Seize the Day!

Manila Brace Yourself

2009-10-30T13:32:00.005+08:00

This is the latest update of the coming typhoon "Santi". There are a lot of weather websites that show that Santi will definitely pass by Central Luzon and will directly hit Metro Manila.

I pray and hope we can survive this .. i know we all can if we put our hands together and keep our faith that we can get over this.

Let us all pray together and brace ourselves for the coming typhoon.

Yummy!

2009-10-30T13:23:00.002+08:00

Yummy!

What else can i say?

Just looking at them makes me feel full and hungry at the same time .. guess what my Mama cooked all of these delectable dishes in such a short time! I wonder when i can do that .. hahaha!

My mama really has a knack in cooking, and take note she has never used a recipe book and just prepare the dishes from the heart. That is why everytime we have our weekend meet up with the family i always end up with a standing promise to work out after partaking the yummy meal. I have yet to start working out ... hahaha! Am actually considering taking on the Kettlebell this holiday season to really keep me in shape and work out the flabby parts .. tee-hee! I really have to trim and get me a flat abdomen before i float in the water ... hahaha!

Good food is so hard to resist!

Mini Standees

2009-10-30T13:12:00.003+08:00

Yhis is one of my bestsellers in my party designs ... mini standees! They are very popular for birthdays as they can be really anything, this particular one has the party theme characters (Care Bears) with the two celebrants. They will be putting these standees in the middle of their guests' tables and some near the cake table.

I was in such a hurry to take these shots of the standees because i was pressed for time to deliver them on the very same day i finished them, wish i had enough time to get a better photograph of them, i am sure the standees would stand out more if i placed them on a plain white tile instead of flowery mantle that i had to make do. Will remember this next time .... need to get better pictures of them ... hahahah!

Eating Fun

2009-10-30T12:53:00.003+08:00

One of the great bonding moments our family enjoy is eating out and trying different cuisines. I really take time to scout for an interesting restaurant so the kids can try their food and at the same time learn a little something about it. One of the favorite cuisine they like is Chinese food, wanton noodles in particular. Vin can finish one whole order all by himself, including the wanton balls which he dips in lemon and soysauce.

As i was searching the internet for our next eating adventure i came across a couple of interesting restaurants to try like an Indian restaurant that just opened last month, a Syracuse italian restaurant and a All-American Diner type with milkshakes and large servings of burgers, yum!

Typhoon Santi

2009-10-29T12:44:00.002+08:00

A new storm is brewing ... and as i write this it has entered the Philippine area of responsibility and if it does not change its course it will hit land by Saturday. They are saying this will also be a super typhoon ... i pray that it does not do as much damage as Ondoy and Pepeng has.

Let us all pray for a safe weekend.

Done

2009-10-29T12:36:00.002+08:00

Yey! Done with our second quarter final exams today!

Vacation mode!

We have four days of free days .. whew!

Christian still has work till tomorrow but will be free for three days too! I have already asked for his guarantee that he will help me do some serious cleaning and sorting of our things during the break, and he said, "yes" ... i hope he really keeps his word.. hahaha!

Now that vacation has officially started i am now diving into my design work and make sure i finish everything before the week ends as our family has plans to go to the cemetery and visit Christian's mom on Saturday. I also am finishing up reviewing auto insurance quotes that i promised Christian i will study by Friday to get the best deal. I also have to allot some time to feed my pet in Pet Society in Facebook .... hahaha!

So much work first before i really get to feel the vacation mode .. but knowing that exams are over is a great way to get the feeling ... lol!

2nd Quarter

2009-10-24T13:56:00.002+08:00

Our school year is halfway done .. time really is fast!

Next week will be our final examinations for the 2nd quarter and that means i will be again be neck deep with reviewers for the kids. I like exam days ... why? First it is the time when exams are approaching they do not bring home assignments .. yey! Second, i love reviewing them and see their eyes light up when i ask them and they know the answers. Third, i love the shortened periods ... each exam day ends after only a few hours .... triple yey!

I love exams!

Halloween Soon

2009-10-24T13:48:00.002+08:00

My kids are really big on halloween celebrations, they love dressing up and trick or treating! They have been telling me what costumes they like and they all want to dress up as ninjas since they are very into Naruto characters.

We sometimes would do some trick or treating around malls, while the kids are going around collecting sweets i am walking around too looking around and studying on what weight loss supplement is best for me, especially that my metabolism is slowing down .. comes with my age .. hahaha!

But regardless of the threat of more pounds especially that Christmas season is fast approaching, i will never give up on fun activities with my kids! Halloween and Christmas pounds are coming really soon .. bring it on!

Outbreak

2009-10-16T22:09:00.002+08:00

Just heard the latest update on the news tonight and i feel sad.

Aside from the new storm who as i speak is inside the Philippine area of responsibility what really bothered me is the outbreak of leptospirosis.

There are areas in the country where an outbreak has already been declared and has claimed innocent lives with it. Thinking of our Filipino brothers going through the loss of their belongings, displacement and other things beyond their control .. then this.

It is so sad really.

The other week i was going through some life insurance lead that my friends have been telling me ... i will really carefully give it serious consideration for my family.

I really hope and pray things will turn for the better .... really soon.

Coping

2009-10-10T08:00:00.002+08:00

I go to school everyday to bring the kids to schoool and stay there for four hours till Vin is ready to go home. I have seen how the school children have been getting sick with the erratic weather .... sunny then in a few minutes rain .. then sunny. The immune system of the little ones are being tested and seeing then go under the weather really makes me uncomfortable. There are days when i see one pre-school in such a good mood, then the next day see her eyes watery and before the day ends is already running a fever or developing a cold.

As i write this both Vin and Sam have cough and have been giving them round the clock medications and vitamins. I hope our weather stabilizes really soon as the kids are taking the beating.

Be safe everyone and don't forget your daily dose of vitamin C.

Very Near

2009-10-10T07:48:00.002+08:00

Time really flies ... i can't believe October will almost be over and in just a few months its December. I actually did not feel September pass by, exceot of course for Sam's birthday (September 22) it was all so hazy.

Christmas will definitely just get here befpre i even feel the Christnas spirit. Iremember last year at around this time i was already starting my Christmas shopping till December 20 ... but now i have no plans yet to do that anytime soon.

Top of my head though i am thinking of giving useful items like tumblers with their pictures on it (or their kids photos that i can easily download from facebook), Personalized usb drive which we all need to carry around living in a high tech world, shirts with names or anything that is simple but functional.

No matter how hard the times are we always find a way to celebrate Christmas as festive as we can especially when we are surrounded with the people we love.

Good Neighbor

2009-10-02T12:13:00.004+08:00

Grabbed these photo from a friend in facebook.

These are personal pictures of her (taken from the balcony of her house) of her neighbor Gerald Anderson (popular movie actor) braving the neck high muddy water helping out around their neighborhood. I understand the other boy with him is his brother. Looks like they were brought up well by their parents to help others ...we need more of him!

Coping

2009-10-02T11:55:00.002+08:00

I was talking to my girlfriend on facebook chat last night and she was telling me how their family is coping witht the wrath of typhoon Ondoy. I told her that i have been going through my children's clothes and mine to prepare it and share it. I also have am including toys (though no one has announced the need for toys) because i feel the children in the refugees centers should have something to play with especially a lot of them have not been able to bring a single toy with them. I know what it would be like if the children are happy playing with the other kids, it might put back the smile on their yung faces again.

She said she is likewise coping with it by listening to her ipod to her favorite songs while cleaning the house from the muddy dirt, her father on the other hand takes comfort smoking his Rocky Patel cigars while salvaging what they can among their flooded furniture. I smile at the thought that we really try to get on with our life ... take control of the situation and help each other in any way we can. I know in no time we will all be looking back at this feeling proud of the brotherhood we all have for each other.

Help

2009-10-02T11:41:00.003+08:00

These images tug at my heart. What we have to go through to get food .. even just a simple boiled banana can spell havoc .. let us all help our fellow Filipinos. We must hold each others hands and i know in no time we will all stand up together and survive this.

No One Is Spared

2009-10-02T11:30:00.002+08:00

I was watching the a daily talk show the other day where "Chokoleit" ( a comedian who suffered flooding in his house) was being interviewed. He was saying that he gets really peeved when people tell him after seeing his flooded house images on tv that he has a nice house and all ... he said that the flood was not thinking of whose house was nice and whose house was okay to flood ... everyone is not spared by the treacherous muddy waters. He said having a nice house is not a privilege to be spared from flooding, i was thinking of the expensive furniture of some houses, Kohler faucets, rare vases ... nothing is safe. It is very insensitive for some people to give comments like that that if your house is just so-so it was just fine to get flooded ... sad.

I hear looting and burglary is happening in flood-stricken abandoned houses as i write this. Where is the world coming to?

The Storm That Hit

2009-10-02T11:19:00.002+08:00

Ondoy hit us ... hard.

We have been through a lot ... but this is different.

So different that it took us all by surprise and even lost not only our property but even loved ones.

This is something that i will never forget ... i call my children when we see something on the news .. i want them to be aware of what is happening around us. I want them to see how the Filipinos no matter what is given to them can still stand up and take control ... though slowly but i know we can survive this all.

Health Is Wealth

2009-10-02T11:03:00.002+08:00

We have heard that line so many times right?

But believe me it does hold water. What will your material be good for if you are ill?

I have seen a lot of instances when the monetary assets are drained with ailment that arise ... and have seen how comfortable your life can be when you are healthy.

I do not take my health in stride ... i take multivitamins everyday .. try to eat healthy food (though i do sneak in a soda from time to time ) .. do not smoke (but i did when i was younger .. hahaha!) and do not drink any alcholic beverage.

I try to keep my body in shape by exercising (okay, stretching .. heheh) a bit, but doing household chores, going up and down flights of stairs to do my laundry is considered a workout.

I am extensively reading on colon cleanser reviews as well to acquaint me with it and make he right decision on as what to take. I also read on a lot of updates on Ah1n1 to keep me abreast with the virys especially that i have three schoolkids who go out everyday to go to school. We can never be too careful ... because like i said earlier, "Health is truly our wealth."

My Future Driver

2009-09-24T15:08:00.002+08:00

Bea is now 11 ... in a few more years she will be driving for real! Time flies so fast and i won't be surprised if it happens before i am ready to accept that i already have an adult on my hands. I have to get ready .. this sure will be a fast ride!

Overseas Chatting

2009-09-24T14:57:00.002+08:00

My cousin and i was chatting through yahoo messenger a few hours back and she is telling me how cold it is in Canada, and she thought she would be ready for that weather since she grew up in Baguio but she was still surprised on how cold the wind can get there ... hehehe! She was sharing stories on how she would feel so happy and content under her electric blanket and would not want to get up for school in the morning and leave the confins of the warmth that her blanket is giving her. I told her she surely made her attachment to her "security" balnket literally .. hehehe!

Me Time

2009-09-24T14:40:00.002+08:00

Now that the three kids are all in school it amazes me how a few hours of "me" time can really make a difference when i go out to the mall and do some errands. I bring Vin to school and as soon as he is settled inside the classroom i leave and come back an hour before his dismissal time. The two hour break for me is spent with paying the bills and stopping by the cosmetic section of the mall to look at the latest make-up, face cream and nail products available. I used to spend a lot on these things when i was still single but have neglected shopping for them for some time ... but now that i have my "me" time back so will my fancy for these things as well. here's to the new "me" soon!

Recharged

2009-09-24T14:30:00.002+08:00

Finally, had some time off yesterday to have a refreshing facial, my sole vice ... hehehe. I just went through gruelling review sessions for the kids exams, imagine going through kindergarten, grade three and grade five subjects all at the same time. The stress of this activity really put a strain on my skin so i really have to reward myself with a soothing facial. The salon luckily did not have much clients going for facsila as most of them were there for someacne treatmentso i did not have to wait in line and was ushered directly to the facial bed... yey! After the two hour treatment i felt so recharged and relaxed .. ready to take on anything!

Big Bad Wolf vs Little Kitten

2009-09-20T09:23:00.002+08:00

I feel for Taylor Swift ... being young and ecstatic over her first win was suddenly trampled on by a big bully! I love her songs and so does my kids. I love Beyonce as well, especially when they showed her reaction after Kanye West's outburst, she looked really mortified!

I was glad when Taylor had another chance to say thank you to her fans when Beyonce called her back to the stage ... but you know what ... she became more popular with the incident ... but, no thanks Kanye!

Restful Sleep

2009-09-20T09:15:00.002+08:00

I had one restful sleep the other night and feel fully recharged when morning came ... felt so relaxed. Wonder why?

First my kids exams are finally done .. whew. Reviewed them well and am was so confident taht they would do well. Imagine having to go through three grade level subjects all at the same time ... hahaha!

Another thing is preparation for Sam's birthday is finished and am sure things will turn out well after i ironed out all details .. i just love birthdays!

Third is Christian gifted me with bed wedges that finally will solve my long running back problem ... yup, i have a few creaks in my body now ... what can we expect ... i have reached the big 4-0! lol!

Fourth is the realization of a three day weekend! Yey!

So for the record .... i am as cool as a cucumber and relaxed and recharged to take on anything .. trialthon? Hahaha!

Love These!

2009-09-20T08:48:00.003+08:00

I just love these furniture for my little pre-schooler! Vin's school will have a major renovation next school year and i would be more than eager to suggest these! The kids would surely love to sink their hands in the sandox and explore it with their classmates. I love the locker structure as well to organize their things and have their own little space. The classroom desks would surely be very comfortable keeping them comfortable with all the room for their writing things on top and some space for their "for later" activities. I can't wait to have these in theis school ... it's so pretty and functional as well

Ber is Here

2009-09-10T16:25:00.002+08:00

Wow, it's the "ber" months!

Now i not only have Christmas to be excited about now that "ber" has started ... but November is coming up really soon ... and you know what that means ... Midnight Sun is ready! Tee hee!

Yup, am so excited with the second part of the Twilight saga .. i can't wait.

This time Bella will have her own ferrari to drive around town .. hahah!

Watched the Tyra show a few months back and they gave away the exact ferrari Edward Cullen used in the movie to a fan who won a very simple game ... wow .... i am sure she was ecstatic over the prize plus you can really get gaga looking even only at Ferrari parts, what more the entire car .. for free!

I am sure she won't even think of eating inside the car ... lol!