Blessings and Beyond: October 2008

Beautiful Blog Award

This is so cool! After being away from my blog for quite some time (it means I don't have the liberty to access my blog everyday than the usual because of limited internet access), I got a lovely surprise from Posh Post Reviews. She gave me an awesome animated blog award! Thanks Mommy!!

I am sharing this lovely award to Pinay Mommy Online, Janet Speaks, Mommy Elvz, Pink Thoughts and Wonderful Things in Life. Grab this cutie guys!!

Beauty and Figure

Most people nowadays are having problems on how to slim down or to tone up. And because of today’s eating habits and the foods that are served, no doubt people tend to gain weight or develop unbalanced fats at the tummy area especially for women.

Why do I know about this? Well, just considered that I am one of those women who suffered from this. I am slim but my tummy is a flabby one. It doesn’t look any better than those who have excess weight.

Anyway, I also noticed that people who wanted to lose weight have time problems. They can’t do exercise because of time constraints. So most of my usual acquaintances, they take diet pills as an alternative. Oh well, good for them! But for me, I can’t do that. The only thing that is in excess in my body is my tummy. How I wish I have a diet pill specifically designed to tone up my bulging tummy! Hehehe… Since that pill doesn’t exist, I left with no choice but to tone my tummy manually by doing routine exercises.

But of course, I am still thankful of what I have. There are times that I wished to have a body beautiful figure but I guess God didn’t allow for it to happen. I might be found at another place if I did. So, I am just thankful for what was given to me! I guess being beautiful is really within and how you see life.

Speed Dial Add-On for Firefox 3

I have several chat friends online. Most of them are bloggers like me. That is why I try to check on them through their blogs as often as I can. Since I am a FireFox 3 avid user, I decided to install a Speed Dial Add-On Feature so that I can easily access their blogs.

So every time I open a new tab, this is how it looks:

If you like to add this, you can do so at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4810. By the way, it’s free and easy to use!

The Rug Hunt!

My hubby and I are now staying in a boarding house. We rented a room just enough for the two of us. Since we don’t have a kitchen of our own, we usually eat outside. So every time we go to the mall to eat, we always pass by a carpet store. And every time we pass by, we can’t help but talk about getting a rug of our own to place in our “future” new home. So when the children arrives, the house would look fabulously awesome.

Anyway, the store sells many kinds of rugs, in all shape, colors and sizes. But the problem is they have a low number of inventories making it hard to find something that suits our taste. Most of the area rugs they have are light colored with cartoon characters making it unfeasible for our lifestyle. Well, we always waited for new arrivals but it seems none is coming. They are putting all up in sale maybe because of the designs they have. Well, I guess buying cheap rugs can be a daunting task if you are presented with unwanted designs.

Well, I saw a website before that sells cheap area rugs too! They also put up a sale up to 80% off from the original price. The good thing about the online store is that they have many designs to choose from and it comes with quality materials such as silk, traditional wool, contemporary wool and high quality synthetics. I also loved the colours they have. They offer rugs in gold, red, green, cream, brown, blue and black with shapes ranging from rectangular, round and runner area rugs. By the way, did I mention that if you buy from their store, you get free shipping and a 30 day money back guarantee (conditions and terms apply depending on location)?? So, if you are interested to buy area rugs online, please check out www.superiorrugs.com. I am sure you will find something nice for your home or office.

Oh well, I guess it would always be better to buy things online when inventory is much available than in stores!

Lowered Rankings

This is quite alarming! I was just inactive for a few days but my technorati authority and alexa rankings dropped significantly. It made me worry very much because I could not take care of my blogs more that often because of my very limited internet connection. Doing a prepaid internet access really makes it very hard to update and do blog hopping.

I am planning to transfer my SmartBro Unlimited Plan here in Bacolod when we find a new place to rent. But I am not really sure if it’s possible. Anyway, I will try asking their office later this week. If it’s achievable, I will use my prepaid USB modem in Cagayan de Oro while I spend the holidays there.

Lowered rankings really means lowered opportunity online! :(

Hubby Slimmed Down

I was amazed when I saw my hubby. Not seeing him for more than two months shocked me on how he loosed weight. His bulging tummy has trimmed down dramatically and his muscles have toned firmly. I asked him did the gym do that to him or he took some alli pills with it. Well, he just laughed at me and asked if I liked how he looked. Of course, missing him all these months made me say yes with no hesitation though I felt that his losing weight so fast have surprised me tremendously.

Anyway, I have also told him that I am interested to do some gym activities now. Not for slimming down but some serious toning of my tummy. He said yes and that I could come with him. Maybe I will be starting next week since he will be busy.

I am kinda excited! After all, I really wanted to go to the gym long before. This might be the time to fulfil it. ^_^

Blessed with a New Laptop

As I have posted before, I only access the internet using my hubby's laptop. But now, I access the internet using my own laptop. I bought it last Sunday for only $525 including an original Windows Vista Starter Operating System.

Below are the specs of my Neo Basic B2180N laptop:

• Processor Intel® Celeron M Processor 560 1MB L2 Cache, 2.13 Ghz, 533Mhz FSB
• Chipset SiS M672 + SiS 968
• Memory 1 GiG DDR2
• Graphics SiS Mirage 3+
• Display 14.1″ WXGA LCD
• Hard Disk Drive 120 GB SATA
• Optical Disc Drive DVDRW SuperMulti
• Networking 10/100 Mbps LAN
• Wireless 802.11 b/g
• Card Reader 4 in 1 Card Reader
• Web Cam 1.3 Mega Pixels

• Battery 6-cell Lithium-ion Battery
• Weight ~2.4 Kg

Thank God for a great blessing!!

Quick Update!

As I have mentioned before, I am bound to take a blogger’s leave and off for a vacation. News Flash! I have taken the vacation already and I am now at the City of Smiles – Bacolod. I have arrived in time to enjoy the colorful celebration of the 29th Masskara Festival.

Unfortunately, I was not able to bring my computer, printer and speakers. I am now using my hubby’s laptop under a prepaid mobile access to the internet. Since my hubby will use it a work, I can only access my blogs whenever he is home. That is why a prepaid connection works well with me.

Anyway, I apologize in advance that I could not blog hop as often as I can before. I couldn’t participate with all the meme’s that I loved to join because of limited access. But I will try my best once I get online. Please bear with me. Thank you very much. ^_^

Gadget Appraisal

I am not a gadget freak but I really love buying things that upgrades my blogging life. Since I am not an expert on these things, I usually read reviews on new gadgets. One of the blogs that I have found amazing when it comes to gadget reviews is the Gadget Advisor. The blogger evaluates only the best gadget there is in the market. Some of the blogger’s notable reviews are about online backup services and the latest network media player.

As a mother and movie fan, I was really amazed on how the blogger gave a comprehensive appraisal on the universal remote control that I believe is essential in every home nowadays. By the way, you can also check out the latest reviews at www.gadgetadvisor.com.

Got Busy Updating My Blogs

I have plans to go out today and run some errands. Unfortunately, I was not able to do so because I got busy updating some of my blogs.

So, I made few template tweaks and several posts before I leave for my vacation. It would take time before I could get access there since there is no internet connection at my hubby’s boarding house. I will be accessing my blogs and emails at a café there. My time will also be limited since it takes moolah per hour unlike here in my house that I got unlimited access.

Anyway, I will miss my children very much and so as my blogs. I won’t be seeing them in the next few weeks. I am hoping to be back home before my son’s birthday next month. I will miss all my readers too!

Mary and Martha

One of my favorite Bible Stories is the story of Mary and Martha. The story can be found at Book of Luke, Chapter 10, and Verses 38:42. It was when Jesus visited the house of Mary and Martha. When Jesus there, Martha got so busy with all the preparations of the house. When Martha noticed that Mary was only sitting and listening to Jesus, she complained and brought this about. Then Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

IMAGE COURTESY OF www.essentialvermeer.com

This story simply reminds me that we should not be too busy with many material matters that sometimes we forget to remember the Lord. Just like what happened to me yesterday, I felt that I was being too “Martha” that is why I ended up with so many stressful happenings in my life. Being like Martha is like trusting in your own but not in Christ. But being like Mary is offering everything to God knowing that He will make a way for us even in our needs.

Find out more on how you can relate some Bible Stories to your day to day life by attending the first-ever Theatre Church Conference in Silver Spring, MD on October 22 & 23, 2008. Visit www.ncm.com for more info.

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Weekend at Night Cafe

Weekend Snapshot 5

Every Friday and Saturday, a weekend bazaar and restaurant called as the Night Cafe is open for the public at the city plaza. The government officials organized this as an alternative and affordable enjoyment for friends and families. You can shop for new or used products at reasonable prizes because there are no store rental expenses for the sellers. The items are displayed on the street sides. You can also find many delicious food to eat.

So last Saturday, my children and I went to the Night Cafe. I bought some handbags for myself and toys for the children. After that, we ordered our favorite dishes and enjoyed the rest of the night. A great bonding time before I leave them within this week.

Got an Uber Amazing Blog Award

Thank you very much Mommy Elvz of Mighty in Spirit for this uber amazing award. I am happy that this blog could inspire others. Thanks again!!

Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:

~ inspires you
~ makes you smile and laugh
~ or maybe gives amazing information
~ a great read
~ has an amazing design
~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:

* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Let me think for awhile to whom I am going to pass this blog award. ^_^

Praise and Worship

Giving praise and worship to God is another modern act of offering. Before they slay sheep, birds, cows or any best thing they have to serve as an offering for cleansing of sins or giving thanks. Now, singing to God is a way to give thanksgiving and as an act of reverence to the mighty Creator.

Giving praise and worship to God is one of my favorite times at church. It is where I could sing without being conscious with my tune but only how I feel for God. Though I am a member of a local congregation, there were several times that I was able to experience attending a church services in a theater. It was an awesome experience that sometimes I wondered if heaven would be something like that but of course I bet it would be more beautiful!

National Cinema Media is hosting an event at Silver Spring, Maryland this coming October 22 and 23, 2008 to mark the first-ever inaugural Theatre Church Conference. Find out more about praise and worship at this event. This will be attended by all respected church leaders and pastors to discuss about spiritual topics and theater worship.

If you have time and very interested, find out more by visiting National Cinema Media’s website at www.ncm.com today!

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Feeling SAD and Irresponsible

My sleeping pattern has no particular hour; my outlook of time has been messed up. There are times that I don’t know what day it is. Today, I woke up around 9:30am after sleeping around 6:00am. We were already late for church.

Now, I am sad again. I was not able to attend church with my children. Sometimes I felt that I am a bad parent because I know this is my responsibility to introduce God into their lives so that when they grow up, they can decide for themselves.

Anyway, I am still hoping that someday I could be more responsible on this matter. This is very important for me because this involves my faith and children’s values. I need more grace from God to be able to do this.

IMAGE COURTESY OF arkansas.gov

Life Mottos

“Life is box of chocolates, you just never know what you’re gonna get.” This is the famous life motto Forrest Gump lived by and some people have one or two also. Just like them I also have several life mottos that I kept at heart. These are constant reminders that make me realize more about life.

My life mottos are taken from the Bible. We all know that it’s the greatest handbook in life. One of the verses that I consider as my life motto is taken from Jeremiah 29:11. It says that “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Find out more about this verses by reading more of the Book of Jeremiah.

Every time I remember this verse, I am always reminded that God has allowed all things to happen whether good and bad for a purpose. Sometimes we felt that the world has befallen upon us but rest assured that God did not plan for the ultimate destruction of our lives but to prosper us and give us a future. So, if things go wrong, I have this hope inside me that all these will pass and in the end God will bring in the rainbow. Find out more on God's goodness by reading the Bible more often.

On October 22 and 23, 2008 at Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, more discussion on spiritual topics and how to worship God will be discussed the first annual Theater Church Conference. Find out more information about the said event at www.ncm.com.

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I Am A Monkey

I have been blog hopping and noticed that there were many new posts on new quizzes taken from blogthings.com. So, I decided to check out what are the newest available quizzes they have. Then I found this cute quiz on “What Animal Are You?” And check out the result I got!!

You Are a Monkey

You are a very fascinating creature. People are interested in every little thing you do.

You are smart, curious, and clever. You are naturally witty, and you have a great sense of humor.

You can see things from many different angles, and you always have an interesting perspective on life.

You are likely agile and playful. You stay physically fit simply by staying active.

What Animal Are You?

They say humans came from monkeys. Well I guess my result plainly say that I am a monkey. ^_^ Anyway, this is just for fun. I don’t believe in the Theory of Evolution.

Invest at Casco Antiguo, Panama City

Hotel Casco Antiguo, a Panamanian condo hotel, is offering 32 hotel condo units for sale with 5-star amenities and services. The construction will start next year. They have opened a site to supply information to anybody who is interested to invest in real estate particularly in the region of Casco Antiguo, Panama City.

Hotel-view01-old

Now, why would anyone invest at Casco Antiguo, Panama City? Aside from its beautiful scenic location, Panama City is rich with historical culture and tourist attractions. Considering Casco Antiguo only, you will be astonished with its numerous tourist spots such as the famous churches. You will find Iglesia San José with its Golden Altar, Las Bovedas Monument, La Iglesia de La Merced, La Iglesia San Felipe Neri and the Catedral Metropolitana. Aside from the churches, world-class hotels and restaurants are also located there. The Salón Bolivar and the National Theatre is also located at Casco Antiguo. With tourist coming in, the economy is rapidly growing. Panama City was also voted for seven years by the International Living Magazine as the world’s Top 5 retirement place. So most people chose to live and invest a second home in Panama.

Again, why would anyone invest at Casco Antiguo, Panama City particularly in Hotel Casco Antiguo? The answer is very simple – improving economy and the abundance of many historical sites. With this, it doesn’t only attract many tourists but also retirees.

Interested in investing? Register for an eBrochure here at www.panamaniancondohotel.com.

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Products with Melamine Contamination

Please be aware of the 56 milk products banned by BFAD (Philippines) for possible melamine contamination. This list was released last September 26, 2008 (source: ABS-CBN News Online).

56 Milk Products for POSSIBLE Melamine Contamination:

1. Anchor Lite Milk
2. Anchor Wam Froot Milk Drink Mango Magic
3. Anchor Wam Froot Milk Drink Orange Chill
4. Anchor Wam Froot Milk Drink Strawberry Spin
5. Anlene Milk
6. Anmum Materna 180 g
7. Anmum Materna Chocolate
8. Dutch Lady Pure Milk
9. Farmland Skim Milk
10. Green Food Yili Pure Milk
11. Jinwei Drink
12. Jolly Cow Pure Fresh Milk
13. Jolly Cow Slender Low Fat Milk
14. KLIM instant full cream milk 1.8kg
15. M&M Chocolate Brown 40g
16. Meiji Hokkaido Azuki (Red Bean Ice Cream)
17. Meiji Ujikintoki (Red Bean and Green Tea Frozen Confection.
18. Mengniu Original Drink Milk
19. Mengniu Pure Milk
20. Milk Chocolate Bars/China
21. Milk Chocolate Candies/China
22. Milk Boy repacked
23. Milk Boy repacked
24. Monmilk Breakfast Milk Walnut Milk Beverage
25. Monmilk High Calcium Low Fat Milk
26. Monmilk High Calcium Milk
27. Monmilk Milk Deluxe Pure Milk
28. Monmilk Pure Milk
29. Monmilk Suan Suan Ru Sour Milk Beverage (mango flavor)
30. Natural Choice Milk Ice Bar
31. Nespray
32. Nestle Carnacion Calcium Plus non fat milk powder 1.6 kg
33. Nestle Chocolate Flavor Ice Cream cone
34. Nestle Dairy Farm Pure Milk
35. Nestle Vanilla Flavor Ice Cream Cone
36. Nutri Express Milk
37. Nutri Express Milk 15 Nutritional Elements (Blue, Red and Orange label and cap)
38. Nutri Express Milk
39. Nutri Express Milk Green Apple
40. Prime Roast Cereals 28g
41. Pura Fresh Milk
42. Snickers brown 59 grams
43. Strawberry Sorbet
44. Trappist Dairy Low Fat Yogurt Drink
45. Vita Fresh Milk
46. Wahaha Orange
47. Wahaha Yellow
48. Want Want milk drink
49. Yili High Calcium 250ml
50. Yili High Calcium Milk 1 liter
51. Yili High Calcium Low fat milk beverage
52. Yili Low Fat Milk 1 liter
53. Yili Milk
54. Yili Pure Milk 250 ml
55. Yili Pure Milk 1 liter
56. Yinlu Milk Peanut

The following 22 milk products below was released last October 10, 2008 by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing that has been detected to be POSITIVE with melamine contamination by Chinese Authorities (source: ABS-CBN News Online).

1. Sanlu
2. Panda Baby
3. Syrutra
4. Gucheng
5. Hero
6. Huimin
7. Mengniu
8. Kocci
9. Yashili
10. Nanshan Beiyi
11. Heilongjiang
12. Yashili
13. Jinbishi
14. Scient
15. Jinding
16. Yili
17. Ausmeadow
18. Suncare
19. Yubao
20. Leilei
21. Baoanli
22. Hikid
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore released their own list of China Made Milk Products with POSITIVE melamine contamination:

1. Cadbury Choclairs - Blueberry Flavour;
2. Cadbury Choclairs - Coffee Flavour;
3. Panda Dairy Whole Milk Powder (industrial pack);
4. Yi Li Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection;
5. Dutch Lady Strawberry Flavoured Milk;
6. White Rabbit Creamy Candy;
7. Dutch Lady Banana Flavoured Milk;
8. Dutch Lady Honeydew Flavoured Milk;
9. Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato Cracker;
10. Puffed Rice Rolls - Butter Corn Flavour;
11. Puffed Rice Rolls - Cheese Flavour;
12. New Sshmallows Mallow Dippers - Strawberry Flavour; and
13. Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato & Tomato Cracker.

Please follow the news every now and then to get the latest on the list positive with melamine contamination.

Vacation Time

Finally, I have my ticket already! I am leaving for a vacation next week. Since I have no way of earning my way online because of my vanished green bar, I decided that a short vacation can help me unwind and forget the pressures I have gotten.

So, just a heads up, I will be gone for quite some time now. Hope you would still continue to visit my blog while I am gone. Thanks in advance!

Sad Day for Me

After waking up from my afternoon nap (I am currently sick), I login to my PC and waited for some blessings. While I was waiting, I have noticed that I was not getting anything and my mind began to wonder why. So when I checked out my blog’s status, I noticed that my recently given “number 2” is now already a big zero.

Well, it was very sad actually because this blog was just recently blessed but now has nothing anymore. Not only that, but also my other blogs. I got totally stripped off with all ways and means to earn money online.

Anyway, I can’t deny the fact that I am sad because I have nothing left that could reasonably earn me a living online. I might as well consider other plans, like maybe working back again. :(

Second Chance for Bad Credit History

After the announcement of the Lehman’s announcement of bankruptcy, more and more people suffer from the economic hard ups especially those in the US. With these bad times, they cling on to whatever that could be available for them in terms of financial assistance. Unfortunately, those who have a bad credit history put up with the most financial hardships.

But I guess there is always hope for everybody! Even how bad your credit history is, there are some credit card companies that gives a second chance. If you want know what companies, I suggest you visit BadCreditOffers.com. They have been around since 2005 providing detailed information on bad credit credit cards available in the market today. From here, you can compare offers from credit card rankings, interest rates, and other key data on bad credit credit cards from major credit card issuers thus making it easier to apply for the best choice.

It’s a good thing that these credit card issuers still give chances to people with bad credit history. It can really help many individuals and families cope up with the on-going economic crises.

The Butterfly Award

Just the other day, Mommy Arlene gave me the Creative Blogger Award as she considers me "creative." Now, I am blessed again with another award by Mommy Sheryl of AHA MAMA! as one of the coolest blog she ever saw based on content and layout. Ins't this a blessed week?!

Thanks Mommy Sheryl!! Muah!!

butterfly_award_jpg

Once accepting this award, the rules are as follows:

~ Put the logo on your blog.
~ Add a link to the person who awarded you.
~ Nominate 10 other blogs.
~ Add links to those blogs on yours.
~ Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I will nominate later, please allow me to think for awhile. ^_^

Find Help for Your Web Hosting Needs

My friend and I were talking about our blogs earlier this morning. We talked about her plans to start a new one. Since both of us are blogger users from the beginning, she asked if it would be good if she would start learning how to handle a self hosted blog together with her plans in opening a new one. So I told her, it would be perfect.

But then again she became hesitant because she doesn’t know how to pick the best web hosting company that will host her future blog. Her resources are limited and she doesn’t want to waste her time finding the right one. So, I recommended for her to visit WebHostingRating.com, it’s a site that solely provides the most excellent information on available web hosting companies in the market. It gives detailed reviews and comparison on web host providers thus making it easier to pick the one that suits her needs and budget.

Aside from that, I also told her that she will also learn new things there since she is just starting out. There are many helpful articles that could teach her how to handle a self hosted blog like cPanel tutorials and security issues.

Anyway, if you’re looking for help in this matter too, I suggest you visit WebHostingRating.com. The site can really help you decide on what web hosting package to buy and even how to handle the blog that you will host there.

Say It with Music

This is a very cool tag that I snatch from another blogger’s site. You are asked how you feel right now by using lines from songs. So here is mine, it’s not yet complete but I will try to find the best song. ^_^

1. current state of mind
"look at me, i will never pass
for a perfect wife or a perfect daughter..."

2. faith (Jesus)
"You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all"

3. self
"Cause there's,
There's light in me me,
That shines brightly, They can try,
But they can't take that away from me"

and

"They don't know that I come running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
(Look up for His smile)
'Coz deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child"

4. husband
"you'll always be a part of me
i'm a part of you indefinitely
boy don't you know you can't escape me
ooh darling cause you'll always be my baby"

5. children
"when i see you smile,
i can face the world, oohhh,
you know i can do anything...."

and

"I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
Far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Well, every moment spent with you
Is a moment I treasure "

6. parents
"For a shield, from the storm
For a friend, for a love
To keep me safe and warm
I turn to you
For the strength, to be strong
For the will to carry on
For everything you do
I turn to you-ooh,ohhh"

7. siblings
"Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show"

8. friends
"count on me through thick and thin
a friendship that will never end.."

9. life in general
"life is not at all that bad, my friend..."

10. the whole world
"what the world needs now
is love, sweet love..."

IMAGE COURTESY FROM MIT.EDU

Saw New Frames at Zenni

Zenni Optical has done it again! After being featured at several radio stations in the US and the recent video feature at Fox News TV, they are now recommended by The Clark Howard Show. This show is dedicated in finding the best deals on consumer goods and recommending sites that are totally legal and not rip-offs. Mr. Howard on the other hand has proven that Zenni is indeed a great consumer website for prescription eyeglasses!

Anyway, I already posted about Zenni Optical a month ago because I really admired how affordable their products are. And aside from the notable low price, they have opted to continually providing new designs on frames to give their customer a wide array of choices. I just visited their site awhile ago and noticed that they have added new ones again.

If you haven’t heard about Zenni, this site is totally awesome in providing the most affordable prescription eyeglasses from prices that amount from $8 and up. Of course the price range depends on the style and type of lens you chose. They offer lenses from single vision, tinted sunglasses, potochromatic, bifocal and progressive. They sell these eyeglasses at a minimum cost because they have no middlemen and they sell everything direct to the customer. They make their own products.

My mom wears eyeglasses, what do you think about this one? It looks neat and beautiful. Do you think it would fit a 60 year old woman?

Creative Blogger Award

Mommy Arlene gave me this wonderful award. Thanks for considering me a creative blogger.

Actually, I don't consider myself creative but curious. I always wanted to try anything to make things more beautiful.

The rules are:

* The winner may put the logo on his or her blog.
* Put a link to the person you got the award from.
* Nominate five blogs.
* Put links to the blogs.
* Leave a message to the nominees.

I want to share this award to:

Mommy Elvz, Mommy Aeirin, Mommy Maicel, Mommy Ria and Mommy Mars.

I think these mommies are very creative. I have seen them turn simple blog templates to "A+ FABULOUS!!"

Vacation Made Affordable

When life seems to be very stressful and you have become affected by it, thinking about taking a long vacation is inevitable. But sometimes people just pass on such thought because of the expenses involved.

Well, I guess you need to reconsider that thought once more. Why? Because taking a vacation at the Sun Shine State in the US have never become very affordable until now! Yup, you heard me alright. My cousin told me that taking a vacation in Florida doesn’t take thousands of dollars to enjoy because of the availability of vacation rentals everywhere. She told me it’s better to rent vacation rentals such as those Destin condos because its way more affordable than a hotel. Aside from that, it is very spacious unlike any hotel room. You can also opt to bring in more friends or family for a quick visit because there are available rooms for them and not just an extra bed. She also told me that pet lovers would definitely enjoy their vacation with their pets because they are allowed to bring them at these vacation rentals.

So I decided to check their rates and guess what?! At Destin Sands, you only pay 99 per night or $599 per week for their Fall rates. Isn’t that great? Well if you want to check out other vacation rental spots and rates, please take time to hop on to www.vrbo.com for more details. I’m sure you might be planning a vacation immediately!

Eggplant Salad

Weekend Snapshot 4

My parents and I made an effort to make this eggplant salad yesterday. My mom grilled the eggplants; my father mixed and flavored it, while I did the picture taking and editing. LOL!!

Barry from the word barrio or rural while Urby from the word urban. Same recipe but presented in different ways. For both salads, the amount we spent is around $1.50 and it serves around 4 to 6 persons per set. :)

Enjoy the week folks!!

Ideal Weight and Height

I stand 5’5’’ and suppose to be my ideal weight should be around 54 to 60 kilos for having a small framed body. Unfortunately, my weight right now is 45 kilos and that is around 9 kilos short from the ideal.

Sometimes I admire chubby people because if they want to have a slimmer body, they just take weight loss supplements or do some exercise. But for me, no matter how I take supplemental vitamins and eat healthy food, I am still just the same. Of course, some call me blessed because having two children, I am still slender. But I guess, thin or chubby, the most ideal point there is being healthy.

I am slim but I am nowhere healthy. :(

Morning View at Macajalar Bay

Scenic Sunday 5

When I arrived at Cagayan de Oro City last June 2008, I took the liberty of capturing the rising sun at Macajalar Bay. It looked so beautiful and serene that is why I don't want to miss the opportunity of a breathtaking scenic view.

Hoping for a Fresh and Clean Air

Our room is always gets dusty. Not that I don’t clean it but it accumulates fine dusts immediately after a few minutes of dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. I really thought that it only happens at my parent’s room but it also happening here in my room. So I really concluded that the dust is getting to us because it’s already in our area. It’s floating in the air and goes to our house because we live near the street.

Since its already part of our environment, I thought of buying some air purifier. Maybe this is the reason my children gets sick all the time. If I have the money I would sure buy the active pure line by EcoQuest International. It’s a very pretty cool gadget because it has been proven by university studies that it can also kill 99.99% of bacteria, viruses and even molds on surface. This gadget also kills bacteria, so you are not just having any air circulating in your house but a BACTERIA-FREE AIR!!

Anyway, I hope a blessing well come soon. Like someone donating to me an EcoBox from EcoQuest International. ^_^

Stumbled on Naymz

Just the other day, I was able to hop at Naymz (pronounced as names). It’s like a social networking website but with a more serious edge. It aims to promote professionals of every field by means of a social networking platform. At Naymz, a professional can build and manage his network, build professional reputation and personal branding and lastly he can find and discover new contacts and opportunities with ease. They also adhere to a unique philosophy, “A good professional reputation is the key to effectively networking with other professionals.”

As I was browsing the profiles there, I saw Mr. Daniel Neumeister’s profile. I was really pretty amazed seeing him there because he is indeed a known health care administration professional with expertise in physician and board development, sales and marketing, financial management for medical centers and community hospitals and many more. He is known to be an independent consultant and always been sought after by many hospitals because of his extensive knowledge in health care administration and even in businesses.

Well, I am not planning to really go back to work but I guess joining Naymz may prove to be of help in the future (just in case). But seeing Mr. Daniel there made me felt like I wanted to connect with them there!

Personal Thoughts on Blogging

Blogging is no longer a plain personal online diary these days. It has been used in many ways than the usual. For example, other use it to promote movie reviews, songs, money making programs, advertising and more. Though it has become that way, the essence of being a “personal” space is there. People blog out their lives and own opinion on many matters.

And because of the advent of blogging, even famous people start their own blogs. Politicians, celebrities and even CEOs have their own blogs already. One of those famous people I know is blogger Dennis Carey, who is actually a well versed person on human resourcing for top level positions. The other one I saw was from the daughter of a famous local musician who blogged at her multiply account. These are famous people who blogs.

But on the other side, many ordinary men and women who started blogging for personal use became famous in their own ways. Some of these people are John Chow and Carl Ocab, both became known in the money making industry.

So blogging has really impacted the humankind because it can cause ordinary men and women become famous and makes famous men and women go personal blogging. For short, we are all humans addicted to blogging! ^_^

Practical Choice

With all the economic shakings right now, it’s really hard to make ends meet. My hubby who works from paycheck to paycheck could not meet all our needs. So, as the wife and mother, I also do my best to help out as much as I can even if I am a stay at home mommy.

Good thing for some people in the US, there are many financial institutions that can help them in times of need. Many company offers payday loans to help the individual or family bridge the days until the next payday comes. Most of this loan assistance requires a minimal paperwork and is hassle free. Sometimes, you can directly apply online in many of their secure websites and even get the loan proceeds directly to your account.

So when emergency need arises, applying for a payday loan is more practical than withdrawing a cash advance from your credit card limit because the rates are lower.

Teaching Children About God - IV

{NINE - ELEVEN YEARS OLD}

After the primary level, the next one is commonly called “Juniors” in the US. But here in our country, we call the next level as “Intermediate.” All children ages 9 to 11 years old belongs in this group. These are the ages known as the golden memory (they can memorize quickly) age, the heroic period (looking for models to imitate) and the age of energy (the body have fully adjusted and can do almost anything they want physically).

Since this stage is more highly advanced compared to the three previous levels, they are still children and still needs to be cared and treated nicely though this is the stage where they can be very inconsistent in their behaviors.

Aside from the points that has been mentioned in the previous levels, add them all up and include this very important point to complete the list – GOD is all wise but He permits men to choose between Him and sin. They are already capable of understanding FREEWILL. At this stage, sometimes a child is ready to be lead into a Sinner’s Prayer and to accept the Lord as his Lord and Savior.

IMAGE COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Credit: Good or Bad

With my friends, both online and offline, the common saying we have is “who has no debt, even the rich has.” Yes! Everybody has debt nowadays. We all need to borrow money in one way or the other. When emergency situation comes, we borrow money from our friends, relatives or even apply for a cash advance loan to credit institutions.

So, the question is, when do we consider credit as bad? Well, there are many situations that we consider credit as bad. When a sale is going on and you go impulse buying using a credit card that is bad. We you buy something through credit and beyond your income capacity that is bad. So anything that you buy or spend using credit that is not an immediate need or is just for leisure beyond what you can is generally bad.

Now, when do you borrow? According to Howard R. Dayton in the book “Your Money – Frustration or Freedom,” money should only be borrowed for the following four items: homes, business, education, or certain kinds of investments. So, to make it short, you only need to borrow money if you are going to spend it to income producing assets and of course, when emergency needs arises such accidents or unexpected needs.

So credit is neither good or bad, it actually depends on how the person involves use it.

My Son's Color Coding

I have a four year old son. He has no formal pre-school education not until last month when I decided to transfer him to a private school. But to be honest, I admire his way of learning and adjusting to things.

Since he doesn’t know how to identify colors, he made his own way of identifying things in a way e could understand. Here are my son’s basic colors in his vocabulary.

RED – BLOOD
GREEN – GRASS
YELLOW – SUN
BLACK - DARK
BLUE – WATER
GREY - BLONDE

The only colors he correctly identifies are PURPLE and WHITE. But now, he has improved greatly and fast-paced manner. I am blessed to have an intelligent son, like his mom. ^_^

Reverse Phone Search

If you want to make a reverse phone search on numbers that calls you annoyingly, you can do so now by visiting www.usaphonelookups.com. As simple as one-two-three, you can now trace the name of the owner and the exact address of your caller.

So, the next time you have an unidentified caller, check the number first before answering. In that way, you will feel safe and prevent an annoying sales pitch!

First Name Tag

I saw this one from another blog and I wanted to grab it. But I decided that I should wait within the week if someone will decide to tag me with in. Then finally an angel came! Mommy Arlene gave this to me just today. She heard me alright! HEHEHE... Thanks Mommy Shine!

So here is goes!!

===========

R: You love to kiss (definitely yes!)
U: You really like to chill (if that means working in front of my PC, then yes!)
B: You love a certain someone (obviously...)
Y: S3xiest bitch alive (really??)

===========

A: Best Gf/Bf any one could have
B: You love a certain someone
C: People cant help but check u out
D: You are really lovable
E: You Are Great
F: Easy to fall in love with
G: You never let people tell you what to do
H: You have a very good personality and good looks
I: People love you
J: People Adore you
K: You’re wild and crazy
L: AWESOME KISSER
M: Handsome/Beautiful
N: Easy to fall in love with
O: Best kisser ever
P: You are popular with all types of people
Q: You are a hypocrite
R: You love to kiss
S: You are freakin crazy
T: You are loyal to the ones you love
U: You really like to chill
V: your not judgmental
W: You are popular
X: You never let people tell you
Y: S3xiest bitch alive
Z: Never good enough…

Now, I am passing this to Ms. Ivory, Mommy Harriette, and Mommy Elvz!

The Prickly Pear –a Sabra in Two Worlds

There is a new book that I bumped into while surfing online. It’s about a dessert fruit called sabra or better known as a prickly pear, thorny in the outside but sweet in the inside. Actually, it’s a metaphor used by a woman named Anat Ben-Ishai (an Israeli born woman) to represent herself, her family and her people.

The book tells about her life from childhood and throughout her growing years before the transformation of Israel in the 1940’s. The book also covers from these stages in her life up until her transition from her home country, Israel, to her new life at California, USA.

It seems that the book is very appealing since it offers a woman’s real view and opinions about life in general, horrors of war in the country of Israel, the emotion felt in her marriage. I felt that we have something in common especially in love and marriage. That is why I am planning to buy a copy for myself and also for a friend that I have in Negros that shares the same fate as me. I guess having this one can help us in some way to change our lives perspective especially in the aspect of marriage.

It’s not yet available in our local bookstore but I am glad is already for sale at amazon.com. I am checking out the best prices I could get. My bookshelf wouldn’t be nice if I don’t have this in my collection.

Desire to Serve

When I was teaching at our church’s children ministry before, I didn’t go to a Bible school nor had a yearly formal training (except a one week convention for all coordinators at our main church). Our church has no enough funds to send me to some trainings and seminars. Our church is not full of rich members.

But through God’s goodness, I was thankful for the resources that he has given me. He have allowed for me to find books that are cheap or sometimes free. With these, I was able to read; prayerfully asking for wisdom and guidance on applying the knowledge again from these resources.

Now, it’s been almost nine years since the last time I taught at Sunday School. When I got married, I was not able to teach any more. Hopefully, now that my kids are old enough, how I wished that I could be of use again in God’s house. I am hopefully praying that once we all completely have relocated ourselves back to Bacolod, I may able to serve wholeheartedly there.

Books and More Books

Just the other day, I started going through my few old books my mom stored away in boxes and also some other books that I have brought from Bacolod. I was cleaning and dusting them so that I could start displaying them at my new bookshelves. Unfortunately, up until now, I was not able to finish the task.

Well, I placed them at one of my two standing bookshelves but the topics and height were not yet sorted out. I want them to be displayed by topic and then by book height. I have a lot of books on children, marriage, parenting, business and self-help books. Not enough to make a library but a few shelves only.

So, I decided to work on it little by little each day. When my father passed by me one time, he saw me working with my books. Then he told me not to forget to fetch my old college text books at his room and that he has plans for the space my books are occupying.

After he said that to me, I already imagined that this book arranging thing would take me more weeks to finish especially having a lot of in between activities.

Top 10 EntreCard Droppers for September!

These are my top 10 EntreCard Droppers for the month of September 2008. Thank you very much guys for being a blessing to me. God bless you all!!

Proud Mommy
Tara's View of the World
Steadfast Steps
Pinay Mommy Online
sound of a soft breath
Subjective Soup
C'est La Vie
Tara's View on Books
Lamberry
Creative Thoughts

Phone Lookup Investigator

A new online project has been launched for all phone users in the US who have experienced receiving sales calls, prank calls, wrong numbers and the like. This site aims to help anyone who wants a phone number info on suspicious or annoying calls they might have received from the experiences of others.

So, if you are up to some phone number investigation or want to share an incident, visiting www.phonelookupinvestigator.com can surely be of great help!

IMAGE COURTESY OF GOOGLE

Sky Watching or Steam Monitoring

Sky Watch 10

This was taken by my husband in his usual rounds at the geothermal plant where he is working. It seems like the steam is contributing to the clouds. ^_^

Enjoy sky watching!!

Eight Facts About Moi

Mommy Bonz, a fellow stay at home mommy blogger, asked me to post eight facts or habits about me. Thank you Mommy Bonz!

So, here are the eight facts that you might have no idea about me.

1. I fearfully believe in God and I believe that salvation is only through Jesus Christ.
2. I am married for almost 9 years this coming January 2009 and hopefully to have more years.
3. I was a branch sales manager of a leading direct selling company but I resigned last February 2008 to give way to this beautiful career - "Stay at Home Mommy."
4. I can speak bisaya, tagalog, hiligaynon and english. I wish to learn more someday - FRENCH is my first priority.
5. I am a mother of two beautiful and talented children.
6. My favorite food is kinilaw - raw fish in natural vinegar.
7. I love my husband and my children so much.
8. I am planning to migrate to Canada. That is why I want to learn how to speak french. ^_^

IMAGE COURTESY OF www.kosmic-kabbalah.com

Phone Book Online

I have stumbled into a new site today. It's like a phone book but acts reversely. You type the number and the details of the owner of the number is given. The site is easy to use and to navigate. The good thing about this site is that they can give you details of listed and unlisted numbers.

If you need to locate that particular caller, just visit www.nationalphonebook.org!

It took a Pizza to Blog!!

Just lately, I was suffering from a writer’s block. I could not think of anything. Maybe I was just too stressed out because of some several factors that came into my life in the past few weeks and other was that I went into a posting marathon with my new blog. It seems my mind couldn’t create one single thought of what I should write.

Anyway, I decided to go out today. Not to have a mall tour but to take time to pay off one of my credit card bills. After that, I went to my dentist. Since she was not at her clinic, I texted my father about it and asked him to accompany me. I needed to look for something, and then I was not able to find it.

So, I decided to buy a pizza. We went to Amore’s and bought a Kim’s Special Pizza. After eating, I slept for awhile and later woke up ate dinner and decided to blog about the pizza! ^_^ I guess it only takes a favorite food to make your mind go well! He he he…

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