Pinay WAHM

I'm Alive...

2009-11-18T15:09:00.002-05:00

It's a song collaboration of Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews. I saw their live performance in the CMA awards and the song kinda' stuck with me so I decided to make a simple slide using it as the background. The lyrics are below the Slides. Inspiring.

So damn easy to say that life's so hard
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
As for me I'd like to thank my lucky stars that
I'm alive and well

It'd be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you've sat and watch go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
But not me... I'm alive

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing can't you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive and well
I'm alive and well

Stars are dancin' on the water here tonight
It's good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight
This motor's caught its wind and brought me back to life
Now I'm alive and well

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing can't you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
Now I'm alive and well
Yeah I'm alive and well

Resurfacing....

2009-11-18T12:44:00.002-05:00

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After a few days of being 'away' from my blog, yep, I am back! At least for now. Work has ran out so I now have time to write and browse the net again. Our boss said that there might be a big project coming but as always, I don't really believe it until I see it. That's how it is with our work...seeing is believing or we'll end up frustrated a lot of times.

Anyway, one of the very first jobs I was hired to receive calls [in-bound] and take orders from customers all over the country. I was hired directly by the company. So I finished training for the job and did some 'mock' calls to prepare me to go "live". I didn't...go live, I mean. I was too 'chicken' to actually log on the system to take 'real' calls. Fortunately, I landed some other gigs not that didn't require me to talk on the phone. Anyway, from what I've heard, that company that hired me to take orders is now using call center services for their business. I guess I traumatized them because I bailed on them at the last minute. I hope not.

And Again....

2009-11-13T10:34:00.003-05:00

Yeah!

It's been a busy week for me....and the husband as well. Work has been coming in since last weekend. I know it's not going to last forever so I'm trying to work as much as I can. The husband has been really busy at work as well. Funny that when he's busy at work, I'm also busy with mine...and our work are not in any way 'related'. Is it a [good] sign that the economy is getting better? Who knows, right?

My laptop is back from the shop. They replaced quite a few parts...including the processor. Before we sent it in, the husband already knew they're going to replace it because it smelled like it got fried...I guess it did. They reformatted my hard drive though so I didn't lose anything. Thank goodness for that.

My ever dependable 'antique' laptop is now resting comfortably. I'm going to put it back in its 'resting' place hoping and praying that I won't need to take it out ever again....well, at least not in the next year or so. It deserves a long rest.

Weekend will be same-o, same-o for us. There's a chance that hubby is working this weekend and there's an even greater chance that I will be working as well. I guess I can do my work in the back porch to let the little one run around in the backyard.

That's about! So if you don't see me much, you know I'm just busy. Still around....just plain busy to go around hopping....

Set of 3....???

2009-11-10T14:47:00.005-05:00

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Remember the belief that things happen in '3s', be it good or bad? I don't normally keep track but I thought it's interesting how some things [not so good things] unfolded in the most recent past in a group of 3.

First, my barely one year old laptop DIED. It just conked out on my birthday. No warning, no nothing whatsoever. Since it's not even a year old, the HP headquarters paid for everything including shipping. But that also means of at least a month of using my antique laptop which is OLD and SLOW...just like the owner. Har har har...

Second. I got sick/ill. Nothing serious but I was miserable for a few hours...almost a day actually. It spoiled what could have been a very good weekend. Well, sort of.

Third. My antique laptop died last night. Well, it 'dies' a lot already but I can revive it after a while. I can't blame it because it's overused. It's like a '24/7' servant for the last 6 years. Going back to the topic, yes, it suddenly died last night when I tried to turn it back on before going to bed. I just heard some 'spritzing' sounds from the plug then it went kaput. Good thing McGyver was still awake so he was able to do his magic and was able to bring it back to life. He had to do a major surgery on the pug, complete with cutting wires, replacing the plug and then taping everything back on.

Do I now believe that things [bad or good] happen in the set of '3'?? IDK....

The Good and the Bad!

2009-11-09T10:44:00.003-05:00

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This weekend was a combo of good and not so good things for me. Let's start with the good. The weather was really nice. The little one was happily running around the yard while picking up dry leaves. I was on the back porch working while watching her. Now the bad. I wasn't feeling well. I started feeling yucky early in the day so I called my doctor and told him what's happening so he prescribed me some antibiotics. I took one as soon as we got them. I started to feel better but not without some side effects kicking in. What kind of side effects? Let me just say that I may not need those weight loss supplements to get rid of the weight I want off. Get it? I was up until after midnight with my 'porcelain' friend to keep me company. Hubby was worried of course but I pulled through...ha! I still have a few of the antibiotics to take but I am now scared to take them because I don't want to go through what I went through last night. BUT I know I should keep on taking them if I want to get rid of whatever has started everything anyway. But...

Laugh Out Loud!

2009-11-06T14:59:00.002-05:00

Business Management Course...101

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?'

'It was Bob the next door neighbor,' she replies.

'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

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Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift.

She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

The priest nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg....

The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'

The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.'

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily
and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'

Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

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Lesson 3

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:
B**l Sh*t might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..

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Lesson 4

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who sh*ts on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of sh*t is your friend.

(3) And when you're in deep sh*t, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

My Bad!

2009-11-06T14:48:00.002-05:00

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I may just need the best weight loss product out there after all! I think it was last week when I mentioned here that I lost some of the weight I put on the last few months. Well, I weighed myself this week again and it seems the pounds are creeping back in! Why oh why?? I wonder if it has something to do with all the sweets calling my name? Or maybe that chocolate cake the father and daughter got me for my birthday? Or maybe it's because of the all the rice I've been eating the last few days because hubby bought this radish and I couldn't help myself from cutting it up then eat it with tomatoes and some fried fish. Yep, in other words I've been 'pigging' out the last couple of weeks. Now I have to suffer from it. Or maybe I don't need to take any diet supplements. Maybe, just maybe, I'll just try to eat less [junks] in the coming days. Good plan?

Too Early??

2009-11-06T14:25:00.002-05:00

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For the last couple of weeks, the husband has been coming home with granite bars. Actually, it's usually just one granite bar at a time. Why? It 'seems' he's thinking of some small renovations already for the house. Granite was our original choice for the counter tops with our original builder. But because of the unfortunate events that unfolded during the process of having this house built we had to make a lot of changes and putting on granite was one of the things that got eliminated. The husband said that he can put the granite himself once we're living in the house already. So that's what's happening, I think.

Their neighbor at work installs granite so they let the husband borrow pieces of granite to match it with the rest of the house. We have not decided yet which one we like but I'm sure we will sooner or later. Now I'm wondering if we can also start thinking about changing our faucets into the Grohe faucets we originally wanted. Maybe. Maybe not. I think we need to do this 'renovation' slowly but surely. Actually, if you ask me, I think it's too early to be thinking about renovation anyway. But if the husband can get a good deal from their neighbor, why not? Right?

Little Fatty...

2009-11-05T14:04:00.004-05:00

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Since my new laptop is 'dead' at the moment, I have to use my old laptop to do my online stuff. It's a 7 year old laptop so you can just imagine how slow it is. Aside from being, yes, old, it also has a lot of files which make it even slower. Oh and it dies once in a while as well but at least I can turn it back on unlike the new one.

Anyway, as I was going through the files on this laptop, I came across the little one's baby pictures. There's a bunch of them actually & I can only shake my head wondering where time went as I look at her baby pictures. She was a little fatty until she was about 2 years old. Hubby and I used to joke that she may just need some diet pills when she grows up because she was really chubby. Look at her in this picture. I think she was about 3 months here.

But as she grew older, she also started to lose the baby fats. Right now, she's really slim. You know what's funny, Mommy still has the 'baby fats'.....sigh!

Driving...

2009-11-05T12:47:00.002-05:00

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On our way to the mall for trick or treating last Saturday evening, the little one just asked me out of the blue..."Are you going to drive one day Mom?".I of course replied 'yes'. Ooppss...I tried to answer her question as softly as possible hoping that the husband wouldn't hear it. Boy was I wrong. Soon after I said yes, he went..."Did you just say yes?" Tee hee...My learning how to drive is a topic we try not to discuss anymore in our household. In other words, it's taboo. I guess I've ran out of excuses already so I try not to talk about it anymore. But I can't control the little one's questions, can I?

If and when I finally decide to drive in the future, I'd probably be driving our SUV. It's the only car we have right now. There's no use in getting another one if it just sits in the driveway come rain or shine. Since I'll be driving the SUV, the husband is planning to get a truck. Yep, a man's car. That means he'll be getting truck accessories when it happens. Oh boy! The SUV is a family car so the accessories are 'family-oriented' for now. But once he gets his hands on a truck, I'm sure it will be a different story for the husband. I'm sure the truck will be all 'tricked out' just like the one he gave up when we had the little one.

PPM

2009-11-05T10:08:00.003-05:00

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What do you want to be when you grow up? How many times have we actually heard that both directly and indirectly. I was asked that when I was younger and my answer was: 'I don't know.' A lot of kids though have specific answers like teacher, doctor, police officer, etc. But so far, I have not heard a kid say 'business owner'. I wonder if kids already know at a young age that owning a business is such a big responsibility. Yes, it's ideal but 'hardwork' nevertheless. I know a lot of people who want to have their own business but don't have either the resources or the will power to do so. Personally, I don't have both. Ha! If I have the resources though to start my own business I'd probably go for it but I'll make sure to consult a place that offers private placement memorandum services to help and guide me and my business. I know very little about owning a business but I know that most of the time capital is not all it takes to have a successful venture. More often than not a good business advice goes a long way and can lead to a long and lasting successful venture. And that's what I want. Who doesn't, right?

My '2001' Post

2009-11-03T22:18:00.004-05:00

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Yep, that means I've reached the 2,000 mark with the post prior to this one. Wow! I actually just saw it. So. For. My. 2001. Post. Let me share 2 of my most favorite pictures of the 2 most important people in my life right now...

When?

2009-11-03T15:27:00.004-05:00

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As usual, I called home on All Saints' Day which happens to be my birthday as well. I've always done that since the time I was teaching in Taiwan. My family in the Philippines has always considered All Saints' Day special not only because it's a relative's birthday but because it's a day where we all get together...both dead and alive. The last time I was home on All Saints' Day was in 1996. That's more than 10 years ago. Thus the 'traditional phone call' on my birthday.

As always, it was one looonggg phone chat with my siblings and their kiddos. The million dollar question was still: When are you coming home? Christmas this year would have been perfect but it's not happening. Hubby asked them instead...when are you coming here to visit? He even went as far as saying that orlando vacations are always the best since Disney World is there. Of course they would love to come here for a visit but it's easier said than done. Anyway, whatever will be, will be, right? One day it will happen, I'm sure. The only question is: WHEN???

Win Some....Lose Some

2009-11-03T14:45:00.003-05:00

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About a month ago we decided to finally switch from cable to satellite. We've been with the cable company for more than a year and within that span of time they actually raised their price 3 times. As soon as we learned about the latest increase in their monthly fee, we switched right away. That meant having technicians coming over to 'hook and unhook'. It's a good thing I'm married to McGyver so I wouldn't have to let strangers into our house because my McGyver already did all the hooking and unhooking in the house himself. During the course of all these, McGyver found out that some wires for the entertainment center are actually crossed. He had to take down the TV wall mount [with the TV of course] to try and 'uncross' them. Of course he was able to do it but the mount suffered some minor damage. It's nothing major but just the same, we are now looking into buying another mount for the TV. Oh well, I guess you win some and you lose some ,eh?

Creature of the Night.

2009-11-02T15:33:00.003-05:00

That's our Little One for Halloween. If before we [I actually] can just dress her up and make her all cute and pretty, that's not the case this Halloween. She wanted to be a BAT...not 'Bat Girl' but a BAT!

The bat wings was the one that took forever to get here. Lots of people complimented her wings so I guess it's worth it. I told her she can use them again next year. Yeah, right! She said no of course. I told her she won't outgrow them so we can recycle them, right? But no can do so we'll see. Maybe she won't even want to be in costume next year....hehe....

That's about it for now. I have so much to blog about but I'm not in the mood. Why? CLUE: My less than a year old laptop decided to die on me....AGAIN!

Halloween Through the Years.....

2009-10-30T21:03:00.001-04:00

It's Coming Off....

2009-10-30T15:28:00.002-04:00

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I think I'm coming down with a cold. I feel a bit sluggish today and my throat is hurting a little. It may just be from lack of sleep or my allergies but I took some tylenol just in case. I have a feeling it's just from me not getting enough sleep the past couple of nights but who knows. Better be safe than sorry, right? I think I'm just paranoid because of the infamous swine flu that's scaring everyone. My next doctor's appointment is not until late this year and I want to keep it that way.

Speaking of my doctor's appointment, the last time I was there they of course weighed me. I gained roughly 6 pounds according to the scale. My doctor said it's probably because of my thyroid brouhaha. That's a month ago. I've been weighing myself regularly since then and it 'seems' I lost a couple pounds already. Yippeee!! I guess I won't need any of that fat burner anymore because it's coming off even if I just sit on my arse the whole day....tee hee. Hopefully the last few pounds [and then some] will also come off without much work on my end. Ha!

Always be My Baby....Korean Karaoke Singer Version?

2009-10-28T12:10:00.001-04:00

from the person who posted [wrote the subtitles?]

Kim Dong Won (tuts meh barreh guy) singing Always Be My Baby. This is what i heard. Karaoke fail. (Made for entertainment purposes only)

Unexpected 'harvest'....

2009-10-27T15:00:00.004-04:00

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I've been blogging...errr...'bragging' about my sweet potato plants [in pot] here in the past. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a picture of my 'vegetable [pot] garden'.

Let me just say, these sweet potatoes made my lunches [and sometimes dinners] so satisfying I will forever be grateful to them....tee hee. BUT...they served their purpose already so some drastic measures had to be done. You see, I wasn't able to plant them on the ground simply because I can't find a good place to plant them. I know how easily they grow and spread and I'm afraid they may take over the yard that the husband has been so passionately taking care of. So sad as it may seem....I had to uproot them from the pots straight to the trash.

That's what I did this weekend. Imagine my surprise when I pulled out the plants and these came up....

I totally forgot that kamote also bear fruits! Toink! I was so focused on the LEAVES that's why. It was a pleasant surprise needless to say....anybody want some kamote-cue????

Flashing Back....

2009-10-27T14:01:00.004-04:00

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A few weeks ago, we got a letter from the State Attorney's office. It was informing us that the builder who took advantage of us & some 100 other families was appealing his conviction. Our presence was not needed but if we wanted to attend the hearing, then we could. The hearing was also online so we could just watch it anywhere we wanted to. We weren't able to watch the live webcast but we watched it on replay the night of the hearing.

Needless to say, the judges that heard the appeal didn't give the builder's lawyer a chance to manipulate the case. It was obvious the 3 judges were very much aware of what the builder did to us. A few days after, the verdict was given: DENIED. It's another win for us in a way but not really. We lost not only money during the ordeal but also peace of mind and precious time we can never recover.

The builder has been in jail since February 2008 and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Grand Theft in April 2008. But our saga with him started about 4 years before that. We signed our contract with him in late 2004 and he started getting money from us shortly after. It was a pleasant experience for the first few months as we went to choose everything for the new house like paints, counter tops, et. We even got to choose the granite tile we wanted for the counter tops as well as some upgrades as he offered them at affordable prices. Looking back now, we would have seen it coming because he was agreeing with everything we wanted even if we didn't want to shell out more money. I guess the saying that if it's too good to be true, it probably may be correct in that situation.

Oh well...he's in jail now and he won't be out for years to come. At least he won't be able to take advantage of other people anymore.

Brand New vs. Refurbished

2009-10-27T12:10:00.003-04:00

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My laptop is almost a year old already. It's my husband Christmas gift for me last year but we exchanged gifts before Christmas. It's a great computer but we had to send it back to the shop a few months after we got it because of a dead back light. Mind you, it's a brand new computer so we were caught by surprise when it went dark one day. It's also been making some funny noises as of lately. We tried the HP customer service to resolve the issue but it's not helping at all.

My laptop before this one was bought in 2001. I think we opted for refurbished laptops at that time because of financial constraint. Laptops were still quite pricey back then so even a refurbished laptop cost about 2 thousand dollars. But even if that old laptop of mine was not bought brand new, I don't think we had to send it in after only a few months like this brand new one we got last year. I used the old laptop for about 6 years before we replaced it. It had a couple of crashes as it got older but it was usable after sending it in. I am just hoping this one I have right now lasts as long if not longer.

Waiting....

2009-10-27T11:10:00.004-04:00

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Anxiously, I might add. For what? The much-delayed Halloween costume for the little one. According to the tracking it's out for delivery today. The little one is of course on pins and needles waiting for it since the time she woke up. I can understand her excitement because it's been close to a month since we placed the order...October 1 to be exact. We ordered it online and that's the reason why we did it a month in advance. So what gives? What took them this long to finally ship it?

According to the seller, the product had to be ordered from somewhere else so it takes time. The thing is, their website says that it takes 'up to 2 weeks' for their products to ship. Their customer service told me that their website says it takes 'at least 2 weeks to ship'. Hello?? That's the opposite. I was so close in canceling the order and I would if only it wasn't too late to look for another one.

They better deliver a 'perfect product' or they haven't heard the last of me.

Lesson learned: I will try to not order from these people again.

Family Vacation

2009-10-26T09:46:00.002-04:00

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Deciding not to return home to the Philippines to take part in my high school batch's silver jubilee was not an easy thing to do. But sometimes we have to make some not so easy choices for practical reasons. Admittedly, financial reason played a big part in that decision. I just feel [& think?] that given the circumstances [and yes, I mean the present state of the economy], it will be for the best if we postpone a trip back to the Philippines for another time. It would have a great vacation but there's always a next time...I hope.

We still want to go on a family vacation though. We just have to find a place where we won't have to spend as much. It would be nice to relax in one of those hotels in acapulco with the husband and the little one. I've never been to Mexico. Hubby went last year but only for a business meeting. He actually went to Texas then went to Mexico then crossed the border. Not a vacation definitely so yes, we can definitely plan in visiting the place for a long-delayed vacation.

Last Quarter Occassions...

2009-10-25T23:18:00.002-04:00

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The last quarter of the year is a quite 'busy' for the stores around here. That's because there are 3 big occasions during this last quarter. One will be next weekend already...Halloween. Next month, it's going to be Thanksgiving and of course Christmas in December. You can just imagine how packed the stores are with decorations nowadays. We went to the store yesterday and I kept getting sidetracked with all the decors around. We were in a hurry because we were expecting a technician to drop by later in the afternoon but that didn't stop me from checking out holiday gifts around the store. Well, I only checked those in the aisles where we needed to go. I didn't buy any holiday gift but I took note of some stuff that would be perfect for my loved ones.

Anyway, I know I have a long way to go as far as holiday shopping goes but there's still time, right? I hope we won't be running around at the last minute trying to finish the list...hope being the operative word.

Age 'Eraser'

2009-10-25T21:34:00.008-04:00

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At the end of this year, my high school batch will be hosting the alumni homecoming in our high school because we're the silver Jubilarians. Yep, it's been 25 years since I graduated from high school. Wow! My high school classmates back in the Philippines have been so busy organizing everything the last few months. Things were going smoothly until Ondoy & Pepeng devastated the country. Planning was put on hold because some of the organizers' homes were flooded and some are still flooded. We are all hoping things can get back to normal as soon as possible.

I really want to attend this event but I can't. I'm in contact with some of my classmates but I haven't seen or talk to most of them in years...about 25 years actually. It would be great to see them after all these years. I'm sure there's a lot of changes in all of us especially physically. From the pictures I've seen already, some have turned gray already but some look like they haven't changed at all since high school. I'm sure a lot of us are hoping to get our hands on the best eye cream for wrinkles out there to somehow slow down the aging process. I wouldn't mind using some 'age erasers' myself although I am more concerned with the gray hair popping up on my head every second. My hair has never been treated...never permed...never dyed so I can't decide if I should start thinking about dyeing it soon??