL. Seriously, today is the schedule of our annual physical exam at work and I am not really excited about it because I'm still scared of needles. Haha! I've been through a major surgery before. Now I wonder why I'm still scared of the usual blood extraction routine. Anyway, I have already conditioned my mind about this. I know I am braver than this. Hopefully, I'll get this over and done with today. This is nothing compared to what I have already been through. Tuesday is going to be fine. On another note, I felt sad when I learned yesterday that a friend of mine is at the hospital. This woman is a whole lot

I just noticed the date today - it's my rock star brother's birthday! Somehow, I felt guilty because I wasn't very nice to him when we communicated via Yahoo Messenger today and I totally forgot about his birthday. Had I realized earlier that his birthday is coming, I would have avoided being in an argument with him over something. Anyhow, I'm looking for something to make it up on him. I guess one of those excellent guitars for rock stars should be a good peace offering, right? Surely, he would love to create and play good music with it. Oh, how I would love to  support him as a musician! I'll see if he is still with his band and if my funds are already enough to cover the purchase; otherwise, I would have to call and greet him, instead. :-) Happy birthday, brother! You rock!

Tonight is my chance to polish my skills. When I am done with blogging, I'll get back to article writing. I realized that I haven't put an investment to a good use. I intentionally bought a deck of cards online from Ezinearticles so I can further enhance my writing skills. Indeed, these cards are useful for anyone who wants to learn how to write articles in a variety of styles. Pretty soon, I won't get stuck with writing articles in one and the same style.

with my former office friends While husband is still not done with work in the office today, I had the chance to meet up and have dinner with old friends and former office friends. Actually, another good friend of mine  arrived from the U.S. and she treated us to dinner. Definitely, it was great to see them again. Even for just a short while, I had the chance to be with them where we talked about the good old times we had back then as office buddies. We all just laughed at those funny and silly times we did in the past. Of course, it was also our time to update each other about the latest events in our lives. I felt sad to learn that one of my friends just got her heart broken. This guy (the culprit) almost became her husband. He had already proposed and they have already looked around for their wedding bands but, sadly, the guy cheated on her; so, the wedding was off. Anyway, she can always think of her being free and single again as her chance to find better prospects. I'm su

What's keeping me sad sometimes about us moving back to our own home (even though I know we are doing the right thing) is leaving my daughter to a nanny when she could have been happier being with her cousins at the in-laws' place. Deep inside, I feel really guilty every time we have to extend extra hours at work because I know my daughter is patiently waiting for us to come home every single day. Had she been under the in-laws' watch, I would not be as guilty as I am  these days. Indeed, parenting is a little difficult when you cannot find the right balance. Anyhow, husband and I are now planning on reporting earlier than usual at work so that we can make it home earlier as well. This also means that we need to get to sleep earlier than we normally do. Unfortunately, I am still up (and blogging!). There's one more post to do before going back to bed to join husband and daughter.

Great food and fine beverages are some of the things that make life worth living – gourmet coffee is another one of life’s little pleasures and for some a guilty indulgence; it can actually be pretty pricey to enjoy a fancy gourmet coffee at a coffee shop or restaurant on a regular basis. With a Cuisinart® K-Cup® on demand coffee maker you can savor gourmet quality coffee any time at a price per cup that will make you feel like a millionaire and a savvy shopper at the same time. A 1 cup coffee maker used to mean a miniature coffee filter coupled with a lot of fumbling around and hassle for a mediocre cup of coffee, but with a single serve or on demand brewing system it is effortless and the coffee is first rate. No matter the maker, most on demand systems operate on the same basic principles – they have a reservoir for water and can hold six or more cups of water plus they require an electrical outlet. Unlike a conventional coffee maker, there is no need to scoop and measure coffe

I am not really insomniac but there are really times when I can't get to sleep even when it's already past bedtime and even when the lights are already out. This is one of those times where I am still trying to keep myself sleepy while husband and daughter are already in the middle of their sleep. This gets me totally envious especially when I hear one of them snore! I'll leave that up for readers to guess which of them is the snoring type. :-) By the way, the reason why I'm having trouble sleeping today is probably because I had too much caffeine during the day. I rely too much on coffee (and sometimes cola or soda!), which is also why I can't bring my weight down. Actually, I can let go of soft drinks any time but my day would never be the same without a drink or two of coffee. I thought perhaps it is about time to go for brewed coffee instead of instant coffee mix. Hopefully and pretty soon, we can have our own coffee maker at home.

Earlier I mentioned about my dream of becoming a professor in the future. Isn't it pretty neat to have teaching as my ultimate profession? I thought so. Husband thinks so, too. Speaking of husband, he has a dream for himself as well. He said he'd like to hone himself to become a successful seller or marketer someday. He has already envisioned that one day he'll be showing around his metal business card to his prospects. In order to succeed, though, he has acknowledged that he needs to work harder to improve his communication and marketing skills. I  would be happiest if he gets to realize all he wishes to become one day.

I told my husband I would like to be a teacher in the future. I remembered when I was a child, this was what I earlier dreamed to become but this dream got buried away when I also thought I wanted to become a lawyer someday. Unfulfilled dreams, huh? These days, my thoughts suddenly went back to wanting to be a teacher and this is probably because I thought it would be great to teach while my daughter is schooling. How convenient can that be for us? :-) Anyhow, these are just plans and thoughts for now. I just thought of writing these thoughts down even though I am not really one hundred percent sure about this plan. May the Lord continue to guide me in all that I do.

One of the things that I like about checking in at hotels or travel inns when you are vacationing is the fact that you are able to find great interior decorating ideas there that you can possibly copy and apply to your home. This can be quite helpful if you  are running out of better ideas in improving your home. If there are particular things in the arrangement of the room that you want to copy in your own home, you can simply take some photos of them so that you can always get back to it when you are ready to give your own room a boost. When we were checked in at FB Traveller's Inn last December, I took some pictures of the room. I also took pictures of their shower accessories in the bathroom. I wonder where they bought them from. I told husband that I'd like to have the same water heater in my shower. We are living in a tropical country but there are times when I'd like to bathe in warmer water especially after having a stressful, tiring day. Thus, a shower system with

Give her anything Barbie and her problem is solved.  Little girls these days - I sometimes can't understand why their fascination for beautiful dolls are somewhat exaggerated to the point that they will cry rivers of tears when they don't get them. Good thing though that nowadays she's also okay with a popular toothpaste with a Barbie picture on it. She's actually excited to use it that I am actually happy that we discovered something that can motivate her to brush her teeth on a regular basis.

Some business websites are full of uninteresting and unnecessary features that instead of keeping prospects coming, they would only end up driving them away. If you are in business, you do need to have an excellent website but this doesn't mean that you need to have a website with lavish and complicated designs. These days, websites for businesses tend to be more effective when they are simple and easy to navigate. Such is the case now with the recently launched website of Radiall . Having been around in the business for many years now, they have already gained a lot of credibility as one of the leading manufacturers of high quality interconnect components for various industries such as Aerospace, Defense, Medical, Industrial and Telecommunications. If you check out their new website now, Radiall is already going for the minimalistic and simple design where people or prospects can conveniently navigate. Certainly, they have all the essential elements that drive more prospects to

I thought our trip last year as a family also deserved an entry here. It's been more than two years since I thought of traveling with husband and daughter so I can show them what my homeland looks like; but due to unavoidable circumstances, we kept putting off this trip to San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. It's quite ironic that it took us longer to carry out this travel plan when it will only take us a few hours to get there. Anyway, we finally made that happen in December of last year when I dragged them with me so I could attend our elementary batch reunion. It took us one year to plan for this reunion but only a few of us showed up... I'm not really the super sociable type of person but I'm not an introvert one, either. Thus, the idea of meeting up with former classmates in my elementary batch is also something that matters to me. Thus, there's nothing husband could do at that time but support me on this short trip, especially after he learned that