Gimme a Break!

Gold

2012-01-12T20:30:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how much money I got for selling old and broken gold jewelry. The prices of gold has gone up, and it sure helped my pocketbook. I'm glad I didn't toss my broken jewelry away. And it's a blessing that I went to a reputable company.
When Golden Eagle buy gold, you can be sure that you got the most money for your gold. It's good that you can count on their integrity. For me, businesses should always be honest and fair to the customers. It's the foundation that can sustain the business in years to come. That's what makes it recession proof.

BFF

2012-01-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

My best friend in Canada is a nurse by profession. She wears scrubs all the time. But she looks good in them. No wonder, she only wears Marcus nurses uniforms. It really shouldn't surprise me. She's always been hip ever since I've known her. Her sense of style is wonderful and I get tips from her from time to time. I can't always afford expensive clothes, but she taught me how to make inexpensive clothes look good. She taught me a lot about make-up too. Gee, thinking about all the good times we shared makes me miss her more. sigh*

Ouch!

2012-01-12T20:09:00.002-05:00

After 2 days of suffering through a pinched nerve, I finally decided to see my doctor. I made an emergency appointment and was glad that I was accommodated right away. My bosses did not give me any hard time about taking time off for the doctor's appointment. It felt good lying on the exam table while the doctor was doing the adjustments to my neck and bad. I felt relief.

The pain is still there, but it's a lot better now. I still need to take pain medications and anti-inflammatory to prevent it from recurring. I hope it completely goes away in the next day or two.

Scott Kay

2012-01-11T19:18:00.002-05:00

Love makes the world go round, so they say. I totally agree. Without love, what would we be? This world will be an ugly place, wouldn't it? So why is it that love eludes some people? I believe that when you give love, you get love. When you find the one for you, do not let him/her go. Sure, there'll be ups and downs, but love conquers all. Have faith that things will be alright. Don't be afraid of commitment. And what better way to show you care than scott kay?

Books!

2011-12-29T12:27:00.002-05:00

My daughter loves to read. When she was younger, we'd take her to the bookstore and she'd spend hours and hours browsing the aisles. We spent a lot of money buying books. Her favorites are Harry Potter (she started reading the series in 5th grade) by J.K Rowling, Doctor Who series, books by Riordan, books by John Green, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which I also read btw. Her love for reading has turned into a passion. She'd spend many sleepless nights trying to finish up a good book she just couldn't put down. For 2012, she is participating in the 50 book challenge. I know she'll do well.

Recently, I've looked into kobo reviews
to find a good e-reader for her. I figured it will be so much easier to just have a compilation of books she can read in one tablet. But then again I realized that part of the joy of reading is being able to turn a page. Don't you think???

Childhood memories

2011-12-29T12:21:00.002-05:00

I was born in the 70's. A time in my life where worries didn't exist. It was a great decade. From the music, to the games we played, to the toys that made childhood such a happy memory. I had a blast from the past experience when I visited loop 900 yoyo factory online. My eyes were wide with excitement. Memories surged through my brain. I remember yoyo battles with friends. I used to be able to play different kinds of tricks, I wasn't the best, but hey, I didn't do too badly.

I miss those days. I wish those days still exist so my children will be able to enjoy their childhood the way I did.

Welcome 2012

2011-12-27T21:24:00.002-05:00

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

birth of Social Networking

2011-12-27T21:15:00.002-05:00

I'm a blogger. There was a time in my life when my world revolved about my blog and the blogs of my blogger friends. I found a community away from my community. We talked about everything. Life, kids, family, friends, work and most the time about how the internet played a big role in meshing our lives together in one big bowl of tangled web. We also oftentimes checked InetSoft's report engine to see statistics that might be vital to our blogging existence.

Ahhhh, those were the days. The good old world of blogging long before social networking hit it big time. Trends have changed in a very short period of time. But who am I to complain? I just go with the flow. Thankful that even when I'm so far away from my real life friends, they're never really out of reach.

Wet basement

2011-12-27T20:58:00.002-05:00

I would never forget the day we came down to our basement to find everything floating around an inch of water. The sump pump had died overnight and because of the non-stop rain, water overflowed in our basement. What a mess it was! I was so upset because a lot of our pictures and some important documents got wet.

It took a lot of work to bring our basement back to how it was before the flooding. We were worried about mold issues as well. Thankfully, I know of a company that specializes in equipment leasing. I went to their office and asked for help. I came home with two industrial sized fans and a dehumidifier. It took 3 days to completely dry off the basement, probably longer if not for the prefessional grade equipments!

ID theft

2011-12-27T20:48:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States today. Someone's identity is being stolen every 4 seconds, according to statistics. And I believe it to be true. After all, we've fallen victims to such crooks! A few years back, someone had gotten a hold of my husbands social security numbers and opened up an AT&T account in Miami Florida racking up a bill of $2100. The situation came to light when I decided to review our credit report and found out about the theft. It had caused a negative/derogatory remark on our credit report that took two years to get fixed. It was our burden to prove that we didn't do what they said we did. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to do because we were overseas on military duty when the charges were made.

As a direct result, I've become more vigilant in checking our credit reports. We signed up for Identity protection that offers 24/7 of credit monitoring. It also offers document imaging that help secure our important paperwork. I have peace of mind knowing we're protected. How about you?

Coupons

2011-12-24T19:33:00.003-05:00

Armed with my sears coupons, I stormed the store this morning. I went straight to the electronics department, my favorite part of the store. I was looking for an iPod player I can use for my bedroom. With my coupons, I know I can save a lot money. And I'm all for saving money!!!

The only bad thing is, I bought more than what I came there for. There's so many items on sale that I find it silly not to get them. They are stuff I've been wanting to get anyway, so no harm, no foul . :-)

Lotion

2011-12-24T19:28:00.002-05:00

I don't normally stop for anybody at the mall. I hate making eye contact to the sales people because then they start talking to you and force you to try their products. Some are a little more pushy than others but I don't really blame them. They have to make a living somehow. Because it's Christmas season, I decided to give one of the sales people the gift of my time. She had me try some lotion made from dead sea minerals and I could say I was impressed. My hands really felt softer and smoother. I bought 3 just for me. I'm glad I made the stop.

Last minute

2011-12-24T19:21:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's Christmas eve already and it doesn't feel like I'm ready for Christmas to come. I've been so busy with work that I have neglected to do my Christmas shopping. Needless to say, I battled the mall crowd this morning to get some last minute gifts for family and friends. I went to a local jewelry store because I heard they have the best jewelry beads I can use for the personalized bracelets I plan on giving my close friends. I was not disappointed. I found the cutest yet inexpensive beads. Thank God, Christmas is saved! :-)

Where did the time go??

2011-12-17T20:59:00.003-05:00

My cutie pie....She's all grown up now!!!!

Fame and Fortune

2011-12-17T20:51:00.002-05:00

Lindsay Lohan is on the news again recently. No, it's not about the airbrushed Playboy spread she proudly posed for (honestly, I think her mom is a big pimp), nor it is about the latest drug detox clinic she checked out of. It's about her latest court appearance wherein she was praised by the judge for finally displaying "responsible" behavior. Something positive, for a change. I don't understand celebreties really. They are given the opportunity to make their lives better and yet, all they do is ruin it. Can money and fame really change a person? I guess so, in most cases. I would never be able to see that for myself I bet yah :-).

Car speakers.

2011-12-17T20:45:00.002-05:00

I don't want to deal with it right now because I've spent way too much money on Christmas presents but I know I will have to real soon. I will have to take my car to the dealer and have my stereo system looked at. It started last week when I had my stereo at full blast listening to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer in the car. I was merrily singing along when I heard a cracking noise from my car speakers. I had to turn the volume down right away.

Hmmm, another unexpected expense. But I'd rather spend money than be without music.

bargain

2011-12-12T21:17:00.002-05:00

I was at my favorite electronics store this morning when the PS3 display caught my eye. I could not believe the prices of ps3 bundles they sell this season. One can really get a good deal! Compared to what I paid 3 years ago, ps3 bundles have become more affordable. And I bet the graphics are better as well. And I bet it can do a lot of cool things compared to its predecessor.

That's my only beef with electronics and such. What you buy today will more than likely be phased out tomorrow. Can't catch up with technology anymore!!! It's hard on the pocketbook, don't you agree???

No holiday break

2011-12-12T21:08:00.002-05:00

Christmas is coming and one of my good friends is a little bit bummed about it. She's an ER nurse and if her work schedule doesn't change, it seems like she'll be spending her Christmas with her medical computer cart at the the emergency room of the hospital she works at. It doesn't really bother her, but it just so happen that her mom and dad will be in town that day and she won't be able to spend the holidays with them

I feel sorry for her, I do. But at the same time, I do admire her very much for all the sacrifices she makes in pursuing her passion. She loves helping and caring for the sick. And I salute her for that.

Black diamond

2011-12-12T21:03:00.002-05:00

You have got to be kidding me. Black diamond earrings??? I've never heard of such a thing until I saw a TV commercial of some famous jewelry store. I probably would have thought it's a crazy idea until I saw how beautiful they were. I never knew there are different variants of diamonds. There's also the chocolate kind if I'm not mistaken. Sure makes a wonderful Christmas present. After all, aren't diamonds a woman's best friend???

search is not over

2011-12-12T20:58:00.003-05:00

I've searched everywhere but I can't find the aluminum briefcase hubby uses all the time. It's as if it vanished in thin air. There's an important document in that briefcase and I need to find it pronto! The last time hubby used the briefcase was when he went to a military training in Fort Bragg. I haven't seen it ever since. I've asked him several times and he does not have a clue either.

Maybe I should quit looking for it and hope that it magically reappears. We don't have a big house and it amazes me how some things just disappear.

No idea

2011-12-12T20:52:00.002-05:00

Does anyone know if there's a youtube downloader app available on an android phone? I've been having trouble accessing youtube on my phone due to some technical difficulties (read: stupid phone). Some stuff I want to watch on youtube are not available to watch on a mobile device. Why is that I wonder? If it's connected to the internet, I don't see why it matters what device I use or not.

Oh well, I guess I'll never understand technology. Though I'm proud to say I've come a long way in comparison to where I was years ago in terms of computer technology.

Busy Post Office

2011-12-12T20:44:00.003-05:00

Bring out the box cutters!!!! Plenty of boxes to open as packages are sent from all corners of the world. I was at the post office today and boy oh boy, I was in line for too long. I spent my entire hour lunch just to send a small package. People were lined up to the door, a couple or so boxes and Christmas cards on both hands. I'm pretty sure the post office staff have their hands full. And this is just the beginning. I'm sure they'll get busier as Christmas draws near. Ahhhh the holidays....so full of love and care. I wish it's a holiday everyday.

Music

2011-11-29T19:37:00.003-05:00

Recently, Alexis auditioned for a scholarship to Blue Lake, a music camp she plans on attending this summer. The camp costs a lot of money so she's hoping to get a scholarship to one of the programs. She's been taking violin classes since 5th grade and I'm glad she stuck with it. Thank goodness she got my brother's musical skills. And now that I think about it, my brother started in 5th grade as well. He plays the guitar. He didn't have any formal training and was self-taught but he's really good at it. He was able to set up his own band. I remember him frequenting danelectro's website because of his interest in electric guitars and such.

Someday I hope to learn how to play an instrument as well. I might even sign up for beginner's lessons who knows.

Deals!

2011-11-29T19:31:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is one holiday I'd like to say "pass" next year. It was nice to be around family, celebrating festivities and what not but we spent way too much money on Black Friday deals that I swear I'll just sleep through the event next time around. It didn't help that there were good deals online as well. I didn't even have to leave the house and be in line for hours. I visited different websites including
http://www.redenvelope.com/christmas-gifts-her-rcher. The most popular ones of course, are the ones with lots of electronics. Hubs found a 60" LCD HDTV for $799. Not bad at all considering the prices of such luxuries back in the day. *sigh. I promise, my mantra next year will be SAVE SAVE SAVE!

Road trip

2011-11-27T08:24:00.002-05:00

Next month, both hubs and I have a week off after Christmas. We plan on doing a road trip with the family. Down South sounds nice, as we do need to get away from the harsh winter even for just a while. We'll load the truck and click POI on our GPS. That'll be interesting.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times our truck gps tracking has kept the peace and quiet in our family. I'm such a backseat driver and I oftentimes find myself nagging my husband to frustration. The gps really helps us a lot specially in situations where we both know that we'd both be at each other's neck without it.

tires

2011-10-23T22:41:00.002-04:00

Winter is fast approaching and I am facing another big expense. No, I'm not talking about Christmas presents, that's another story. I need to get my all-season tires replaced. I've been browsing online and to replace all four tires, it would set me back at least $600. Yeah, I could probably find something cheap, but I'm not taking any chances. I want quality tires to match my car's diablo rims. Besides, I am concerned about safety as well. I am not taking unnecessary risks just because I want to be cheap.

Culture clash

2011-10-23T22:34:00.003-04:00

I love Germany and I must admit I consider it my second home. I miss being around people who didn't care much about what other people think. The germans, like most Europeans, are not inhibited. The culture is open, and accepting. Take nudity for example. While some of their western counterparts view nudity as taboo, the Europeans treat it as something that is normal. I could go in and out "adult" stores and get a cupless corset without fear or worry about being judged. Like I said, it's "normal" and there's no need to hide.

Weekend adieu

2011-10-23T22:26:00.003-04:00

Darn it! I have at least two name tags and I can find neither! I need it for work and i don't really have time to look for them tonight. I guess I'll be "out of uniform" until I find them. Not a good way to start the week. Oh geez, why does the weekend have to end?

Speaking of weekend, I can't believe next weekend is already Halloween weekend. We haven't even decorated yet. We wanted to go to the pumpkin patch today but I can't get motivated. I took a long nap on the couch this afternoon. I wonder how we can find the time during the week to get the pumpkins for carving.

Le Camping.

2011-10-20T19:56:00.002-04:00

We went camping for the first time ever as a family over the summer. Obviously, that meant that we had to buy all of the camping necessities before we could do anything. We bought air mattresses, flash lights, sleeping bags, nemo tents, and more at Dick's Sporting Goods. It cost a lot of moolah, but it was definitely worth it; our camping trip was one of the more memorable events of the summer of 2011. We definitely won't be forgetting about it any time soon. It was a good family bonding experience for all of us!

Smiley.

2011-10-20T19:42:00.002-04:00

The internet has brought a lot of good things to mankind. Old pals reconnect and families keep in touch by using free greetings online. I've been using Smilebox lately to send personalized e-greetings to my friends and family. You can send themed greetings as well, such as holidays and birthdays. Right now I've been sending all of my friends Halloween-themed messages via email. I can even include pictures in my messages as well, which I think is a really cool feature.
Smilebox is probably one of the most helpful discoveries I've made lately to help me communicate with my loved ones. I will definitely be using this a lot in the future!

brrrrrr

2011-10-17T22:19:00.003-04:00

What's up with the wind? It's been blowing like crazy! I'm glad I'm not skinny or the wind would've blown me away! The temperatures dropped to an almost uncomfortable level as well. I couldn't believe Alexis asked us to turn the heat on last night. We refused of course. We told her to bundle up a bit more. She refuses to wear long sleeve shirts or put socks on. The girl is silly. We are thinking about getting a
heated mattress pad for her. That ought to do the trick!

confused woman

2011-10-17T22:08:00.002-04:00

I've never heard of latex mattress until hubs and I went to the biggest furniture store in our area last week. I was impressed by the vast selection of mattresses. We were looking for the "perfect" one but it was such an impossible task. The salesperson was very helpful but we walked out of the store empty handed. It was more than I can handle. We ended up going to a smaller store and found one that's just right. whew. Sometimes it's not the quantity after all.

easy fix

2011-10-17T21:45:00.002-04:00

We've been wanting to have our flat screen TV installed above our mantle but we are always afraid of how it will look like. We don't want cables hanging all over the place. We don't want a sloppy job. Thankfully, our contractor told us that it's an easy fix. All we need to get are cable covers to take care of that little nuisance. Now if we can only find time to get it done.....hmmmm..

Unsure

2011-10-17T21:22:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, life takes you down the road you've never been before. When this happens, most of us are caught off guard and just don't know what to do about it. We might be healthy today and unwell tomorrow. We just never know. A great uncle of mine suffered through such fate. He was a proud man. Healthy for the most part, and a successful businessman. Until he feel ill one day. He refused seeing the doctor until it got to bad. By then it was too late. He became what he feared the most...a burden (to his eyes at least). Thankfully he had a good wife and family that took care of him. He had to rely on incontinence products to keep his day going. He led a good life, and he kept his dignity even in times of sickness.

Partyin', Partyin' (Yeah)!

2011-10-14T19:31:00.003-04:00

The Internet is rapidly replacing several things we used to use only a few years ago. For example, hardly anyone still writes handwritten party invitations anymore because of Facebook's Events features. It's a really cool tool to use and it saves you from paying postage fees, but sometimes it's nice to see an invitation from someone in the mail - it makes things feel more personalized and it shows more effort. It's not a big deal though; I actually really like the event reminders that Facebook provides us with. It's really cool to see what sorts of new things technology brings us.

February 14th.

2011-10-14T19:20:00.004-04:00

I don't understand why people spend a lot of money on Valentine's Day. The gesture is sweet, but they typically spend dozens of dollars on candy, which seems like a waste for something that will only last temporarily. I know I would never do that, but to each his own, I suppose. However, I have nothing against those who do purchase expensive chocolates or romantic gift ideas from Sharis Berries. - I'm sure your sweetheart will appreciate the thoughtful and kind gesture!

Congratulations!

2011-10-14T19:08:00.003-04:00

My friend Christopher recently proposed to his girlfriend of four years, Katherine. He bought her a beautiful diamond engagement ring, and I know that Katherine is really excited about it. At the wedding they will be getting matching diamond rings as well. But before they get there, they still have a lot of planning to do.
Congratulations to the happy couple! I wish you guys the best!

Tech Talk.

2011-10-14T18:48:00.003-04:00

I don't know where we would be without our wi-fi network. We've had it for nearly four years now and we definitely put some good use with it. We're almost always on the computer and I know Alexis takes good advantage of it on her iPod.
Speaking of computers, we've had two PCs at our house for a while now and we have just recently purchased a computer network cable to connect the two computers together. It will be a lot more efficient for our family and I'm really pleased with my purchase!

Holiday Food

2011-10-14T18:39:00.003-04:00

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and as much as I love a good Thanksgiving dinner, it is going to be hard trying to not eat too much this year. I've looked over some appetite control reviews, and I think this year I will try some appetite suppressants. It won't be anything permanent though, just something to save me from all the food from this winter's holidays. :-)

Anti-Homecoming

2011-10-14T18:20:00.002-04:00

I saw a really nice TJ Formal prom dress at the mall last weekend, and I was prepared to buy it for Alexis, seeing as her school's Homecoming Dance is this weekend. It really seemed like something she would wear and I thought she would really love the dress. Needless to say, I was surprised when she informed me the other day that she is not going to Homecoming. Instead, she and her friends formed an Anti-Homecoming Party and they're going in their pajamas. Oh well, maybe I can talk her into going next year!

labor day weekend

2011-10-14T18:13:00.003-04:00

I had a fun time in Toronto last weekend with my girlfriends. Mom was with me and it was quite an experience for her as well. My friends are a bit on the wacky side, just like me so there was no boring moment at all. We sang karaoke like there's no tomorrow. I wonder what the neighbors think? Food was abundant. We had a variety of all things good. We ate to our hearts desires. Good thing we don't drink alcohol or we would have ended up in an alcohol detox facility. :-).

Cigars

2011-10-14T18:05:00.003-04:00

Hubs is not a smoker. That's why it was so amusing when he got invited to a cigar party at a local cigar shop. It was laugh out loud funny when he posted a picture of him on facebook smoking high quality macanudo cigars. It was like a scene from the Godfather. I got a big kick out of it.

I'm pretty sure it was a one time deal. He said he wasn't sure what to think of it anyways. He just went along with the flow. Nothing wrong with that, I think.

Grocery

2011-10-12T22:43:00.003-04:00

I'm not a big mall shopper. But I find grocery shopping to be therapeutic. Take me to a grocery store and I'll be happy. I would walk up and down the aisle looking for sale items and almost always I end up with more than what I came in for. I love stocking up on items that we use frequently. In the store, I notice everything. The displays, the discounts, the end caps, and even the Honeywell Barcode Scanners the merchandisers use. I find it fascinating to people watch as well. It's weird, but I find it amusing.

Accidents happen

2011-10-12T22:36:00.002-04:00

How can someone be so irresponsible as to drive without insurance? An acquaintance fell victim to such a butthead. He was on his way home when his car got hit by a lady who not only didn't have an insurance but was also driving with a suspended license. My friend's car got totalled. Fortunately, he has collision insurance against uninsured motorists. His only gripe is, the collision estimation was way below the value of his classic car. It barely paid for it. What a headache!

2011-10-12T22:31:00.002-04:00

It was noticeably cooler this morning and I can't help but reminisce about the wonderful summer we had this year. I'm not ready to say goodbye to warm barbecue weather yet, but I don't stand a chance. All I have now is the warm memories of our camping and road trips. The family bonded well during those times. The camping tent and the matresses were definitely a wise investment. I wish I can go camping even in the winter. Maybe I should get a camper and get an rv insurance quote to see if we can spend more time outdoors during the winter. It'll be cold as heck but might be worth a try!

Work

2011-10-12T22:08:00.004-04:00

How many people dread going to work everyday? Many, I tell you. I wonder how that works. Fortunately, I love what I do. If I'm not busy with conference calls, I get to spend time with my customers. That's the part I love most. Human interaction. What better time to get to know people. It's amazing what you can learn from people just by listening. I give each and every encounter my 100%, and I get back more than that.

Questions

2011-10-07T18:28:00.003-04:00

The recession has hit more people in the United States than we can ever imagine. Unemployment rate is steadily on the rise, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. Even Janitor Jobs are hard to come by. Credit card debts keep on piling up. Foreclosures left and right. People lost home. Many lost jobs. Most lost hope.

How do we start again? Where do we go from here? Is there still hope?

Patio Furniture

2011-09-03T08:00:00.003-04:00

Summer is almost over and it's almost time to put the patio furniture away. Our shed will be their home during the winter. We have our picnic table, wooden swing sets, trampoline and a fire pit. We forgot to put them away last year and they suffered brutal damages from the winter. We need to replace all the seat cushions next year. Not fun I tell you, specially when you're on a budget constraint. Lesson learned.

Camping

2011-09-03T07:54:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to go camping for the first time last summer. I never thought it'd be so much fun, even if the weather didn't fully cooperate with us. We had just finished eating dinner when the clouds turned dark. We all knew a storm was brewing. The wind started blowing hard that kids on the playground hurried up and ran back to their families. I immediately looked for storm shelters just in case things got worse. Thank God it didn't. It rained for a few minutes, then it stopped! The sun came back and everyone was happy!

Trouble

2011-09-03T07:42:00.003-04:00

Hubby and I crossed the Canadian border yesterday to gamble a bit at the casino. Going in, we stopped by the US duty free shop and bought 2 cartons of cigarettes for my mom. We stayed a couple of hours in the casino, then ate dim sum at a local Chinese restaurant. We didn't anticipate any problems going back into the United States.

I knew the customs official wasn't in a chipper mood when I pulled up by him. We handed our blue passport, and he asked what our citizenship was. I was thinking, "duh! did you have to ask?". He asked if we had bought anything and I volunteered the information that we bought 2 cartons of cigarettes from the US duty free. He about freaked out! He said it is illegal to bring it back in the US because it's for "outside" US consumption only and that we could face up to $5000 in fine. We told him we didn't know but he didn't seem to care. He asked us how much money we have in our wallet, (not much I tell you, after losing in the casino). Then he asked what we did for a living, and oh boy did we get a break when hubby told him what he does! He let us go with just a subtle warning, thank God!

Lesson learned. No more cigarettes from the Duty Free. Mom should convert to e-cig, imo.

Gold Rush

2011-08-28T10:39:00.003-04:00

Can you believe the price of gold??? I sold a few bits and pieces of my gold jewelry and I can't believe the money I got for them. Pretty good chunk of money to get some new ones. Some of the pieces are broken and I can't believe they still bought them. I checked out orogold for new pieces to add to my collection and I found a lot of items I like. But I think I'll wait for the price to go down a bit before I invest more money into it....what do you think??

Scuba

2011-08-28T10:30:00.003-04:00

Can someone tell me, where do I buy an underwater scuba mask? I've been wanting to try scuba diving for quite sometime now, and I thought it'd be cheaper for me to buy my own equipment rather than rent them. I want to visit famous dive sites all over the world. But I guess I need to learn how to scuba dive first, right? I wonder how much it costs to hire a professional instructor?

Missing folks.

2011-08-20T17:49:00.002-04:00

I used to work in a field where I did a lot of material handling. I was in charge of maintaining inventory and I enjoyed the challenges it brought me. My old job taught me a lot about hard work. I was fortunate to have worked with an excellent team who shared the same values with me. Their work ethic was great and it helped a lot with the work load. I sure miss them a lot and I wish we'd communicate more. I'm hoping to see them someday and share a cup of coffee and lots of laughter with them.

Issues

2011-08-20T17:42:00.002-04:00

My mom snores a lot she sounds like an echo chainsaw. Yeah, we laugh about it a lot but I know deep down there's some serious issues associated with snoring. She needs to check with her doctor to see what she can do about it. And when she's there, she might as well get help to quit smoking. I swear, she's the mother of all chain-smokers. I wish she'd stop but I know smoking is an addiction and it takes a lot for smokers to quit the habit.

Virus Victim

2011-08-20T17:38:00.003-04:00

I probably need to invest in document management software. We've had about 5 laptops die on us due to virus issues and we've lost important stuff because of it. Not even the best virus protection deterred it from happening. Pictures and some important documents were lost forever. Of course, I could have hired someone to try to recover them but they cost an arm and a leg. I wish I knew a lot about computers. I've learned to back up my drive just recently due to necessity, to say the least. sigh*

Outdoors

2011-08-20T17:33:00.003-04:00

Next summer, I want my family to be involved with more outdoor activities. I want to save some money to buy a nice ATV with really big Off Road Lights that we can use when we go up North. This year, we invested in camping gears and we plan on utilizing it each time we get the chance. I went camping for the first time and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We've never really been the outdoorsy kind of people but it is never too late to start.

Insurance

2011-08-20T17:27:00.002-04:00

A good friend of mine is terribly disappointed that he was rejected by a life insurance company. He spent quite some time browsing the net for life insurance quotes. When he thought he had found a good one, he was kicked in the ass instead. He's not quite sure why they turned him down. All he was told was that he has some "problems". He didn't bother asking why. If it happened to me, I'm sure as heck going to raise some pretty good arguments. I need to know exactly why I got turned down, specially knowing what I know about my health and lifestyle.

What can I say? Only in the Philippines.

Need an attorney?

2011-08-20T17:20:00.002-04:00

If you're in North Carolina and are involved in monkey business, beware! If all you do is con people into buying into your business, your days are numbered. A very good raleigh commercial litigation lawyer will make sure you are put behind bars for any inappropriate dealings. Don't say you weren't warned!

On the other hand, if you are on the right side of the law and need help with starting up your business, don't hesitate to contact these people for they will be able to guide you and help steer you in the right directions. All it takes is a phone call and you can be certain you are doing the right thing.

gift ideas

2011-08-18T00:26:00.005-04:00

Where did the time go? Hard to believe 2011 is almost over. Kids are almost back to school. Summer is slowly fading away and winter will be here soon. The only good thing about it is my favorite holiday is right around the corner as well. Yeah, I'm talking about Christmas!!! I am visiting a lot of websites lately because I want to have an early start with Christmas shopping. One particular website I like is makemymothersring.com. You wouldn't believe all the gift ideas I find in that website. I'm pretty sure I'll be spending some serious cash online. :-)

What about you, are you ready for Christmas yet?

Where'd the money go?

2011-08-07T09:35:00.002-04:00

I was talking to a good friend on facebook and we both agree that the cost of living has gone up right before our eyes. We both couldn't believe the cost of utilities and basic commodities. It's killing the regular working people! Our salaries hadn't gone up, but everything else does. That is not cool especially on a recession! No wonder people resort to payday advances. Loan sharks in my eyes, but a life saver for many.

Sports fan

2011-08-07T09:28:00.002-04:00

I'm not a big sports fan but I sure am a fan of fashion. I watch tennis matches because I want to see what the divas of the tennis world wear. I watch equestrian games because of the cool equestrian apparel. And oh, don't get me started with swimming. LOL.

My husband, on the other hand is a big sports fanatic. He loves baseball, football, and basketball. Ask him any stats and he's blurt it out to you with no hesitation. And he is passing it on to our son who's 8 years old. It's always fun whenever I hear these two talk about sports. They take their team very seriously.

Baby Showers

2011-08-07T09:22:00.002-04:00

I was sifting through my calendar, looking back at events and personal milestones I've accomplished through the first half of 2011. There's not that many milestones but there sure were lots of events I've managed to attend! The thing that stood out was the number of baby showers I was invited to! I've attended 3 so far and there's more forthcoming. I love attending baby showers because I consider each child to be a blessing. Plus, I love to give personal baby keepsakes as gifts. I found this real cool website online and I'm really having so much fun browsing through their pages.

Hard to find.

2011-08-07T09:17:00.003-04:00

The previous winter was a rough one. It ruined almost everything we have left outdoors. I am looking for new welcome mats that are customized. The old one had just been declared unservicable. I want something with our favorite football team on it. I've been to 3 different stores but I have yet to find the one that really stands out. Most of the ones I saw are just plain blah and mass produced. I wonder if there's a specialty store for outdoor mats???

How strong is America's economy

2011-07-30T07:22:00.003-04:00

Many are speculating a double-dip recession. Many are still without a job. It's been a hard couple of years for a lot of Ameicans. I've seen lay-offs after lay-offs after lay-offs. Perharps the result of living in an industrial town. I saw the rise of Cash advance places preying on poor Joe. With high interest rates, these short term loans should the last resort. But oh well, it feels like it's always the last resort for most people. Now I see title car loans becoming popular. I wonder what's next???

Dieting

2011-07-20T22:21:00.002-04:00

Once again, I'm on my search for diet pills that work! It's been really hard, and the ones that actually work are a bit price-y. I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay that much money for some pills if I can lose weight the old-fashioned way: exercise. I've been going to the park a lot lately to run a few laps, and it's been working out pretty well so far. So why should I buy diet pills if my method as of now is working?

Business

2011-07-20T22:16:00.003-04:00

Owning a family business has always been an option for us, but I doubt it's happening soon. Think of all the money it would cost just to start up the business: we'd need everything from a place to hold the business, cash registers, barcode scanners, etc and we don't even know how successful the business will be in the first place. We might do something like this in the distant future, but I can't see myself doing it now. But it'll always be a possibility.

Scrub-a-dub-dub.

2011-07-20T22:01:00.002-04:00

Growing up, I've always wanted to be a nurse. Not only do you get the satisfaction of helping make someone's life better, but you get to wear these awesome scrubs too. I don't know why, but growing up I've always loved the way they looked. Some girls wanted princess dresses, I wanted scrubs. I can't tell you why, but I always thought they looked cool.
All joking aside, as much as I would have loved to be a nurse and save people's lives, I'm happy with the way my life turned out now. Now that I think of it, I think a job like that would be too stressful so I'm glad things turned out the way they did.

Looking Like a Fool With Your Pants on the Ground

2011-07-20T21:50:00.004-04:00

Trends come and go, and more recently hip hop clothes have become really popular amongst today's generation. I admit, they seem pretty cool, but it really annoys me when I see teenage guys walking around everywhere with their pants sagging. I'm sorry, but nobody wants to see the lovely pattern you have on your boxers. It isn't so bad with girls, but I've seen a couple of girls walking around with baggy pants as well. Oh well. This trend is bound to fade away eventually.

Happy Couple!

2011-07-17T13:27:00.002-04:00

A good friend of mine recently celebrated her 10th year wedding anniversary. I can't believe a decade has passed since we attended her beautiful wedding celebration. Everything's still fresh in my mind. The motiff, the church, the mass, the groomsmen gifts and keepsakes, and of course the very festive reception. It was one for the books. It took them months to prepare for the wedding and it was all worth it in the end. Everyone has fond memories of it.

Tina and Mike, Happy Anniversary!!!! We love you guys!!!

Planning ahead.

2011-07-13T20:47:00.002-04:00

Alexis loves her iPod and she would go nowhere without it - music's her life. She refused to go to bed last night because she misplaced her iPod and she wouldn't rest until she found it. She's so protective of it that you'd think she'd die without it.
With all of this in mind, I've been considering getting her a new, upgraded Lecteurs MP3 because she's had this one for quite some time now. Yes, it's too early to be thinking about Christmas presents, but I'm trying to get all my gift ideas down now so I won't be so stressed out Christmas shopping when the time comes.

Laminate Floors

2011-07-13T20:36:00.002-04:00

Most of the floors in our house are carpeted, though the kitchen and the bathrooms each have a laminate floor, which is a lot easier to clean than a carpet. Because of this, we've lately been considering replacing our carpets with laminate wood floring, especially now that we have our dog, who thinks he's free to use the bathroom wherever he wants. It'll be a lot easier to clean up messes if we do indeed replace it than it is now.

Silly Little Games

2011-06-21T22:39:00.002-04:00

I don't approve of it, but my son is addicted to all sorts of video games. Sometimes he's too wrapped up in the current game he's playing to even notice that I just got home from work! He plays DS games the most, considering it's easy to carry around with him, but lately he's been playing more and more ps3 games. We even had to limit the amount of time he can play on it and make sure that he plays less and less of Call of Duty. Did it work? No. He's still hopelessly addicted. I need to find something more productive for him to do!

Halloween!

2011-06-21T22:32:00.003-04:00

It's the first day of summer and guess what! I'm already thinking about the next major holiday in the fall I enjoy so much. HALLOWEEN!!! I can't wait to do trick-or-treating with my kids. They collect the chocolates, I eat them! I always look for the gourmet halloween chocolate in their basket and I don't see them often. But when I do, you better believe my kids won't even find out :-). They collected a lot last year. I hope they do the same this year. Can't wait!!!

Vegas

2011-06-21T22:20:00.002-04:00

It's been two weeks since hubs and I got back from Vegas but I'm still on a high. It's our first vacation without the kids in more than 9 years and we enjoyed every minute of it. It was also our first time in Vegas and it didn't disappoint. We watched two different shows- Barry Manilow and KA by Cirque du Soleil, we visited different casinos, we walked the strip and spent a day at the Grand Canyon (a totally different experience).

The city doesn't sleep. And neither did we. Our hotel has a wedding chapel on the ground floor, it has a beauty salon, and a bridal store that sells bridal lingerie among other things.

We had so much fun that we were already planning our next trip before we even got back home.

No more dilly-dally!

2011-06-04T18:52:00.002-04:00

Last year for Christmas, I bought hubs a titanium Eco watch from Citizen and he loved it. It was a last minute gift idea and I wish I had more time because I had wanted to check out curtis and co watches. I know I could've found something better at probably a better price. But oh well, I'm a day late and a dollar short. Lesson learned. I hope I don't end up in the same predicament as I did last year. I promise to be an early bird and do my Christmas shopping early. Wish me luck!!!

Bald is Sexy

2011-05-29T21:56:00.002-04:00

I can't help but smile when I see a balding man try to do the comb-over hairstyle. I mean, why bother? If you can't afford hair loss treatments, then let nature take it's course. Besides, some women find bald to be beautiful, even sexy sometimes. Look at Bruce Willis. He rocks it like no other. He oozes of self confidence even without hair. I hope my husband is reading this, just in case he starts thinning up there. tee hee.

Back up

2011-05-29T21:51:00.003-04:00

I never thought about using online printing services until after our computers crashed. We lost a lot of files and pictures which could have been prevented had I had hard copies made. Now it's too late. It breaks my heart to lose a lot of good memories. Moving forward, not only am I going to order prints online, I'm also thinking about backing up my files on a disc. You can never be too sure. :-)

flooded basement

2011-05-29T07:59:00.003-04:00

Our basement flooded exactly a week ago and it's still not completely dried off. We rented industrial sized fans and dehumidifier to speed up the process and we are making progress so far. It's been a crazy week, needless to say. I'm glad we have all our TVs on television stands. I don't want to think of the damage the water could have done on our big appliances had we had them just standing on the floor.

There's a lot of work waiting for us down there but we are not complaining. It could have been worse.

Spring work

2011-05-16T16:53:00.004-04:00

It's Spring time once again! Time to do stuff around the house. First, we want to get the whole exterior cleaned up. The sidings were looking a little bit rough so we decided to hire a company to pressure wash the exterior. I also cleaned the interior plantation shutters to make our windows look brighter and more inviting. Next on the agenda is the landscape. The bushes need to be trimmed, but our trimmer is not working. So we'll probably need to hire a contractor to do the gardening for us. It will save us time but it'll definitely cost us. I wish we have the spare time to spend at our leisure. It'll definitely save us some money.

Wishful thinking. sigh.

Burn the fat, please.

2011-04-03T08:41:00.004-04:00

Oh yeah!!!! I found the best oxyelite pro review and I'm going to share it with my Toronto buddies! As I've mentioned in my previous blogs, we are going to paint the town red next month when I visit Toronto and the three of us are looking for ways to burn fat and lose weight fast. If the review is right, we need to start looking elsewhere for help. Afterall, May is just around the corner and we might not have enough time to get the result we want.

Wrinkles!

2011-04-03T08:30:00.002-04:00

Oh, I'm getting old and I'm starting to feel it. Not only am I not as agile and fit anymore, my skin is starting to show hints of wrinkles specially around my eyes. They call it crow's feet, I call them happy lines. I guess it's time to start using anti-wrinkle cream at night when I go to bed. And maybe use eyelastin for around my eyes. I heard it's the top wrinkle cream available in the market today. I'll let you know in a few weeks if it's working. :-)

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

2011-04-03T08:20:00.003-04:00

My mom said I was my grandfather's favorite grandchild. He took me everywhere he went. Our favorite spot was along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, where he and I jogged. I don't remember any of it, as I was really young when he passed away. He died of colon cancer. My doctor told me I should have a colonoscopy when I am in my 40's because of the family history. I don't disagree. But for now, I shall be reading cleansonix reviews to see about preventive measures against colon cancer.

I need to lose weight!

2011-04-03T08:11:00.003-04:00

Next month, I shall be heading to Toronto to spend some time with my best friends. They were here last month and we had so much fun that we decided to have a part 2 in Toronto. This time around, our better halves will stay home. The 3 of us will be painting the town red and will visit a very popular night spot. I can't wait! I need to speed up my weight loss though so I can fit in my red outfit. I've been reading oxyelite pro reviews in hopes of finding the safest way to lose weight.

Safety First

2011-04-02T20:52:00.002-04:00

Which of the following would you rather do: pry a box open with your own hands, use a sharp kitchen knife to get it open, or use a simple utility knife to open the box with ease? If you're like me, you would have chosen the latter. It's a lot safer than using a kitchen knife and a lot smaller. Some adults at the food bank Alexis has worked at in the past as volunteer work use utility knives to easily open boxes and other packages that the food comes in. I've also seen it used for many other reasons; it's very versatile. I'd have to thank whoever invented it for making the use of a knife simpler and safer.

Photography

2011-04-02T20:45:00.003-04:00

Alexis has been interested in photography for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the screen on the camera we bought her a few years back is broken and she hasn't been able to use it. She's been looking at several different replacement cameras, but I think it's best we should just go and get her current one fixed. It's a good camera and took excellent photos back when it was working. I'll try and get around to fixing it sometime.

Lunch Time!

2011-04-02T20:36:00.003-04:00

Alexis is going on a field trip to a Holocaust Museum on Tuesday and she needs to pack a lunch, as there's no cafeteria there. She's been buying lunch at school for years so we have no lunch box for her, unless she wants to use one of Steven's. I've looked at some feminine insulated lunch bags for her, and some are really cute and look just like a purse. I doubt she'll need it though. For one, she's not very girly and probably wouldn't be very interested in one. Secondly, she buys her lunch at school so often that buying a lunch bag for her would seem rather pointless. I guess she'll have to share with Steven!

Sferra

2011-04-02T20:21:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, we were in desperate need of a new bedding set. Ours was old and one of the sheets had a huge tear in it. I doubt this would have happened had we had a Sferra bedding set instead. They're supposed to have really good quality and they're really expensive to buy. Some of their stuff looks really comfortable, especially their Milos bedding set! No worries though - we've replaced our worn bedding set with a perfectly good one.

Of Walls and Television Sets

2011-04-02T20:09:00.002-04:00

We've been wanting to install our TV up on our wall for years now. We've never gotten around to looking into tv mounts, however. I've been looking at prices and some are relatively cheap while the others are too expensive for my liking. I suppose our TV is fine where it is now though, but we might hang it up on our wall in the future.

Anorexic TV

2011-04-02T20:03:00.002-04:00

We bought our first two samsung lcd tvs several years back, and we were pretty happy with our purchase - we still are, as a matter of fact. Here we are today with TVs that are nearly only a centimeter thin! It makes our TV seem prehistoric though it's only a few years old. Technology is expanding too fast for us to keep up!

Silver & Gold

2011-04-02T19:44:00.005-04:00

With the economy as bad as it is now, people will do anything to have just a little extra money. A lot of people now are going to stores that buy silver coins. I was looking at how much some of these coins were worth, and it's insane! These people will pay hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars just to get one small coin. It's crazy! Let's hope that lucky penny I find on the ground one day is worth thousands!

The Flip

2011-04-02T19:32:00.003-04:00

I've always wanted to buy a flip video camera. It seems like a simple way to capture the moment with a video or a picture and it's small and lightweight, which is good for traveling. It's unlike most other camcorders I've seen, which are either too big and bulky or too complicated to use. I'm gonna stick with my camera, for now though. Who knows - maybe I'll buy one in the future.

Renovation

2011-03-29T10:41:00.003-04:00

I love our home. It's not too big but it's comfy. Hubs fell in love with it the first time we did a walk through. The previous owners did a really good job maintaining it. Now it's our turn. We've been here almost four years and it's due for some make-over. We're thinking about repainting, changing carpets, and installing Minka Aire ceiling fans in the kids' bedrooms. But because I'm headed to the Philippines this September, we'll have to put off the renovation projects until next year. We have to be very careful with our cash flow if we want to achieve everything that we want to achieve.

Cancelled trip

2011-03-29T10:34:00.002-04:00

My High School BFFs and I have been planning a "for the girls only" Vegas trip for quite sometime now. We've been talking about losing weight, even looking up fat burners like adapexin-p. The idea of hitting the clubs in our sexy outfits was too exciting. Just as when we were able to pinpoint a date and started making travel arrangements did we realize that the trip is on Mother's Day weekend. A game changer indeed. So instead of going to Vegas, we decided to just meet up in Toronto and spend a girl's night out. Vegas can wait, I suppose.

Forgetful

2011-03-29T10:26:00.002-04:00

Last year we received two communion invitations. We didn't attend both. Not because I didn't want to, but because I forgot. I feel bad about not attending, but there's just a lot of things going on in our household. I'm having a hard time managing my time, which is very unusual of me. I promise to be different this year. I started using the calendar on my phone and I've noticed the difference. If there's an important event I need to remember, I just plug it in and I don't worry about missing it.

Mold

2011-03-29T10:18:00.002-04:00

I got really worried when I started seeing traces of mold in our basement last year. Not only was I afraid of the high cost of getting them removed, I was more afraid of how it will affect our health at home. We immediately contacted a builder we trust and was relieved when he told us that the mold was just in the beginning stage caused by humidity and can be fixed easily by putting dehumidifiers in the basement. We followed and his advice and I haven't seen the mold return. Whew!

Spring?

2011-03-29T10:15:00.002-04:00

I thought spring is here, but boy was I fooled! It's freezing cold outside and I'm really getting tired of it. I've already put away most my winter clothes, even my electric blanket, but it seems like I'll have to pull them back out again. On the bright side, the sun is shining today and it puts me in a good mood. I'm even thinking of washing my car today. But can I handle the chill?

In case of emergency

2011-03-29T10:09:00.002-04:00

What would you do if your car breaks down on the road and you know nothing about cars? I hope you're signed up for emergency road service. It will give you peace of mind. I know, 'coz I've been in such situations before. I've had a flat tire one too many times. I don't know how to change a tire and don't plan on learning anytime soon, so guess who I call for help?

Problem solved!

2011-03-29T09:58:00.003-04:00

Imagine my relief when we finally got our leather couch fixed. We finally found a leather upholstery place in Toledo, Ohio that specializes in designer upholstery fabric. I thought it was going to cost us an arm and a leg to get our set fixed but we only ended up paying a little over $350 for the entire work. Sure beats buying a new couch. Our leather couch looks like new and I couldn't be happier!!!

New car?

2011-03-29T09:52:00.004-04:00

Last Sunday, after the family walk, we decided to scour car dealerships for a new car. Getting a new one is a thought I've been entertaining in my mind lately. Gas prices have soared and hubby's Tahoe is causing a pretty good dent in our pocketbook lately. It's almost $80 for a full tank of gas and it only lasts him a week. We have been really considering a small compact car that is fuel economical. I've also scoured cheapestautoinsurance.net for car insurance quotes. We're not in a hurry but it doesn't hurt to look around. I want to see what's out there for us.

New car?

2011-03-29T09:52:00.003-04:00