happy new year to one and all!!!

It's only 6:10pm right now but biblically, it's already January 1st! I am all set with my kitchen preparation for our new year's eve dinner. I've talked, texted, and chatted with my family and friends. In short, I am all ready to leave 2008 and start the new year with so much courage and joy! It's not as wonderful a celebration as it is back home in CDO but it's worth the thanksgiving for this another new year in our lives. So to all of you... have a wonderful time celebrating! Resolutions, anyone?

new year thinkin'

I chatted with two of my older sisters in CDO and right now, they're busy preparing for their media noche. They're in two different homes and my mother has been texting me to call her too as she wanted to talk to me. I am really missing everybody back home as New Year's Eve is one of the best and most loved holiday I consider and it's really different this time because everyone of my siblings has each of their celebration in each of their respective homes already. My mother is left at home with my niece; it's just a good thing that my older brother and his family has lived in our house since two months ago making Mama to have some other companions back home. Tomorrow morning, I will be calling everybody as New Year in Philippines starts tomorrow daytime here in the US so I'm gonna be talking to them and feel the spirit. As for me, I am all set to make my special spaghetti, lumpia, fruit salad, puto maya and roast a turkey for our New Year's Eve dinner right here. It's just five of us, but it's always worth the celebration and thanksgiving. I can't wait for the year 2009 to kick in. Hehe... There's just so much to look forward to. For the meantime, happy new year everybody!!! Peace, love, joy, and good health to you and your home!!! Cheers!

Oh Naughtiness!!!

It has been fun and great shopping with swithart and Triz in the last couple of days. Did I tell you how much savings I got with the clearances that most retailers are having during this post holiday time? Ahh... I loved it! We hit Eastland Mall some days ago and getting inside Victoria's Secret outlet for those on-sale bath and body products, I spied a sexy lingerie and kiddingly asked swithart if he ever thought of getting me one of those. Haha! Shame on me! I couldn't even dare looking at my body statistics where unwanted fats have been layering all over my belly! Hehe... I know, it was just some of those naughty questions I've raised and swithart was too kind and sweet enough to have complimented my figure of finding me s-e-x-y despite my proportions. Hmmmp! Wickedtemptations.com by the way has a huge selections of sexy lingerie just in case you're wondering where to get one for yourself or for someone! As for me, I'll stick to the thought that swithart finds me the best, no matter what! :D Ohlala!

this giant sofa book

It has been our thing here to go to the public library once or twice a week. The children's story time is perfect for our toddler unfortunately, I get to take her there only once a week, and sometimes, never. And each time, it's no doubt Triz always enjoys playing with all the kiddie toys especially the puzzle and the children's books with colorful pictures of animals and flowers. There's also an aquarium where the toddler loves watching the fishes and during those moments, I love my me-time where I just sit on the couch comfortably. Hehe... But there's this super large sofa that's no-ordinary because it's a book. And the first time Triz saw it, she exclaimed, "look mum, book! big book!"

Well, it is indeed huge and very nicely laid. It's soft, cushioned, and smooth-- perfect enough to enjoy a good seat when becoming tired from roaming around the vast area of the second floor of our public library here. And when I say Triz sits comfortably, I meant to say.. just like this:

Frequenting the library has been a good thing for her as she gets to enjoy a lot of educational toys and books that we don't have here at home. Also, she gets to interact with other children too during story-time and just as long as we have the time to take her there, we will always do it. We also rent DVDs for us as well as her The Wiggles so it saves us a bunch from renting or buying. Hehe.. Well, it's just one of those library stuff that I am liking to share right here. :)

shopping, one more time!!!

Who will not be tempted with sale signs big enough to capture one's attention? Clearance and 75% off, anyone? Ahhh... commercialism and a whole lot if 'em!

But I love the fact that shopping for better-than-usual-deals take place on post-holidays! Hence, it gives me much easy task to get what I want to be put in my box that I am about to send to my loved ones back home! I didn't hit the stores and malls last Dec.26th but I did a day after that. I was at Von Maur and Gordmans and oh boy, the sales were really incredible! I can tell you that a huge balikbayan box has been filled up just in a single packing day because of what I got from all those sales. It's my smart way of shopping because I get to save more than 50% off the regular price. At Wal-mart and Walgreens, 75-80% off on all their holiday merchandise are just awesome and I got to enjoy getting a whole lot of packs of chocolates, sweet treats for people back home who love to destroy their teeth! LOL I am more than broke right now, not to mention we also sent both swithart's and mine's families good amount of $$$ for new new year and it's our way of celebrating with them.

Anyways, enough of those shopping sprees! LOL Though this I must say, we may be shopping here and there these days, but to tell you honestly, we are so controlled with our spending. We have to manage our budget wisely as moolahs have not been coming in quite easily. It's just a good thing that we still have our needs and we are not wanting more. We buy for others and not for our own selves. Fair treat eh? Well, we're just sharing.

Now I must say something about the weather! Last weekend's almost 60 degrees fahrenheit has continued to give us a great time being outside! I've only been wearing cardigans when going out, so unbelievable! Friends at church even said winter seems to be over but nah... the forecast gives us another fair warning for more snows in the coming days so winter is still until March I think. :D Well, tomorrow, it's going to be new year's eve already and I am thinking of making some goodies for us to enjoy. Hmmm... I hope everyone is having a blast with the holidays! :) I do, with all the breaks I am taking! Hehe... As for my eyes, they still need more refraining because the longer I stare at my monitor, the more red they become. So I still am giving myself more time off. :)

awesome break!!!

Sure, it has been an awesome break I have had! The last time I've posted from my blogs was Thursday last week and since then, I have somewhat abandoned from creating new posts. Well, paid opportunities have not been popping in so it gave me much reason to rejoice during my break. LOL Though I must admit as well that the remaining days of the year 2008 are kinda poor from having less and less tasks and assignments from blogging companies. I am sure you guys, if you're a paid blogger like me, know what I am talking about! :D

So what's up now? Hmm... it's two more days left and then it's 2009! The year has been a great one, and just very recently, there have been a lot of stuff going around in here. I have only been staying at home, no travels done; just those small trips to and from stores, did some shoppings, and a lot of organizing and home chores successfully take cared of. I have just finished packing up one balikbayan box and I have two more to do. I love the 50% and 70% off from all those christmas stuff at stores as I get to buy A WHOLE LOT of chocolates which I am gonna send to my nieces and nephews and some other people back home who like to destroy their teeth! LOL I have been a little successful in getting rid of the stuff right here; I've dropped off clothes, toys and other stuff to Mission Mart and I've put some in the box. By next week, I am ready to be shipping these.

The weekend has beena blast! The weather was just wonderful! Imagine having below zero temperature for several consecutive days last week and then last Saturday, it went a GREAT 58F? Really, really cool and we all have loved it! Meanwhile, SIL is painting Manila red with her friends who got to meet her there for a reunion. It's funny because her luggages have arrived in CDO already but she has not yet. My elder sister and her family are flying home this coming Saturday as well so by Sunday, it will be one wonderful time with my folks in CDO. Hmmm... That I will be missing much! Well, thanks for visiting me here friends, even if I have taken a break from dropping my cards. Later though, I will be resuming so I'm gonna be in your drop inbox one more time! :)

four eyes :D

My eyes have been so stressed and strained from overly using the laptop screen. Last week, a visit to my eye doctor made me take a break from my tasks online.

Since then, a prescription to use my eyeglasses became a strict prescription in its sense. Hehe. The husband has been so strict in having me wear it. The toddler is just next to the dad that every time she sees me not having my other two eyes, she would exclaim right away "eyeglass mum!" and would go get it to where I last placed it. Hah, good girl! One more thing, even with the eyeglasses on, the muscles in my eyes still need a break so I am prescribed one more thing: to only glance at the monitor 30 minutes a day the longest, for now. Yay! How could that be possible? LOL Today, I can't say no to three of my assignments due tomorrow so I just have to finish them and then take a break! The year is about to end and I am going to make a new year's resolution: refrain from serious online tasks and becoming really serious with putting my new additional two eyes! :D I am lucky to have four eyes, am I not? But only if I don't look that bad, do I? Grrr.....

A Noblesse Oblige Award

Look what I got:

Yes, it's a Noblesse Oblige Award which dear Lainy of Lainy's Musings passed on me. I am the most thankful sis for this acknowledgment and it's truly an honor.

This Award is presented to bloggers who display consistency in any one or a combination of these conditions:

1. The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs.
2. The Blog contents inspire; strives to encourage and offers solutions.
3. There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture and Sciences and Beliefs.
4. The Blog is refreshing and creative.
5. The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking..

I hope I really do possess those conditions mentioned above. I am no extraordinary writer and blogger and what I am trying to convey in this blog of mine are simply my thoughts and views on things that matter to me. So I am thankful that Lainy has seen such passion in my blog. I can't thank her enough. :)

Linking In

I was looking for an online seller of calling cards with the cheapest rate possible and I've come across Spectrotel inc, a telephone communications based in New Jersey which I remember SIL has onced asked me to check out and see if their offers can also be applied here in the place where we are in. It actually got interesting offers and linkedin.com makes it even more intriguing because if I have to dig down deeper on what Spectrotel Inc. is all about, LinkedIn, the site where the certain company I am looking for is a member, is asking for me to either sign up if I am not a LinkedIn member yet or log in if I am already one. Now my question for you is, have you tried LinkedIn? Looks like the site is another social networking thing where one can sign up and reconnect with old buddies but the difference though is LinkedIn is much more career-related and oriented as it got inside connections with business opportinuties. Sounds interesting, right? I am actually thinking of signing up in a bit.

chilling out

Holiday greetings through cards online and off have been coming in since December started. It's nice and sweet to be thought of, isn't it? My YM is full of offline messages and my Chikka, too from friends and loved ones who connect with me. My cell phone, is too. It's just a joy to have people around greeting us during this time. Do you feel the same way, too? Yesterday, we hopped in at Wal-mart to do grocery shopping and and I glad the personalized photo mug I ordered was already done and I picked it up and hopefully, I could give this to the person I made this for. We are chilling out right now, playing, videokeing and just watching TV. There are many Christmas programs on TV and they're enough to fill our day with bonding time. Last night, we baked a homemade bread and I made beef stew for dinner. We were so tired yesterday from a very long day and right now, we are waiting for SIL to go online so we will know that she made it to Manila already. Last night too, a terrible news was received when we were told that MIL's dear Aunt in CDO whom she considered to have a huge part of her life passed away. She was devastated that she couldn't be there, but life's like that anyways.

Our families in CDO shared with us how everybody is in crisis financially these times. But they still all had fun with their Christmas Eve because fireworks were still lit up and heard. We've chatted with my brother-in-law who is working in Cebu Memorial Medical Center and he has shared how many people were rushed to the ER and OR who were victims of firecrackers that got burned and were badly hurt. Nah... it's the usual Filipino celebration of Christmas Day so it's nothing really new to us. It's just too bad that I haven't talked to my mother, I have been calling her phone but I couldn't get through. Nobody picks up the phone at home, too. Hmmm... they may be having an overcelebration I think? LOL I may have to dial their number again later. How has everybody been?

A Water Bottling Plant In Our Homes?

Do you use mineral or bottled water for drinking? There's this certain kind of bottled water that I didn't like the taste and I prefer drinking tap water from the very faucet than it. With the tap water, I could save a lot. Back home, we have the electric water dispenser in our kitchen and it gave us a very easy way of sterilizing the water we are drinking. We have have bought a distilling device, too which seems to be like what Ecoquest has-- a miniature water bottling plant that we could buy and we could use in our homes. With it, there is no need for us to buy bottled waters that are getting expensive these days. The process Ecoquest's device involves ozonation, ultraviolet light, and carbon filtration and their product is called Living Water®. With it, there will be unlimited supply of great-tasting water in our homes. I think this will be an excellent idea for homeowners. You can actually check the site at ntllabs.com and see for yourself their many products and offerings about water filtration system as well as their discounted prices. There's more at ecoquestintl.com, too!

sky i've watched

This is the photo I've captured a couple of weeks ago when we got out from the mall from shopping. It wasn't snowing yet that time but the temperature was so low that it was very cold already. I was so amazed by how the sky looked and since I happened to have my camera in my purse, I quickly took a shot of the clouds and this is what I got. The sun has just set and it was when light and darkness blended together. It's one of those times when I am all in awe by how nature reveals it's beauty and this time, the clouds formation seemed to be signaling for a storm, and true enough, te following day, it snowed overnight. Swithart actually was able to capture the same look of it but from another angle and look how beautiful it looks:

Isn't that wonderful?

Schooling Once Again

Dennis C Carey is one of the former fellows of the Harvard University Institute of Politics and I am mentioning him in this post because I came across iop.harvard.edu website and I couldn't get enough of the political discussion featured in their forums and study group. And why the sudden am I involving political tidbits in my reading? Well, not really. I have just liked browsing the site as we all know how tough Harvard-produced lawyers are. I once have dreamed of seeing my self in a Law School but I guess for now, I am close to the impossibility already. Hehe... My sister-in-law though is still aiming to go to one, and her target is whe she gets to finish her MBA program which she expects to get in the summer next year so it's not going to be too long then. Meanwhile, my former college buddy is going to gradute soon from her Law schooling and I think she will like the iop.harvard.edu website as she is one of those aspiring lawyers who look up to Harvard products as really great so I may have to share her the link. As for my back-to-schooling goal, I hope to have it happen so soon.

merry christmas world!

Our home is probably the only one right now that is not busy at all! Our day is just like any other day, nothing really special as we don't have any celebration right here. But our hearts always rejoice for God's presence and how He manifests His love and guidance to each one of us. Triz is probably the only kid right now who doesn't have any gifts to open. At least in this part of the world where we are in as we don't intend to bring her up the way children are brought up in this country. :) Well, our day is pretty much a great one as we were able to chat with our families and dear friends this morning and my sisters in CDO are the ones that lift so much happiness today. Yeah, great news about everyone have been told and it's a blessing worth thanking for. It's a lot different celebrating the holidays here and back home and ours is just like a plain day. I am sure you all are busy right now so I just wish you all a merry Christmas!

finally went out!

Yes, it was bitterly cold today but I was able to conquer the super low temperature as I finally went out today and hopped on four different places to get things done and get stuff that we run out of. Firstly, SIL's flight to Philippines earlier today was a mixed of nightmare, frustrations, and blessing. As you may all have heard, hundreds of flights have been cancelled and delayed at Chicago O'hare International and SIL was one of those who experiences the very dreaded case. She's supposed to be flying to O'hare from our regional airport here at 6am this morning but the deicing of the runway made her plane departed so late. She was able to mae it though to O'hare still on time but it was when she got in Chicago that things started to get so blurry. LOL Well, things worked together for good. There have been disappointments expressed but in the end, she was still blessed to fly to her destination via a VERY different route and all of her itineraries have been completely changed. But it still worked for her so she will make it to 'pinas in due time still. Lesson learned: avoid a flight that has a Chicago O'hare route during this time of the year! LOL

It has been a very long day today. Triz hasn't even taken a nap until now. Her slumber will definitely take place so soon. It's okay, we don't have noche buena here like what people in "pinas have had so we might probably all retire so early. Everybody's tired but everybody's doing good! :)

off to a mediterranean cruise!!!

Nope, definitely not me!!! How I wish!!! LOL

It's actually my best friend Sha and her hubby with their little munchkin Jassy who went off to a 2-week-Mediterranean cruise since December 15th! Yay, so lucky of them, eh? Actually, they've got plenty to celebrate that's why they went on a grand trip! First, yesterday was Sha's birthday so I just texted her my happy birthday greetings. And then, there's Christmas and New Year to celebrate, and the biggest is on the 31st which is their first wedding anniversary. I got the personalized card they sent me and oh it was real lovely. I wish I can scan them soon and share it with you as the whole family looks amazingly beautiful. But more than that, I can't wait for the photos Sha and Bob are gonna be sharing regarding their getaway. I am so envious really but my happiness for them outnumber anything else. :) I can't wait for them to come back, too as their trip won't end with the cruise they're having right now. They're also scheduled to hit Las Vegas as soon as they'll be back and it would be awesome to have them drop by at our place here when they'll travel. Hmmm.... I just wish them none other but the best in everything!

holiday perks

I love it when it's December! It's this month of the year when I am uberly enjoying the perks of the holiday season! No, they're definitely not the gifts but the holiday cards that I get to receive from family and friends. Since the month of December hit, I already have gotten a lot of cards online and off. I couldn't count them anymore because I received them through e-mail, snail mail, comments and testimonials via Friendster and Facebook, as well as text messages and IM. I am indeed surrounded by a lot of wonderful people around! It's this kind of holiday perk-- receiving holiday cards that I love the most! Of course I sent mine, too, so I know what and how the receivers feel. :) How about you?

[PS... I can't wait for the box that my Ate Eve in HK has sent me. LOL]

i have been having a good break!

Yeah, I have lessened my time spent online and because of that, I was able to do a lot of stuff here at home. It's been a good break and though I wanted so bad to write some more, especially money-making posts, I just couldn't because I am prescribed a short 30 minutes time only the longest to face the computer. The muscles in my eyes have been so strained making me suffer and now, I am in my eyeglasses already, all the time. Eek! My entrecard dropping has not been seriously attained but I still try to manage reciprocating as possibly as I could.

Meanwhile, it's already been Dec 23rd. Can you believe it? Got nostalgic feelings right here! SIL is going to fly to Philippines tomorrow and I hope the weather will cooperate. It has been below zero here in the past several days and the ices outside are like broken glasses, shining like crystals when hit by the sunshine. Thankfully, today I have seen the temperature rose to a good 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is still freezing, but at least, it hasn't snowed last night. There have been a couple of party invites that I've rejected because I dislike going out. It was really bitterly cold that even a trip to the library I didn't dare join. Well, the break I've had has been a blast! I am all smiles seeing a lot of things I have done-- organizing, arranging, and finishing the photo scrapbook I have had put on-hold for ages now! I still am monitoring my time spent online so until then. I wish you all a wonderful time!

party photos

I am supposed to be posting these last night because my sisters have been awaiting for these shots ever since! Too bad my eyes gave up on me when I was doing the slideshow. I have wanted to really finish it but the husband was not inconsiderate at all with my eye condition. Now, after a week, I will be able to share these photos we've had during the family party of SIL's unit in the military which took place at a school gym somewhere in Pekin, an hour drive away from here. Yes, we had a blast with everything. The food was delicious as it was a well-known chef who volunteered to cook for the party, the giveaways made it even greater because there were a lot and SIL and me were both so lucky to win. The company was all in all the best because we had a chance to meet other families who are SIL's colleagues in the military. There were so much to describe, and I've got a lot of photos taken, and I have selected several to publicized. I think these will be good enough to celebrate the season with the fun we've got! Here's the slideshow:

Can you tell we had a blast? :)

below zero temperature! r U kdding me???

Burrrrrrr! Isn't that obvious that I am complaining of the very cold days we are having right here? I woke up earlier today because I got a lot of offline messages in my YM last night from my sister and nieces back home in CDO telling me that they're gonna chat with me Sunday night Phil. time and so here I am, exerting a lot of patience in getting up and first time I did was looked at outside through our moistened glass window and burrrrr... there is no denying how the outside looks make me lazy for the upcoming day! LOL And here's what I saw in our weather bulletin that makes me even more scared of going out today:

As in negative four fahrenheit! Yikes! And the wind chill is even lower than that! Oh... when could I leave this place? Hahaha! I was talking to my two sisters last night- Ate Eve in HK and Yaya in Japan and all they tell me was that they don't want to visit me here during winter because they've seen the photos I've sent them and the snow was like 4 to 6 inches thick, made their bones tremble and wish that I was just in Philippines. Haha! But what if we would be heading to a place for permanence which is even more northern than Illinois? Argh!

Well, I just have to bear, right? Hehe... I love the snow and the ice, no question about that, but the cold sure makes me like to just hug all these clothes I have just taken from the drying machine! LOL Anyways, it's Sunday today and we have a plan of going out to get some stuff from the stores. SIL will be leaving soon and it's just good that she has gotten a little better from her flu. Yesterday was a very nice time at church with the special program we have had. I've got photos to share and I have imported them last night but for now, I gotta end my chatting to my sister and nieces so I could upload the shots here in my blog for them to check out, too. I hope you all have a fine first day of the week!

All Roads Lead Home

Watch this movie trailer and tell me if it won't spark a huge interest to you about watching it with the whole family!

So what am I up to on these cold, holiday nights? Hmm... I have been relaxing here at home and keeping myself off from the computer as much as possible to give my so strained eyes a break. BUT in facing the TV, that I am not restraining my self from. :D The last time we hit off the public library here in the city, I've picked up four DVDs that are newly-released and oh I am loving the movie marathon I am engaging myself in! Snuggling in bed with these warm comforters I have while eyes glued on the TV screen playing my desired movies, what else should I want more? Well, the trailer above is all about the All Roads Lead Home The Movie and having sneaked it, I must say I am looking forward to its release! It is a family movie so it should be perfect for the entire household here. Actually, perfect for our movie timing as it's what we've been up to the past several nights. I have the feeling that MIL would be able to watch this movie and will like it because of its family-related theme. So if you are a huge movie watcher, "All Roads Lead Home The Movie" will be a great add to your movie night movie tradition.

wintry and icy friday

I should be saying thank God it's Friday at this point in time. I haven't done so because I haven't written a lot earlier. My Friday has been a very busy day here at home given the fact that everyone is just home today- no work, no school, no driving around, and no shopping. It has been a long day because I am tired and I am needing some rest right now. Last night, the ice rain started. When swithart got out of the house to take our trash for the Friday schedule of the garbage to be picked up here in our place, he thought it was just raining so he was running from our back door to the front pushing the trash cart and he almost slid because the snow on the ground has already turned into a very slippery icy condition. We were aware of the forecast of the ice storm, sleet, and very cold temperature but we didn't expect to start as early as 8pm last night. My slumber wasn't really one that's considered in la la land. I kept hearing branches of the trees that fell on the roof top and the wind was just so strong that I could feel it slammed every long tree outside. In the morning, all the trees and the outside surroundings turned crystal clear. :)

With the ice. More ice. And more ice. I could tell they're like 3 to 5 inches thick. I love the beauty that it created, no doubt about that, but I fear for the harmful effect when the very heavy branches of the trees would fall down. The neighbors have been cleaning up their driveways, while SIL was trying to call the Ameren Power because one of the huge branch of the tree in front of our house almost fell down and it would destroy a cable wire that connects from our home to the post. Oh men, it was indeed a snow storm. The good thing though is that everyone is safe. No classes, works are canceled, even the stores here are reportedly closed.

I would have loved to go out and take photos of the stalactites and stalagmites that the ices have created, but I didn't dare to because of the freezing temperature. What's funny is that we couldn't go out and buy rice which we run out of and so we end up cooking these stock of instant rice we have. I love to see how icy yet pretty it is outside, though cold. FIL and swithart did a lot of shoveling of the ices earlier and now, they're both so tired. Well, I have made a lot of cooking in the kitchen today simply because I felt the urge to do so.. Perfect then for our Sabbath rest tomorrow. I don't know yet if church will be held though but if yeah, I am sure we will have a fantastic program. I will be signing off soon, so my wish is for everyone of you to stay safe and keep having fun in a harmless way! Enjoy the weekend! And thanks for stopping by....

where in the world is this?

and

It's just like paradise, and its green scenery and lots of gardens are described by people who constant the place to be a very relaxing and beautiful place. They actually look more beautiful in reality than through these photos of mine. If you have been to Philippines and to Davao City in Mindanao, then you must have guessed or known the name of this place. Eden Nature Park. I have spent my high school years in Davao and I have been to the neighboring places where this spot is situated but my very first time to get inside this nice place was summer of this year when we went to Davao City to get together with my sisters. What's even greater is that I get to see old friends and classmates who work as tourist guides and staff in the management so it was a nice experience.

It's moi [in blue] and Triz with my Kuya [in light blue], sisters, and my brother-in-law.

I've got some more shots in this post if you care to look at. I am just posting this here because I'm a bit homesick of the place and the people I am with as I am thinking of my family and how beautiful was our time spent together when we all were reunited. :) Special times like holidays surely put a lot of nostalgic mode and mood within me.

outgrown stuff and toys

Several minutes ago, our friends Jerry and his daughter Amy stopped by to drop off four boxes of used clothing but are still in great condition and a lot of toys that Amy has outgrown. Let me tell you, there were a lot that it filled a huge space in the living room when they were all scattered all over. I wish I have taken some shots of it, but they all became a mess when I went out of the bedroom to proceed to the living room because MIL and FIL were like kids who got so excited to open the gorgeous-looking box where all the stuff were placed. Yeah, I said gorgeous because Jerry diligently wrapped them with a red-tying-ribbon that looks so christmassy. It is the second year that Jerry's family do such thing to us. They figured we like to send out balikbayan boxes to friends and families in Philippines and then they would usually give the stuff out to those neighboring people who would really feel so delighted to receive some. I remember this time last year, I packed two huge boxes and Jerry did two, too and we sent them altogether through a shipping company in Chicago. It was pure joy to know how happy the receivers back home are. Not only family and friends but even prisoners and some really poor neighborhoods as my very own mother is into such thing much. She is the chair of the DORCAS Department of our church so she loves to receive packages from me with stuff that I intend to give away. Now, I have a lot to pack to send soon. These may not arrive on time, but there's never a delay as to giving away gifts that would truly print smiles to those people who need them.

thursday thinkin'

It has been my routine of logging into my computer a little bit later than I did in the past. Blame it on my eye condition; reason why I am trying to be keeping away from facing this laptop as longer as possible to give my eyes a break. Well, I must say it pays off, because my headache has not been attacking me badly, just bearably. So what's up for today? Hmm... SIL has not been working since the last couple of days because she's sick. So she's just home and coughing all the time. Ahh.. She's got flu and MIL is all worried of her hoping that she'll get well the soonest as she's gonna be traveling next week. My hope is that nobody among us will catch what she's having, especially Triz. Though we've been sneezing almost always, but I am praying that we won't get the dreaded sickness that many people these days are having. Our most accessible and easiest defense? Oranges and grapefruits, and some other kinds of fruits. I am not really a fan of vitamin supplements so I am eating plenty of oranges as I could. We've got a box of navel oranges fresh from Florida and I must say, they're the sweetest and the yummiest!

Swithart on the other hand is not taking a break from his paperworks. He's still up to doing his dissertation. Well, Triz and I are so much of a disturbance to him though but I am seeing his managing us still. :) This morning, we went out to go to the Oriental Store to buy fresh Okra and Eggplant and I was able to get a pack of fresh peanuts. I fried some [Filipino style] as soon as we got home and it's really very good- Triz is loving it like I do! It isnt so good staying out for longer time because the temperature is so low, it's very cold. We just hit the Chinese resto to take some foodies out and stopped by at the post office to buy stamps. It's almost weekend and last night, I had a great time talking to Ate Eve in HK and we have had a wonderful moment remisicing the good old times we have had during this season. I will be calling the CDO people soon as I am anxious to know what's their activities out there for these times. Can you tell I am homesicked? :)

snowing unstoppably

Since yesterday, it has been snowing here in our part of the world! Though it slows down for a couple of hours, it keeps pouring down still the whole time yesterday. And today. Makes driving a hard work because there are a lot of ices that block our road. Yes, the toddler is all excitement but I am fearing the cold. LOL We were just home yesterday but today, we are planning to go out.

I've seen and heard the news of the ice storm in the northeastern part of the country and I am but thankful we are safe here, despite these snows that pour down unstoppably. In this kind of weather, my mind and heart long for the ever warm Philippines, especially on this holiday time! :)

Cellphone and MP3 Player for $1

How far would you go just to get the sweetest and most awesome deal for your desired electronic gadget? Would you wait for Black Friday Madness which only happens once a year? What if, after all the waiting, you only get to be a victim of a shopping stampede like what happened to someone who died because of that shopping stampede which took place at an offline retailer in New York this year? A shopper was killed just because of that limited-time-and-quantity-promotions tactic that many offline retailers are using to attract customers of all ages. Because of such incident, I even more prefer Online Shopping.

In all my holiday must-haves, I must say, 90% of what I purchased as presents, I shopped online. I do have favorite electronic stores online which I could recommend and very recently, I discovered LightInTheBox.com, which right now is offering a $1 worth of 2GB MP3 Player. Can you believe that? It's not even black friday and they are having that awesome deal! They actually have 10 items which they will be selling for a great $1 price everyday until Dec. 25 and today, they have the MP3 Player for everybody!

If cellphone is what you're up to, Newsmy, the China-based leading consumer electronics brand for cellphones has a lot of selections to offer, too. With these two giant electronic stores, you wouldn't be wrong with the gadgets you're getting from them. The prices are incredibly awesome and the quality I supposed are guaranteed. Check The Super Newsmy $.99 Spectacular Deals and be wowed!

w-e-d-n-e-s-d-a-y-!!!

I can't believe it's already the middle of the week! Seems like yesterday was just the weekend. The ground right here is all white with the snow that is not stopping at all in pouring down since yesterday. It would be fun driving around, but with how thick the snow in the driveway and with how cold it is outside, it is so destructing. Last night, I logged off from the computer earlier. My eyes are still strained, not yet well enough for them to last so late like I have been doing in the past several days. My eye doctor restricted me from keeping my eyes on the computer for longer times and last night, it turned so red that I got a demand from the husband for my computer to be shut down to have my eyes rested. :D

Today, I didn't log in till 11:50am. Wow. Makes me able to do a lot of stuff in the laundry room and here in the bedroom. Too bad I missed my sister who went online early this morning and all I ever got was her countless offline messages. Oh well, I still could text her anytime though so it's just alright. Today, I sent the last set of my holiday cards in the mail. Last Saturday, I was able to drop off in the mailbox those that should go overseas and I guess it will still arrive on time. I do have a lot of photos to upload and shots to share with you during our parties last Sunday. Unfortunately, I am not done yet saving the old photos here in my hard drive to a disc so I could erase them and import the new ones. I hope I could do these later today though because my sisters have been anxious to see the shots we have from the party. :)

Well, I hope you all will have a wonderful Wednesday!

back i am!!!

Yes, I am back from my sooo long break. I took the much needed offline status to give my eyes a break in facing the computer. Saturday was a great day at church, Sunday was all party time, and Monday was a visit to my eye doctor. It was so hard to resist from opening my lappy but the husband was so concern of my very severe headache and sore eyes which got me fainted and dizzied. Indeed, when health demands to take a rest, it's pays to really take a break. I've got tasks which expired on me but in the end, I couldn't trade those $$$ for my unsafe status, healthwise. My eyes were really strained and my head ached like the whole world is upon it. Thus, the break.

Now I am back but still minimizing my time on the pc. My eyes aren't well enough yet. And every now and then, I stood up and leave this computer of mine because it is a need, as prescribed. I thank all of you for the visits and the drops. I am trying to return my drops on yours, as long as I am able. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

tgif thinkin

I slept late last night. Well, early dawn actually. I had to finish up tasks so they won't expire on me. Now, I am thankful to have had a good slumber till 9:30am. :) My roommates woke up ahead of me, and gues what, they were too noisy watching outside through our glass window because... it was snowing! And it still does, till now. But the sun is up so it's really a beautiful day around here. Since it's Friday today, I got a lot of tasks lined up to finish before the day ends. It's Sabbath tomorrow and I am so looing forward to that. It's going to be our church potluck so I must prepare what I will be bringing to hare with everybody.

For now, I've got clothes to iron, laundry to take care of, and room to clean up. I am glad swithart is just around. However he needs to finish checking all the test papers because he needs to submit the grades for his classes by Monday. I can't believe time is passing by so quick. I am sure my loved ones back home is feeling Chrismassy now. I got to chat with some people in CDO last night and things are roughly bad moneywise. We are just thankful that everybody's doing good healthwise. I got the last set of holiday cards just minutes ago and later I will be signing up all of these so I can leave these in the mailbox tomorrow. Can you feel the holiday spirit already? Ahh... I am in a nostalgic mode and mood now! I gotta end right here, or else, I could keep telling things on and on. Have a great weekend friends!

tagged by 3: shot on the spot!!!

Okay, so I have to admit, I love doing tags. BUT only those that are no-nonsense ones. :D I love doing those Q & A thing where I am given the chance to share my opinions and ideas about a certain matter. I like those that share something about my self, but not to the extent of probing the not worthwhile content that I do possess, because I really have one. And even more. :) Lately though, I seemed to be not doing tags passed on me. BUT, three gorgeous friends in the blogosphere tagged me with this somehow fascinating thing. And because I find this one a bit interesting, here I am playing along. Darlene of My Life, My World, Ritchelle of Points of View, and Lainy of Our Journey to Forever all threw this very fun tag on me. So thanks ladies for your interest in seeing how I look like on the spot! :D Okay, here I go! [Yikes!!!] LOL

That's an on-the-spot shot indeed! This is taken by my hubby's built-in cam in his lappy and it so happened that I was using his notebook when I browsed Darlene's post regarding this tag. I think there is no difference really with how I look like on-the-spot or not because I don't put makeups on. The only thing though is that I got a messy hair in this shot as I still am about to go take a shower when I took this one. :) That simple and serious, eh? No comb, not even a smile! :D So what now? Haha! Anyways, thanks ladies for this one!

There's a rule for this tag and it's this:

1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!.
2) DON'T change your clothes, DON'T fix your hair... Just take a picture.
3) Post that picture with NO editing.
4) Post these instruction with your picture.
5)Tag 10 people to do this..

Unfortunately, I am not in the mood right now to tag 10 people so just play along whenever you want to.

parties: to go or not to go?

We have three upcoming parties to attend to, or make that four. Now I am wondering if we really are ought to go. Well, I think not really, because in the end, the choice is still ours. But I think it would be so tiring to go to all four. First, SIL's work invited her entire family for the huge party at one of the dining hall in the campus. It will be so much fun, especially for the kids because I've seen the invite and I know how fun-filled the night is going to be. Thing is, it will be this coming Saturday night and given the schedule that I have on such time with my family's contact, I am having a dilemma. Second, two parties are gonna take place this Sunday: SIL's family party [in her military career] in the afternoon and the venue is a little farther, like 80 miles away from here, at the military headquarter in Peoria. And Sunday night, our church' party at TGIF here in town which I know will be a lotta fun, but kinda pricey. Hehe. And then on Monday, it's swithart's turn to have us in the Mathematics Department party. See? We've got a lot to go to, but the decision lies solely on me. Why? Because I am in control of what to bring, therefore, I've got a heavy task right here! Hmmppp!

more splurging

____________________

I bought a new Guess tote handbag yesterday when we went to the mall. Swithart thinks I am crazy but I am still not insane actually. :P I am just giving myself a spree you know. Plus, I think I could use this very often even if I am wearing my Sabbath dress. You see, every time I go to church on Saturdays, I always make sure I carry writing and drawing stuff for my toddler so I always have an additional tote to bring with her school stuff in it. Ehe. BUT, it didn't cost me much, just less than $20 [19.99, haha!] so I still am go with it. Well, I hope this will be the last time I'll splurge on a hand bag. I have a lot here and I need to send these to my family back home. I know how much they will love these just like I do. But still, swithart thinks I don't need this. Hehe... Well, now I do because my box is ready for all the old ones I will be getting rid of! LOL

break time

Today, my sister-in-law has a break at work. But nope, she's absolutely not home because she is reporting for her military duty in Peoria. She loves it though because she didn't have to wake up so early this morning and beat the traffic rush in going to work. She left home at 11am today so we still we're able to talk a lot of things this morning. She's flying home to Philippines soon so there are a lot of stuff that need to be shared and talked about, especially regarding people back home. :) Well, there are a lot of things we want her to bring, too, unfortunately, luggage these times have been limited by plane carrier so it's still better to send these stuff that we have here through balikbayan shipment. And then, parties. Yes, we have several parties to finalize and see if we could really attend and the series is going to start this Saturday night so it really needs planning and finalizing. :)

Of Jobs and More Of It!

Really, am I sane enough to talk about jobs and more of it? If we listen, read, and watch the news nowadays, it's no doubt a lot, as in thousands of people have been affected by job loss recently. My sisters who are working overseas are kind of worried they might lost their job, but we are in constant prayer that they won't. While my husband on the other hand has been applying for teaching position here and there, and so far, he has sent more than 10 applications to multiple colleges and universities in the country. I am wishing he will be accepted in a place or a state where there is no winter and if he will be, that would truly be a bonus. Texas is a wonderful option actually and I was looking myself at the Dallas jobs posted at dallasjobsite.com and if ever we could move to this state, it would be awesome because we've got family and friends who are in the vicinity.

especially...

_
I got in the mail the second set of holiday cards I ordered from Wal-mart. I am glad because I won't be too late really in sending these out. They're just pretty simple-looking but I think they're neat. Of course, we'll be sending these to special people in our lives. :) I am sure my sisters overseas and away from Philippines either will be happy to receive these from us. I've got our recent photos to attach too in the envelopes and I am sure it is worth it.

Meanwhile, days are passing by so quick. The class is officially over but today, swithart has to go to the university still for a brief meeting. He is so busy actually because he's got plenty of test papers to attend to. Life of a teacher, eh? I could help him with the checking though and mind you, it's hard because it is like taking a Mathematics course as well. I am just glad that Triz is around, enabling me to have an excuse to not help him with checking so many test results. :D Well, it's a great day right here. The sun is up, but definitely so cold that the snow outside turned to ice because the temperature and windchill are too low. I hope you all are having a great time!

cleaning up!!!

My notebook's hard drive is a mess. Reason why I am having a very slow loading and running with any window I open. Believe me, I gotta get rid of a lot of files and documents that I have stored in this almost two years old Dell lappy of mine. Thankfully, this has not been infected with any virus yet as I am very up to date with my virus scanning and my Ad-Aware cleaning-up. Of course, I filter sites that I go to, too. But with the gigabytes of photos and videos I have imported from my camera and which I haven't moved to discs yet, it surely gives me headache when I experience too slow while loading. I wish I could delete all of the files that make the memory acts up, but I couldn't, because i have to do backups first. Thanks to swithart for volunteering to do it. :) He converted all of the videos I have into formats that have a smaller memories and all I have to do is to save them all to discs so I could finally delete them in this lappy's memory.

Just few more things and tasks to do! But honestly, it demands a lotta time! Hah!

got it!!!

I finally received today my first set of customized greeting cards which I ordered at Wal-mart. I should say it's fast, however, it's only the first set, meaning, it's still incomplete. You see, I made three kinds of designs, well, they're just the default designs that Wal-mart photocenter has and what I got in the mail today is the first one that I ordered. Hopefully tomorrow, I can have the other two. Now I am going to be writing and signing these so tomorrow or on Friday, I can send them all. Some are just going to be sent around here but I've got a lot that will be mailed overseas so I am sure they will be arriving late. Plus, I have been complaining of the post office in my home place because my sister still hasn't received the photos I mailed to her and I am suspecting the mail man didn't give the envelope to the adressee. Hmmm... it's been more than a month lemme tell you. I hope today, my sisiter got it already. I really hope.

what a busy time!

Yes, I still am extremely busy right here. We spent the whole day outside today running errands and even if it was too cold, I seemed to forgot how to mind the burrrrrring temperature. LOL It was the toddler who loves it much so it's a great thing that Triz never fussed or else, I screwed up the whole time we were out. We hit the mall this afternoon to return an item that we got and it's good to have walked around inside the mall, giving me a good exercise and a great time because Kohl's made me purchase a couple of nice dress that were on clearance. :D I am relieved that swithart is now done with the class. This weekend is going to be the university's graduation, so that means, the semester is indeed over.

Well, it's only the middle of the week and I still have two more days to finish what I am ought to finished right here. These are mostly household tasks, a lot of organizing to do, a lot of stuff to pack and get rid of, and a lot some more to be arranged and installed. Overall though, I am doing well and healthwise, everybody's good so it's always a consolation. Hope you all are the same, too. :)

In this very cold place where I am in...

...all I am wishing is to be in a warm area right now! Philippines, maybe? Sure! My older sister in Japan and her entire family is going home after the new year and will be celebrating my niece's 7th birthday in the very warm and cozy resort back in my home place! So I am telling you, I am very much jealous of their trip in the next couple of weeks. :( My sister-in-law right here is going to be flying home, too in the next couple of weeks so we will be left here to celebrate the holidays. Just us, and too cold. Now, my best friend in Florida keeps on inviting us to spend a week in their warmer place and we could enjoy those longed Disney vacations-- my family and hers! I would love such idea of course, but here's swithart beside me who keeps on reminding me for more patience to exert. :D Thing is, my best friend's hubby is a member of the Disney Vacation Club and he could always give us those passes or we could enjoy Disney time together they often tell us, BUT... my husband's time to mind his paperworks is just too hard to get inserted with some other unnecessary events right now, so what I am all thinking is: patience, patience, and more patience.

Well, for all of you who are like me- dreaming to be in a warmer place these days, orlandothemeparkvacations.com is just a click away for their awesome accommodation that you and your whole family will enjoy!

late.. uh, early!

Well, I am supposed to be in bed right now. I have been tired from an extremely busy day. Errands here and there, some grocery shopping, appointments to go to, trip to the library for my toddler's story-time, and of course, household tasks, especially the kitchen for everybody's meal.

To time, it is currently 12:11 a.m. here in my part of the world.

Two hours ago, swithart got home from school for his class' final exam schedule. It started at 8pm and ended at 10pm. Yes, it is that late. And it's Numerical Reasoning course, so imagine what his students' whines were all about. LOL Anyway, as I've said, it's final exam meaning, the classes for this semester is only until this week. Yehey on that! BUT, there is the dissertation to face still, so it's not really a total break for my student-husband!

So what keeps me up? Well, last night, I slept off my sister's text message and she has been dying to talk to me. So now when she e-mailed me again, I am up for a chat. To simply tell you, I am currently chatting with Yaya who is at work but needs to talk to me about important matters back home that needs to be settled. We have a great time-zone difference [me- central time here in the US and her- Japan time] but because I am just home 24/7, it's roughly me who's gonna bear the burden of sacrificing my time for bed. Again, she's at work right now, but her cellphone makes magic in chatting with me and seeing each other through the webcam. Oh well, I gotta post this now and make one more task and then I am ready for slumber! :) Have a great time you all!

To Give and To Get

I don't mind receiving a gift basket on any special occasion, or even just on ordinary days. When it contains fresh fruits of any kinds, I would love that. I received one this past Thanksgiving Day and sure enough, it saved us some bucks in shopping for our consumption. For this holiday, I am thinking it would be great if it's gonna be me who will be giving gift baskets to our close friends here, especially to our dear family friend who just got their newborn last week. If you're wondering where to get affordable gift baskets for the holidays, check chesapeakebaygiftbaskets.com, you can choose from their gift basket catalog and see what you would like to get to give to someone special in your life. As for me, I can make my own set of basket and fill it with goodies that those who will receive will surely love, but for the newborn baby boy that we know, I guess this one is perfect!

how shocking!

Yep, that's what met me in the Yahoo news box right after I opened the site for news this very Tuesday morning. Yay, disgusting, sad, shameful, and what the!!! I immediately read the whole story and oh my, I couldn't contain my amazement by what's been told about the whole scenario. I am in the state where this very person is serving and I must say, I have loved his health care program. Sadly, I am seeing only the single side of his administration, and if proven guilty, oh how corrupt this person must be. Click the photo above for the entire story.

Do You Have Pets?

I don't, and honestly, I don't like having one. :D Well, I used to help take care of our four dogs which we named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta but I was still young then. But ever since I got bitten by my Aunt's puppy, I kind of being traumatized by such incident. Now, I do appreciate dogs and any other pets, but never in my thinking have I planned of owning one. My older sister, on the other hand is an exact opposite of me. She has two doggy right now and she, along with her husband and their daughter treat their pets so special, like their babies, and I saw how much effort do they spend in taking care of them. From their pets' grooming to all of the needs-- foods, shelter, and even pet supplements they do provide. I bet they will love jefferspet.com website as it has a lot of tidbits about pets and their needs. You might find the site interesting, you know, it won't cost you anything to see the website!

updates here and there

The current news nowadays sure doesn't put an end into our reading and surfing habit. That's for me and swithart. The internet has become our main source of updates from what's happening around the world. Even if we're thousand miles away from our very main home place, there's Bombo Radyo Philippines to let us hear the broadcast, live from CDO. Simply make FIL and MIL being glued to our desktop in the computer room. I love pep.ph for Philippine entertainment news. Yes, I know I am chismosa, in some aspect! LOL I browse The Philippine Star online, too, but swithart and I prefer inquirer.net for all the latest tidbits that our beloved Philippines offer. Oh well, news everywhere are not really giving us some reasons to be happy, but why do we keep in touch, anyway? :D We're still concerned citizens after all, eh? I am not really up on updating my social networks because I am yahooing most of the times right now. But I once in a while I search for Youtube videos, too to simply amaze me with the beauty and talent of people I don't even know but has a lot to offer. For instance, click the play button of this one video if you could spare some few moments:

You know what I'm sayin'? This one kid is simply amazing! So worthy of my time Youtubing! :) What can I say with his talent? Hmm... makes the guitarists here at home feel so much in awe! Makes me wish my liwat can play like him! :) Hehe...

have you been fined?

Yeah, I feel like asking here if you have been fined for something you haven't really done or you're not supposed to be getting. This is because I have my case to defend. Well, it's not really a big amount, but it's the idea or the reason behind it that I couldn't take. The story of the matter is: our family's account at a public library here is being fined $8.50 for a DVD that was returned very late. The problem though is that the DVD that's said to be what made the fine is one that is never familar to us; in short, we never borrowed. Aside from that, there never was a time when we didn't turn in on time what we borrowed- be it books, CDs, DVDs, or any other media. When I asked for the date of such transaction, the database recorded it happened during the time when we were away for our vacation. I insisted there must be wrong with their record because not only does the DVD showed to be not our type or genre to be borrowed but the date of when it happened was even more irrelevant. Of course no one else uses our library ID but only me and the husband so it's totally a bummer. Well, I expressed how crazy I found it to be but we were just told we don't have to pay for it unless our fine will reach $10.00 and we still won't pay. That time, we won't be able to borrow anything anymore. Swithart said he's gonna pay for it when he feels like and I said it's totally unfair and I won't pay for it! :D What do you think?

of blues, busy-ness, beats, and breads

Well, I was extremely busy in the last couple of days. Actually, I still am. There are just a lot of tasks to be done before next week and I am totally fired up. With regards to updates to all my blogs, I am kinda feeling blue in doing so. I have a lot of paperworks to be tackled right here, appointments to be settled, and chores to be finished off. It seems like I am a regular worker, huh, but nope, I just am helping a lot of people right now. I have only reciprocated the drops at my Entrecard inbox and that's so far what I have done today. I hope I could let my mind work though because I have several assignments to be posted and submitted.

Days are passing by unnoticed and I am up to fulfilling a lot of responsibilities right here. Well, amidst all these chaos and busyness that I experienced right now, I always find time to be with my active toddler though and make some worthwhile activity together. Her favorite fun part is in the kitchen and beating up eggs for any recipe that requires one, and earlier, we came up with a banana bread a la moi and her version. Here, take a lookie! :)

Again, I'll be able to make more posts for today. It's unfortunate though that I am feeling some blues and laziness in making some. Aside from that, I am not done still cleaning up my laptop's memory. I am becoming so frustrated with the slow running and loading because I got a very few gigabytes left for the extra memory. I might as well have to do this first before going back to working my mind out. :D Hope you're all having a blast with your Monday friends!

Gotta Find One!

My sister-in-law is going to be moving out to Las Vegas early next year. Right now, she has tasked me to find a low-cost residential house which she could purchase for the family to stay at when the time will come for us to go move there, too. BUT, I have one daunting task which I need to seek first: a cheap auto insurance which we will need to switch with because it seems like our current insurance provider is screwing us up. Hmmm... I better check 2insure4less.com as it's been what someone has recommended. I hope it works because we somehow need a new car soon to be nsured, too. Ahh... I can't wait for a lot of things to happen-- moving out, getting a house, a car, and a job! :)

it's sunday!!!

Oh yes, it is and I am up to doing a whole lot of tasks here at home today! Well, last night, I was back to doing my regular rounds of chatting and talking to my sisters and I had fun hearing some good news and at the same time, terrified with the not-so-well tidbits. Guess what, we all had gone crazy, too with the The Dream Match as we were able to watch it live, for FREE through the site that Emzkie gave in the YM window. It was too late though because I caught it on the last two rounds of the fight. But it was still worth it because FIL was so ecstatic to see his idol won. LOL Well, I am sure videos are gonna be here and there at youtube today so it still will be great to watch it once again. Not for me, though, but for swithart and FIL!

It is cold and icy outside but I love the sunshine coming through our glass window. My roommates are still sound asleep and so I am taking my time to enjoy these moments without the toddler's screams, shouts, and whines, though I would admit, all those are pleasing to my ears. :) We will be going out today for some grocery shopping and drop by at the library. With the temperature in the 10's, wish me luck! :D Hope you all have a great Sunday!

Shop Thru eBillme™!!!

How's your holiday shopping guys? I bet with all the sales and discounts that are going on right now anywhere, you're having the greatest time in your shopping! Hmmm... I am not done yet with mine as I feel like there are a lot to buy. LOL See how much of a shopper I am? Well, I always think of my loved ones and friends back home who are not as fortunate as I am to be able to get stuff that I want. And so when I see signs of clearances and sales, I could always think of that someone and what I could get him/her. I have been indulging myself in an online shopping and when I use credit card, swithart always gets so weary with it. :( And then there's a suggestion about using eBillme. Did you know about that? Well, it could reduce the hassle and bustle of your holiday shopping I am telling you! It is a method of shopping and paying with cash actually! If you're interested about it, check ebillme.com!

Meanwhile, eBillme™ is running a contest right now and anyone who has a shopping confession to tell can join. It is actually as easy as 1,2,3, as all you have to do is make a certain confession about what you shop for and for whom and you could write about it or videotape it. Here's some more explanation about the contest:

So, what are you waiting for? I know of a lot of shoppers out there and if joining this contest would be fun and exciting for you guys, then sign up, and if it is not too heavy to put my blog URL in the reference section, that would be very much appreciated. Enjoy the contest guys!

Triz is Going Pro!

Just when I planned one afternoon to go buy my toddler a toy digital camera which she can use so she won't mind what I have, In-in was so thoughtful enough to send one to Triz. What she gave is no-ordinary toy at all as this one's a real electronic thing with USB in it and requires 2-AA battery. It is designed as a toy for toddler, therefore, perfect enough for my very active little girl, who, for a lot of times been clicking here and there, making every move of the people around her to be recorded into still images. Here's what Triz got from Tita In-in's family:

And right after dadi put the battery, Triz was good to go take some shots!
:)

There, it just shoes, she's going pro in her photography skill! Lemme tell you, she's got more than 50 shots stored in the camera already. I still have to transfer the images in my computer and see which ones are fair enough to share. In our eyes, they're all good captures. So they'll be worth sharing right here. Thanks In-in for the wonderful gift!

Pacquaio-Dela Hoya Match

Ok, so I am going sporty here! :) I guess most Filipinos know about how huge a night it is going to be tomorrow night in Las Vegas. Well, a friend of ours who live in Vegas told us how many kababayans have been flocking the city since yesterday. Too bad we won't be there just as yet. My father-in-law, a huge Pacman fan, has been itching to watch and wants us to go to the group of Filipinos who will be getting together tomorrow night for the big event watching it live via sattelite. Hmm... I am requesting for a recorded show as I would rather watch it on a late show so I already know who is the winner. LOL What about you? Are you anticipating for the match? Who's side are you on? :D

tgif, though cold!

Oh yes, it's Friday once again and oh time sure flies by so fast! In a couple of weeks, my sister-in-law will be flying home to Philippines and spend her holidays in there while we are left here to tackle the remaining days of 2008! LOL Ever wonder what the new year 2009 would bring? Hmmm... that's beyond my border but I do know The One Who holds our tomorrows! And today, I am so grateful for another weekend which again will lead us for a Sabbath rest tomorrow. Yes, I love it when it's church time, as I am able to give my mind and body a complete rest from all of these worldly chaos and confusion that our human mind grasps during the whole week. Though it is very cold today, I have to face and conquer it because later, we will be going out for some grocery shopping, and who knows, more than that? I did have a good night sleep, thanks to the very warm comforter that we could afford to have. Our thermostat shows a 62*F over the night and that gives me one big reason to be grateful, because I have stuff and warm people beside me! :) Have a great weekend to all of you!

i am so late!

...with all my holiday cards. Yes, I just have them ordered today and I feel like the quickest was is through Wal-mart Photo Center. It's going to be next week when I can have it, and by then, sending them overseas will be so late already. I just felt the urge to really do them last night and shame on me, I was able to sleep with Triz when all I tried to do was just put her to lalaland and the next thing I know, it's already 5am when I looked at the clock. LOL I guess I was too tired yesterday, that's all. Well, I have done a lot of tasks online and off and today, I still have a lot to do. I personalized my photo cards because I wanted it that way so there, the final outcome of what I have planned is really delayed. Well, it's better late than never, aiyt? I'll just wait for it to arrive then! My stamps are all set though so when I can have them, they'll be good to go. Thanks to swithart for getting me packs of stamps domestic and international-wise! How about you friends, are you good to go?

t.h.u.r.s.d.a.y

Well, it has been a nice day here so far! Though I haven't done much online tasks since this morning, I am crediting myself for having accomplished a lot of these household tasks that I am bound to do. Laundry, kitchen, cleaning up our bedroom to mention a few. Last night, we headed off to Jerry's place to see them and baby Joshua and we have spent a long three and a half hours chatting with them. It snowed last night for several hours giving our ground right here some inches of accumulation again. It's hard because Triz loves to stay outside and play when I find it so cold, really. Makes me wish snow won't come again. LOL Though I know I am wishing for the impossible. :D Well, while I got so whiny about cooking something for our meals here, swithart was kind enough to take out some foodies from our fave China buffet here in town to save me from sparing much time standing up while cooking. Hehehe... I know, I know he understands how I missed eating foods that I am not the one who prepare and so it's his way of telling me he cares. :) Now I am all set for dinner, yeah, this early, because he took out a couple loads of those teriyaki chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, pieces of chicken joy, and lomi. Now that the toddler is taing her nap, I am wishing to face this lappy and do more tasks for the day. I haven't even dropped my cards yet so I am going to have a long night then. :)

some snowy photos to share

Ok, so it's a great time for us, especially for our toddler Triz to experience her first time playing in the snow. Last year, she was too young to play in it and to stay outside for some few minutes but now, it is so hard to let her stop holding the cold, powdery whites and step on it. I believe all kids love to play with and in the snow and for ours, it felt like the hardest to let her stop. We made four attempts to let her got inside the house and each time, she would cry and said she wants to stay outside some more time. In fact, the dad and me took turns in joining her but after I guess an hour [??], I didn't allow her to stay out for more. I got some snaps to share, hope you'll like 'em!

Triz posing and playing with the cold thing!

And us, starring! LOL

With dadi

And this one is a snap which I love! These are two cable wires filled with snow but just when I readied to take my click, the snow on the other wire fell down on my face. I sure had fun taking it! :D

There will be more fun time out in the snow for this winter season and we will be seizing the moments that's for sure!

It's Daisy's Birthday!!!

Yes people, it's my sister-in-law's birthday today! So what's the celebration? Hmm... not much is going on right now as for us and her, it's always the same ordinary day. :) BUT... she has already gifted herself with an early present which was her one-week vacation to Europe and it happened last week. She just arrived last night with some delays in her flight but she was wholeheartedly happy with her trip. Of course I can tell through the photos. Well, we don't have any gift to give her today but we all have our birthday cards for her. I do have something for her though but it hasn't arrived yet so it will just be a belated birthday present. Anyhow, I made something goodie in the kitchen that's why it's just now that I got the chance to face this lappy of mine. There are no guests alright but our one big family is enough to celebrate her big day. I made pansit, beef kaldereta, chili beans with ground beef, and sweet macaroni salad for dessert. But don't worry guys, I won't be showing those yummy goodies here for I know what you're going to feel like. :P It's gonna be one fun dinner tonight and who knows, friends will be coming over to join us. Did I mention this birthday lady was on a European getaway last week? Ok, here are few pics to attest to that:

That's her in the beautiful shorelines of Monaco!

She has pretty much enjoyed her whole time being in expensive Europe, able to tour to France, Greece, London and some other small islands which her friend brought her to to go sailing. I am sure it felt awesome to have such one-on-a-kind treat! :) To you sister-in-law, happy birthday. Swithart and I are so blessed to have her in our lives, and some other people around are even more so. May God continue to shower HIS most abundant blessings to this one wonderful creature!

Last Year It Was!

Well, it was last year when Jon, my husband received a lot of presents during his birthday that's mostly tools and equipments. I couldn't enumerate them all as I am not into those kinds of stuff but I remember our very dear friend Jerry gave him some kind of industrial clamps which he was able to use this year's spring time before he flew home to Philippines to follow me and Triz on our vacation. It's always a nice thing for friends around here to give him tools and some other kinds of equipment be it for the car or for home furnishing because those stuff are really very useful. Reid Supply Company by the way is a leading online store where you could get those types of products and even more. I've seen a lot of equipments and tools over at Jerry's house and I would have to conclude that when he buys stuff online, he buys them at reidsupply.com! Right now, I have noticed there are a lot of sales so you might like to check on them!

tuesday thinkin

It is Tuesday now and oh how time flies real fast. I am not complaining though because so far, I've got a lot of things which I can't wait to happen in a few days. First, swithart will be bracing a couple of job interviews through phone from two of the universities who got interested in his resume. I am sure there will be a lot more to come, but for now, I am so excited for whatsoever it may turn out. Positive or not, I am always looking forward to how thrilling it will be to be feeling the nerves in being interviewed for a career that one so wants to get. :) I have been wishing him luck for the longest time now, and he often reminds me to take it easy. :D Ahh... I am just so excited. Meanwhile, last night we had some awesome time browsing the net for some Las Vegas properties that give relevance to what we're searching. SIL got home after her delayed flight in Chicago and I can tell she came from a wonderful European getway. Later, it will be photo sharing time here as she said she has tons to show and that I couldn't wait as well. There are a lot of errands to do here today but since the toddler is still asleep, I am but taking my time to do this online task that I have. :) Have a great Tuesday you all!