It’s Lianne’s Birthday!

Today, Lianne Victoria is celebrating her birthday!  She’s my nephew’s precious jewel.  She may still be considered a baby but she has the mind of an adult.  Truly a smart girl!  We miss her so much now as she and her family is now based in Seattle,Washington. 

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY LIANNE!  We love you so much!     

Because of Chami

As mentioned on my other blog, we went up to Baguio last Sunday.  No, it wasn’t a grand vacation!  ‘Twas only a whole day of fun on the road, a joy-ride kind!  We left on the first hour of the morning and reached Baguio at sunrise.  I remember the last time we visited this City of Pines was summer of 2009. It was sort of long vacation for us then. We spent two days and two nights in Baguio and ended the vacation with the remaining day in San Fabian, Pangasinan.  ‘Twas a well prepared trip unlike the one we had last Sunday.  We brought nothing with us but a thermos of hot coffee.   We made it to Burnham with only few people around.  Deprived of sleep the night before, the extreme coldness of the morning gave way for forty winks while inside the car.  Then the next events were roamin’ and strollin’ around the city.  There was one regret though.  We had our lunch in Mann Hann, SM Baguio instead of Rose Bowl.  The latter had been in my mind early on but forgot completely when we parked at SM.  Hmmn… there’s still a next time anyway!  And did you know what made me totally forget Rose Bowl? It’s this…

 Don’t know why, but every time I see a Mann Hann Resto, I couldn’t help but think of this Chami, the Mann Hann’s specialty.   It was no surprise when hubby mocked us telling us we drove all the way up to Baguio only to have lunch in Mann Hann!  (Blush!) I know! Cos it’s where we come to most of the time in Manila.  Well… well.. 

Waking up from a nightmare

What is stroke? This question passed my mind as we were about to visit a friend in the ICU Department of a leading hospital.  He was rushed in the ER after he was seen in the car he was driving almost unconscious.  Fortunately, they reached the hospital ‘s ER before his condition became fatal. He had a stroke, they were told.  We readily visited him in the ICU the following day but before we were allowed to enter his cubicle, the nurse on duty obliged us to wear scrubs and medical caps.  As we went near his bed, I saw the loads of medical gadgets and apparatus attached to his body, just then I recognized the gravity of what a stroke could bring.  He couldn’t talk and neither could he move half of his body.  He only responds through his hand’s squeezing motion.  We wanted to stay on his bedside for a long while but a med tech in lab coat had to extract blood from him. Hence we left the premise so as not to hinder the medical lab process.  Likewise, visiting time is limited so nothing we could do but bade goodbye to our friend. As I was leaving his ICU cubicle, I couldn’t help but worry if he could still recover fully.. 

Now, after three months or so of his religious physical therapy, I’m more than glad to see his significant progress.  He can now talk, walk and move around slowly.  The young man in scrub uniform, his private nurse told us that he is happy for him although it could mean losing his job.

Stroke can truly be a nightmare.  And for our friend, it is indeed a blessing to wake up to reality leaving the  horror behind..

After the busy days

Happy New Year to all! I bet every one of us had been busy the past holiday season.  Now that everything is getting back to normal, I have to attend to the little household tasks that I have neglected. I’m gonna start looking for a nice pair of parakeets  for my little “veranda”.   I miss having the pet parrot and lovebirds I used to have.  Their chirps and tweets are music to my ears. They are very relaxing, for me personally!

 In addition to the neglected “to do” jobs is to organize my blooming plants.  I gotta find a good quality Outdoor Planters for long lasting use.  Some Garden Planters I have outside are too dilapidated and needs replacement so I think I must start transferring those plants soon.  Likewise, I have brought in a plant inside for the center table and one Decorative Planter I think, would in some way enhance the interior of the house.  I hope I can accomplish this task asap.  In the meantime, I am going out to give a hand to our Village Association’s social activity. Just want to help in my own small way.

Have a great new start of the year everyone!

Life has many surprises

Life is full of surprises. Whether pleasant or otherwise!  We could only plan but has no hold on that plan. Why am I saying this?  Well, as I now seat here in our small living room, I’m trying to imagine how our house would have appeared had the original plan pushed through. It probably would have been much bigger with few more bedrooms with each having its own bathroom.   The bathrooms would most likely be the kind similar to what I see in the website of betterbathrooms.com., practical but beautiful.  But circumstances dissuaded us from achieving our goal. Now I can only surmise why it happened.  I’m just glad it did! I’m as happy anyway with or without the upper floor of the house. God is really good! He knows exactly what’s best for us!

Incidentally, I know a friend of mine would agree with me. ‘Cause she too went through a similar situation.  They have closed the deal with a construction firm for the building of their new house.  Everything has been settled but for reason unknown to my friend, the contractor kept delaying the initiation of the project. Until  my friend’s husband suddenly was hit by the disabling Ill health called stroke.  He was placed in ICU for weeks.  I was thinking, what if the “project” had started before this thing happened.  It would sure be a huge problem for my friend.  She definitely wouldn’t manage to provide the care her husband need if and when the project had started.  Thus, their house construction also went pfft.   Life has so many surprises indeed!

Payday Loans Assistance

Life is short. Enjoy it while you can. Or so they say.  Hence, my family always takes advantage of every opportunity to travel and bond together even only on nearby towns and provinces. Our past Cebu-Bohol Vacation was a very rewarding experience.  We witnessed the splendor of those places apart from learning a lot about part of our own country’s history.  Above all, majority of our activities were participated and enjoyed together which bonded us all the more.  

Vacations and trips are a wonderful lot but only if you have enough fund to splurge.  It is undeniable that in the current economic crunch, it isn’t easy to raise cash for such pleasurable activity.  I am glad that we need not resort to payday loans for this leisure trip of ours.  Hubby was able to set aside part of his office’s cash benefits and little came from my own blogging income.  Nevertheless, there’s nothing wrong in availing payday loans.  It is beneficial if used the right way.  Like perhaps, on taking advantage of a plane ticket promo that doesn’t come around regularly and you are at the time, out of cash.  Just be sure that substantial fund is ready when due date comes ‘cause if not, payday loans are more of an inconvenience than mere assistance.  

Payday loans in case you need one isn’t really hard to obtain. Since it is a short term loan, one can avail of it online, no need to fax documents or need for credit check. It is very helpful indeed for those who are pressed for needs.  As I have mentioned earlier, just make sure that payment due will be met as per terms and conditions that you agreed with.

Anyway, leisure trips and payday loans aren’t a good match.  But whichever way you finance your travels and escapades, important thing is, the pure joy you get from what you do!

Lotto Jackpot and Gold Deals

I was watching the early evening news yesterday and I heard that the present jackpot prize in the Lotto game is 300M php.  Wow, I ‘m certain, everyone is praying to win.  It sure is a lot of money!  What if I am the one who win the jackpot?  Oh my, what am I gonna do?  Slowly, I zoned out!

I outrightly bought one of the dream mansions I long desire in a posh subdivision.  Then I found myself dealing for the right price of gold.  I was informed, Gold spot was drawing a lot of investors because of the present currency fluctuation.  I wouldn’t risk the prize money for one unreliable investment.   Gold price is soaring and I was advised to keep the money safe while those gold prices are at boom.  I went searching on for more details on gold investments and found spot gold chart showing escalating trends. Shoot!  I found a place to invest for my Lotto prize money.  Money is all safe now, but then I suddenly smell a burnt  food on the stove.  Oh my, I was daydreaming!

Time for Online Classes

Finally, the most needed house help has arrived.  No, she isn’t the one we used to have.  Though I would love to have the old one back, I can’t because I don’t want to allow her child to live with us which is what she wanted to happen.  Take the two of them or nothing, I suffered when I lost her but I’d rather be than be stressed out with a kid not my own around the house.  Hopefully now, I can loosen up once again.  I said hopefully ‘cause I was a bit dubious whether this new “angel” could perform well on the laundry and the other household chores.  So far, although she just arrived tonight and had worked shortly in the kitchen, in what I saw, I can say that she knows her job.  I saw my kitchen back to being spick and span once more. Lol!

I can’t wait to go out and unwind without worrying on household chores left behind.  Now I’ll have more time to go online too!  And yes, maybe take those online classes about sewing and cake decorating.  I would have love to pursue another degree like  Psychology but I see no good reason for it now. Evidently, I’m way too old for it.  But ain’t it cool?  I mean, studying whatever you want in the comfort of your own home.  Ah, what technology can do!  Thanks to whoever discovered the online classes and thanks too to my brand new “angel”.   Now I’ll have the time I need for myself and for the online classes I wanted to attend to

Instant Math Help

I have mentioned many times before that I wasn’t that good in Math subjects, back when I was in school a number of decades past.  I was glad that that embarrassing fact wasn’t passed down to my kids when they were in school themselves.  I was pretty satisfied that they didn’t have much problem in their studies unlike me who hated College Algebra especially solving Math word problems.  I’m quite sure I was like some of the ordinary students of today who have to seek Math homework help whenever it comes to Factoring polynomials.   Oh boy! I can only smile at myself thinking how silly I was in my math class during my time. 

Nowadays, students are far more fortunate with the excellent technologies surrounding them. Computers and other high end gadgets are at hand for whatever information are required of them in school.  Thus, Math problem solver as well as Free homework help isn’t so difficult to find.  They can even search for Free Math help online and obtain a satisfying response instantly. 

Time has evolved too far.  I just couldn’t imagine what other instant help awaits the future generation!

Mobility Vehicle for Disabled

This is a sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA.All opinions are 100% mine.

Being a stay at home wife and mom, I am always occupied with non-stop household chores.  It’s tough but I always find time to go out with a close friend and unwind after a very busy day.  However, more than a month ago, I was informed by my friend that she won’t have the time anymore to go out and chill with me. The reason is that her husband is paralyzed after having a  Stroke. She would need to take care of him until such a time that he could recover and completely move by himself! 

I have witnessed how difficult it is to be a caregiver let alone be the disabled patient.  My friend being  the caregiver and his husband being the PWA (Person With Disability) need to put forth a lot of effort and energy to execute some moves and easily travel  from  one place to another.  Boarding to and alighting from vehicle seems to be hard punishment for both.  If only he has vehicle custom made for the disabled like him, life would be much easier for them.  This made me think about NMEDA the association that promotes safe driving and equipment for the disabled. It has dealers and Quality Assurance Program dealers (QAP). The latter is the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. It should not be forgotten too that the association has dealers all over the U.S. they only need to locate the nearest dealer near them. Or you my blogger friends may want to try and locate the NMEDA dealer nearest you just for the fun!

And for my friend, who cares so much for her husband, hopefully they’ll get over it soon. If not, (knock on wood!) there’s a mobility vehicle that can be custom made according to his husbands need.

Was your Mom mean?

I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world!

As other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs and toast.

When others had chips and coke for lunch, we had to eat rice with meat, fish or vegetables

And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. Checking on us, who we were with.

You’d think we were convicts in a prison.

She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing with them.

She insisted that if we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the child labor laws by making us work.

We had to wash dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.

I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds.

Then life was really tough!

Mother wouldn’t let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.

While everyone else could date when they were twelve or thirteen, we had to wait until we were sixteen.

Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.

None of us has ever been caught shoplifting or vandalizing others’ property or been arrested for any crime.

It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults.

We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what’s wrong with the world today.

It just doesn’t have enough mean moms.

 – Author unknown

taken from an e-mail

More comfy scrubs

Having been sickly since childhood, I hated it but hospital was like my second home. As a child, Doctors and Nurses in   ghostly white attires were like spooky Halloween props to me. I’d be very scared to see hospital staff on white outfits to come near me.  Good thing that as time passes by, I now see less of those white medical uniforms but more of those lively colored medical scrubs and nursing uniforms scrub instead.  They are I think more appealing and more hip than the classic white uniforms. 

Maybe there’s no way kids of today would ever feel the way I felt towards Doctors and Nurses during my time. Not so much of white outfits are seen now.  Nursing and medical uniforms have improved in styles.  Hospital staff are more inclined in wearing the more attractive and more comfy scrubs now be it nursing scrubs or scrub for men.  Thus, kids are more relaxed when they are brought in hospitals now. 

Btw, in case you want to buy high quality designer scrubs, the best lines are not found in stores, you can find them only online.  Just log on to skyscrubs.com and you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for!.

Bikers by the beach

I have always loved the beach.  This is one of the photos daughter took when we were in Candelaria, Zambales. It was about sunset time and these bikers caught her attention.  I love the scene and the way it was taken.  Daughter must be inspired in her photography.  I think she did a good job here.  Don’t you think so too?

Accidents happen even if you think you are safe

Our trip to the mall became a trip to an ER of a hospital.  I never realized that accidents could still happen even if you think you are safe. 

Yesterday, I was accompanying my M-i-l to the mall for her last days of shopping before she leaves for Australia.  As we were walking on the side of the road to catch an FX taxi, a jeepney bumped us from behind that made the two of us fall and my right foot was crushed by the front tire of the vehicle.  It seems like hell when I couldn’t pull my foot from under the tire and the driver was like a statue, unmoving.  It took him a long while before he heard me screaming to death.  Then the next thing I knew, I was brought inside SM Mall’s clinic in a wheel chair by the security guards of SM Fairview with M-i-l walking beside me. I was given first aid then rushed to the nearby FEU Hospital’s Emergency Room.  In the ER, we both underwent X-ray procedures and had the results right away.  We were very fortunate that nothing was so serious. Although I had big muscle contusions and deep abrasions on my ankle there was no broken bone seen.  I’m so  glad that I was taking supplements courtesy of my nephew.  It could be the big factor for my strong bones.  I was taking the supplement for more than a year now and it’s probably the reason why the cartilage in my ankle didn’t succumb to extreme impact of which ordinarily would result to bone damage. I’m doing well now so far even if foot is swollen.  Likewise with  M-i-l, she’s fine though her lip is swollen too.  Overall, I’m thankful that it wasn’t that serious at all.

One day vacation

Hongkong vacation package.  That is where I compare my one night and one day stay in my sister’s place in Balanga, Bataan the other day.   Lol!  Well, the one day escapade I had was already like a great vacation to me. Why not?!  I was able to free myself from my daily chores, (even only for a day) slept soundly, and on top of those, I had a whole day spent on nothing but eating and shopping while my sister acted as my tour guide cum driver. Ha ha ha! What a day!

As we got back to sis’ place, her daughter was already home from school.  She was complaining that she’s having a hard time on her studies and that she thinks she needs Chemistry help and Physics help.  It’s the same old problem of her, my sis commented.  Her daughter always has too many Math questions to deal with  including those on Prime numbers.  I don’t think sis has ever heard of online tutoring.  I’m sure,  my niece would love to have Chemistry homework help and Geometry help from tutorvista.com.  It really would make a big difference on her studies ‘cause it’s like having a personal tutor beside her 24/7. 

 Presently, I am back in my own place and I learned, sis is thinking of availing that online tutoring for her daughter now.

Jetsetters

Food, food  and more food!  That’s what we had the whole day today.  It was bonding time among my two siblings’  families and mine in Circles (resto) of Shangrila, Makati.  The buffet lunch was courtesy of my niece and her American husband who are in town from California due to some important business matters.  It was the second time they brought us here in this elegant place. Hence, it pleases us  endlessly to have indulged ourselves again on scrumptious cuisine such as what we had today.  We would have wanted to extend our enjoyable time together but we learned that the couple are leaving late tonight for Sweden to meet again with other business colleague.

Flying seems to be the lifestyle of these two people.  Every now and then, we would just learn that they are already in one country after another.  Good thing for them that my niece (or was it her husband?) knows the benefits of advance planning that’s why before they  travel,   early booking for Airport taxi transfer is never  disregarded.  It  lessens spoilage of  their  valuable time waiting for the right type of transpo to bring them  to their travel destination.  As a frequent Flyer, I’m sure flying is as easy and light as a feather  for this  knowledgeable and well informed jettsetters!

Dreaming of Snow

It is already September and the month is almost halfway now.  I’m amazed on how rapidly time flies.   Christmas is very apparent in malls as the Christmas stuff is all out on display.  One Christmas tree I saw being assembled in one department store has some fake snow trimmings which reminded me of those real big snow capped Christmas trees I saw on niece’s videos while skiing in a Tahoe Ski Resort.  And that makes me wish we have snow here too.  However, on the second thought, I think our tropical climate is better than theirs which they have to endure every winter time.   Furthermore, driving on snow is extremely difficult that one has to install snow chains on his vehicle just to be sure of safety on the road. 

September may still be the fall season yet in the U.S.  but I won’t be surprised if my niece is now organizing her snow driving gears.  She may now be looking for catalogs for the tire chains she needs for their trip to their vacation home in Tahoe, Nevada come winter time.   While I here, will be dreaming of white Christmas as  I get to assemble my Christmas tree for the most awaited holiday.

Weight loss diets and regimens

After those frequent eat all you can adventures I had for weeks with a friend, I thought I already generated good amount of needed fats for my body.  However, when I stepped on the weighing scale to see how much I improved I was so surprised to see that nothing significnt registered on the scale.  “That’s unfair!”  My friend and my partner in most of those dine-outs exclaimed.  “Why didn’t you increase your weight while I gained a great deal in mine?”   The answer to that, I actually do not know.  I guess it’s in my gene or due to fast metabolism.  Whatever, I can only speculate why no matter how much I eat, I never get big.  I was told I am lucky ‘cause many have to go to rigid diets and exercises just to lose unwanted fats.

Anyway, in case you are bothered by easy access to gaining weight and you can only fit in XXL wardrobes, don’t be sad.  There is a site in the net that gives out effective weight loss programs.  You may find various diet plans around you but you got to be wary which is good for you.   Log on to this site and get some helpful tips on the right weight loss diets and valuable weight loss programs. Or you may want to discover the secrets on how to lose 20 pounds in four weeks without using special diets that actually don’t work.  Find it out now!

Searching for Reliable Webhosting Provider

I may no longer be considered a newbie in blogging but I admit that I have yet a lot to learn regarding blogs and all its technicalities.   Since day one that I started putting up my blog, it has been in a free web hosting site.  I plan of availing my own domain but I am not sure which of those web hosting providers are the most reliable and could offer cheap yet providing comprehensive support and services.

I was told that getting my own domain has pros and cons.  Thus, I have to scrutinize each and every web hosting sites.  But how would I know which is best to pick, when I am a non-techie person?!   How pleased I am when surfing brought me to webhostingfan.com.  It   gives out some facts and guidelines regarding webhosting services.  It surprises me to know that there are many kinds of webhosting and those are clearly explained there.

Webhostingfan.com is indeed a very helpful site for those who are planning to have a domain of their own just like me.  They keep us updated with their webhosting news.  I highly recommend this very informative site. Take a peek on those web hosting reviews and have a good view of each webhosting providers.  As for me, I am already considering one but I still want to hear words from hubby.  He’s been my blog mentor after all!   

Spy Camera Helps

I am an avid follower of a local TV program that uncovers illegal transactions of government officials, private individuals or anything illicit that needs to be exposed to the viewing public.  For doing so, they send  implied warnings against the dishonest official or the repulsive transaction that could have continued regardless of the damage it could have imposed if not exposed .

More often than not, this is done through the utilization of a Hidden Camera which can be concealed practically anywhere in ordinary objects.  These cameras are so remarkable as they can take comprehensive videos and crisp clear pictures.  I wish I had one of these spy cameras back when I had yet a deceitful house maid.  I would have placed one on my small alarm clock atop my dresser and voila!  She wouldn’t be able to deny the accusation as it would be supported by the video taken by the spy camera I used.  It could have been very helpful indeed!  Why have I not heard of its availability before?  Nonetheless, Iam now contemplating on purchasing one specifically  Mega Mini Spy Camera Pro Buil-In DVR in case I’ll have another dishonest maid in the house.

Nevertheless, we know very well how Spy cameras  can be either helpful of harmful.    We don’t want to see another exploitive sex videos being uploaded on the internet just because there was a hidden camera placed atop the bed.  Benefit from it but don’t inflict harm.  To own a spy camera requires prudent and responsible handling.