Give the Gift of Time

I guess I will always be a hopeless romantic because I love Valentine’s Day. And for sure I will get another bouquet of flowers from Hubby. Lucky guy, he doesn’t have to struggle much to come up with a great gift idea for special occasions like this because I am always happy with flowers. It is a challenge on my part though.

But this year I am happy that I found the best gift for him from BlueDial.com. BlueDial.com offers a huge stock of Bulova watches that I know Hubby will die for. I got him a marine star watch at a real good deal and free shipping. It will come just in time for Valentine’s Day. This is our second Valentine’s Day as husband and wife and I am giving him the gift of time.

6 things people don’t know about me

Ok, as usual, this is late. I got this tag sitting in my message box ages ago from my dear Fairy Blogmother Vienna Lopez [who taught me everything about blogging and some troubleshooting] and it’s only now that I got the chance to do this. I owe her a lot so I got to do this. Well, I had to admit I do the tags only when I have nothing to write about and when I needed an interim every now and then for the sake of blogging and some online work on the side. But this tag is special because it was passed by Vienna… my friend who knows a lot about me though we have not met in person yet… and who I consider as my virtual sister here in blogosphere.

So here we go… here are my revelations… the 6 things that you don’t know about me… yet... and that I am still in denial [sort of].

1. I am a beauty queen. In my own right… that is. I always believe that I am beautiful and I got my overconfidence from my mom who always thought that I was the most beautiful girl in the whole world. Though I am not a beauty queen material… standing only 4 feet and 11 inches… I always stand tall and proud of my roots and upbringing. Though I don’t have the standard and ideal vital statistics of a model… my 36-38-36 frame drives my Hubby crazy. LOL. And though I can’t walk the runway as perfectly as the beauty contest candidates… I have the ability to accept and be accepted by people from all walks of life.

2. I am a hopeless romantic. I used to dream that I will someday find my Knight in shining armor or my Prince Charming and sweep me off my feet. I waited for 42 years for that dream to come true. I didn’t meet my Knight in shining armor or the Prince Charming, but I did kiss the frog that turned into a King… King of my Heart.

3. I am a brat. I was my Dad’s little princess. My Mom’s little angel. My Grandpa’s apple of the eye. My grandma’s sugar and spice and everything nice. My uncles’ favorite niece. My aunts’ little darling. And my two brothers’ favorite sister [because I’m the only daughter and the only sister they got LOL]. I always get things my way. And I always get away with things. Now that I am a grown up… I still get the things my way… even if it is the hard way.

4. I am the reigning Ms. Congeniality for life. I am friendly… user-friendly and friendly user… take your pick. I am easy to get along with. I have lots of friends from the real world and otherwise. But I have a few “real” friends that are for keeps. I have few virtual friends whom I met online with whom I can confide and trust some of my deepest secrets with… secrets that my “real” friends don’t know.

5. I have a Masters Degree in Psychology. But I don’t practice it professionally. And whatever I’ve learned from that degree, only my Hubby and my Stepson are the ones benefitting from it. I need to psyche them up every now and then. It's my way of keeping my sanity in tact.

6. I am a traveler and an obsessed unprofessional photographer. I love traveling and taking pictures of all the places I’ve been. I love to see different places and I love to see myself on photos with those places in the background. Now that I gained few more pounds, I shun away from having my picture taken and just enjoy being the photographer instead of being the subject. And I am planning to see the world when I retire and take more photos for my growing collection.

So those are the six things about me that the whole world now know. Now, allow me to pass this tag to these unlucky bloggers... [drumroll please!]

1. Rechie of My HideAway… of course, my ever loyal amiga/blogger/tagger who never forgets me every time she receives tag. It’s payback time Mi Amiga. I just hope you have not done this yet.
2. Jade of Life of a Filipina Blogger… a virtual friend who is one of the first people I met online.
3. Myles of Intimate Conversation… a passionate blogger who lives for writing and now blogging and a passionate learner.
4. Beth of All About Elizabeth… who I want to know more because I know that she is a very interesting person.
5. Japol of Queueless… my brother so that he will not have any more excuses not to blog.
6. And Shiela of Ang Best of Me… my cousin for the same reason that I have for my brother Japol.

And of course, here are the rules of the meme and I just copied these from Vienna who copied it from Kate’s (Vienna and Kate, hope you don’t mind).

1. LINK TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU
2. POST THE RULES ON YOUR BLOG
3. WRITE SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
4. TAG SIX PEOPLE AT THE END OF YOUR POST AND LINK TO THEM
5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG
6. LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP

Goodluck!

Well-Entertained

This coming February 17, everything will be on Hi-Def now. I am referring to television. I have been hearing about this High Definition thingy since I came here and it is a big deal because it was made into law. To keep up with time, technology has to update itself to be able to be useful to humanity and so we need to buy a new TV set or a converter box to be able to watch our regular TV shows.

So we did. And because we have a new TV set, I wanted to have a nice TV stand or console or armoire… whatever works… so that I could update my entertainment center. That idea prompted me to check BuyEntertainmentCentersOnline.com for their amazing inventories of TV Stands, TV Consoles, and Armoires because they sell the best entertainment furnishings online. They even offer FREE shipping and discounted prices on all their high quality and amazing designed stocks.

And so with my new HD LCD TV, there is nothing that fits well but this amazing 60” Contemporary TV console made of solid wood framed stipple glass doors and solid cherry wood legs, with sculptured stainless steel bar handles, and adjustable shelves and media storage. With my new TV console, I couldn’t be more entertained.

I'm Wearing my Sweetest Smile Today

I got this smiling tag and award a million years long time ago from Rechie and I didn’t get the chance to post it until now. Amiga… thank you so much for sharing your sweetest smile on me. I am so sorry [again] if I was not able to post this right away. You know me always busy with a lot of things especially now that I started working. And now that we have another snow storm, it gave me a chance to work on my backlog.

Wear Your Sweetest Smile Today!

Someday, everything will make perfect sense.
So laugh at the confusion...
smile through the tears...
keep reminding yourself
that everything happens for a purpose.

Something to make you smile:
If you smile when no one is around,
you really mean it.

Lose Weight Safely

Losing weight can really be frustrating especially if you know that you are doing everything to shed those unwanted pounds and yet your weighing scale is telling you otherwise. It is so disappointing if after all the dieting and deprivation from all those sweets and yummy goodies, you still can’t fit on that that bathing suit that you bought 2 summers ago. And it is such a pain in the “you-know-what” when after all the pain and the trouble you put into losing weight, still you are not happy with what you see in the mirror.

Well, dieting and exercising are the safe ways to lose weight. It may take a lot of time, effort, patience, hard work, and pain though before you can achieve your desired body. Of course there are other options you can take that are equally effective and will take a shorter time or short route like taking diet pills. And of course, when it comes to taking pills, you want to take safe diet pills.

And to know all about safe diet pills check out Lab88.com, the Health Center for the Stars. Lab88.com is a website that provides safe and effective top selling products that will help you achieve your goal. It also provides information and reviews on the products to help you choose wisely and lose weight safely.

Happy [Chinese] New Year Award

I got this very interesting award [more than a couple of weeks back] from my ever loyal blogger/tagger amiga Rechie which talk about New Year’s Resolution. Yeah I know, it’s very late now. I am very busy lately and that is not an alibi. But I am posting this because I am going to do the Chinese New Year’s Resolution instead. So this is still valid. LOL


Rules:
1. You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award. The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.
2. Post at least five New Year’s Resolutions. If you can’t limit it to five, then continue until you go out of space.
3. Pass the award along to as many bloggers as you like.
4. Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back the person who gave you the award.

My [Chinese] New Year’s Resolutions
1. I will work out at the gym at least 3 times a week and [hope] to lose 5 pounds a month.
2. Save rather than spend.
3. Minimize on my ranting and whining.
4. Learn html codes.
5. Be positive… be active… believe!

And I am passing this award to Shiela of BIZNIZ as Usual because I know that she believes in Chinese New Year.

GONG XI FA COI!

Financial Freedom: Just a Click Away

The new President finally sworn in. But that doesn’t mean that everything will be alright now. It doesn’t necessarily prove that the economy will bounce back. And it doesn’t confirm anything and everything will be alright. The only impact that the new President has right now is that… we know that we have hope. But our present financial situation [whatever it may be] will still be the same unless we do something about it. And it is not the President’s job to solve it. We are responsible for it.

So whatever our financial status is right now, it helps to know that there is hope. Yes, our financial situation should never be a burden anymore because there is someone who is qualified and has the expertise to help us get out of debt in no time. There are personal financial advisers and coaches whose work is to provide debt referral services to people seeking help with debt management.

So isn’t it a good news though? Isn’t is a good thing that TheCreditExchange.com can provide people with services to help them improve their financial situation through Financial Anlysis, Credit and Debt Counseling and Debt Settlement. Isn’t it nice to know that The Credit Exchange Corporation which is the only company of its kind in existence can specifically address your needs and help you bounce back? Well, worry no more… because your financial freedom is just a click away.

Losing weight without losing your mind

Losing weight is always on the top list of anybody’s New Year’s Resolution. Almost always, weight is an issue that a lot of people take seriously for varied reasons. But taking a few pounds off entails a lot of effort.

Exercise, healthy food and diet pills are some of the best ways to lose weight. And if these three ways will be taken seriously, ideal weight goal will be achieved fast.

Taking diet pills is now acceptable as an effective way to lose weight and some doctors recommend them. So if you are thinking of taking pills to lose weight… check out Lab88.com because they sell safe and effective diet pills. The website provides informative diet and health articles that can help you make this important decision.

My Weekend Chinese Supper

This weekend will be a very long… cold… and lazy weekend. We will have another snow storm tomorrow and on Monday, I don’t need to wake up 4:30 in the morning to go to work because it’s another holiday… Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Yey!

The storm will leave an average of 8 inches to a foot of fluffy and immaculate white snow all over the state [according to my favorite Meteorologist] and as usually I will be scared out of my wits to go driving so I am prepared to stay home instead.

I am prepared to stay home until Hubby realized that he wanted to have Chinese for supper. And it gave me reason to go out. So I went out to get Chinese supper and did my groceries too while our supper was cooking. Talking about multi-tasking.

Cool Eyewear for Hubby

It’s winter in New England. And when it is winter in New England, there are lots of outdoor activities to enjoy. Despite the cold weather, Hubby and I love to do winter activities like, snowshoeing… riding snowmobile… ice fishing… and cross country skiing. And with the ample snow that we receive each season, New England is so beautiful and very white. So white that when the sun is so bright… it could hurt your eyes. That is why we never stay outdoor with the proper protection from the sun. And just like summer… we never go out without our sunscreen and eyeglasses.

Last Christmas, I gave my Hubby one of those Wiley X Glasses for a present. He so loves it. What is not to love about his Wiley? It’s the best eyewear in terms of quality, style, and performance. I got him this pair of Wiley X Climate Control Brick Glasses with Polarized lenses from BrigadeQM.com that offers thousand of cool outdoor gear and clothing to choose from.

I got him this kind of glasses because they are good for riding his snowmobile in winter and his 4-wheel drive in spring and summer. They protect his eyes from irritating smoke, sun, sand and wind. Well, if you have an active Hubby like mine, you better get him one of those cool eyewear too and let him have fun without worring about eye problems.

The Moon in New England

It’s zero degree this morning. That’s is so crazy. But not here in New England. It’s a normal thing. When you live in Maine, you deal with it. If you can’t live somewhere else. Go to Florida… or Vegas… or anywhere down south where the winter is milder.

Well, it’s zero degree this morning and I still have to go to work. The sky is clear, and the moon is bright. Yes, I saw the moon because it was still dark when I left home for work and it helped a lot in gaving some light on the road.

Now, the temperature climbed a bit… 1 degree… can’t still feel the difference. I just stayed inside the YMCA building... worked out… blogged… had lunch… and waited for the time until I had to be back on the road again to go to the site. Yay!

Quick and Easy Car Loan

My friend’s daughter just ruined her car. It was not her fault but still she had to deal with it. She needs a new car to go to work and school. She needs to get a car to replace the old one because it is indeed a necessity here. But the problem is… she can’t get a loan. She already had bad credit because she can’t pay her credit cards. She already maxed them out due to her obsession to Victoria’s Secret sexy undergarments and other fancy things that young people are crazy about. And for obvious reason, this is not a good thing when you want to apply for a car loan.

Her mother was really mad about the whole situation. But knowing my friend, she still loves her daughter to pieces so she has no choice but to help her. And when things like this happen… she turns to me for advice. Good thing I already know something about car loans for people with bad credit from NowGetLoan.com.

NowGetLoan.com is one of the quickest online credit services nationwide that offers amazing loan options for people with bad credits. With NowGetLoan.com my friend’s daughter was able to apply for a car loan online with lowest interest rate. Processing was easy and quick and more importantly there is no credit check and no paperwork. Now my friend is happy.

The First Time Ever…

I got this tag from my ever faithful and loyal “tagger” Rechie and it’s only now that I found the time to do this one. Trust me there are lots of tags that I could post here and I want to do them all, I just can’t find the time. Now that I am running out of interim I am doing one now.

This tag is about your "beloved". How you met each other. And what you want the world to know about him. And I am passing the tag to my friends whose love stories are worth knowing too... Vienna of ViennaLopez.com; Francine of La Place de Cherie… Nice of The Will of the Wind; Carlota of Dashing Smile; Karen of Karen & Gerard Zemek; Jade of Life of a Pinay Blogger; and Juliana of Pinay WAHM.

Here are the simple rules:
1. Pick your sweetest picture together when you were still friends and post it on top of the questions and answers.
2. Then post another picture of you together as a sweet couple after the questions. [or if you want post whatever photo you want to share with us, like in my case.]
3. Share or tag your friends whose love story is worth telling.
4. Enjoy doing it.
5. Let your hubby read it too.

Can you remember the day you first met your hubby? Yes, who could ever forget the first time?

When was that? I met him January 21st of 2006… online. I was chatting with some friends and he popped up out of nowhere and introduced himself. He said he was lonely because his fiancé just died of cancer. He needed a friend that time… and I was the only one who entertained him and gave him a crying shoulder.

First impression? I thought he was nice. He was very honest right from the very start. I never thought that he was a prospective husband because I had a French bf that time too.

Were you friends before he became your boyfriend? Yes, we became good friends. I helped him with his problems. He came to me for good advise.

What was the sweetest thing he did for you? He did the “panunuyo” Filipino style. He did some Filipino courtship custom [sort of] like… fetching bucket of water for my bath… installed clothesline for my laundry to hang… painted my windows… fixed my door lock; my brother's door; and my sink.

What are the things about him that you are thankful for? I am thankful that I finally met him. I have been waiting for him all my life. And I am grateful that I know how much he loves me.

A Special Place for a Special Pet

Pets are already considered as member of the family nowadays. They are treated with such respect and special care like human being. They already have their own boutique where their owners can buy them fancy clothes and accessories. Blame it to the numerous “pet” movies that touched the hearts of many pet lovers. Blame it to the celebrities who are parading their pets like ultimate accessories that complete their outfits. And blame it to the pet lovers and animal crusaders who are doing everything to save and protect them.

But having pets could be a great responsibility. Having pets is just like having children. And just like children, pets also need special care. Good news to all pet lovers… you have a special place to go to when it concerns your special furry friends… Petwave.com. Petwave.com is the very first website dedicated to pet care. It offers a comprehensive Pet Health Library which is based on today’s veterinary care standards. The website also provides a full-featured suite of community and pet health management tools that are very important to you and to your pet.

There you go… you can now have the peace of mind that your pet has a special place that will surely take care of its needs.

Recipe for a Great New Year

I found this on my e-mail this morning and thought that I might as well share it with my readers and friends in blogosphere. These are great recipes to make your New Year a great one.

These life's recipes are simple and common. Some of them are already known to us but we don't do them. Most of them we do know but already forgotten. And a lot of them are simple things that really make sense but we just don't make a big deal about them.

So here they are... our best recipes for the New Year.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for_________ _____'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this really matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
20. However good or bad a situation is it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
22. Your friends will. Stay in touch!
23. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
24. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for_________ _. Today I accomplished_ ________.
25. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
26. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

There you go my friend. Have a happy New Year.

Make your next party an event to remember

In a couple of weeks time, it will be my friend's baby's first birthday party. My friend and I are very excited about it. My friend is very wound up about this party because Sophie is an only child. And I am very thrilled because I am Sophie’s fairy Godmother. So you can imagine how special and how important this birthday party to everyone who is part of Sophie’s life.

And for a very special and important child like Sophie, only a special and unique birthday party is acceptable. That is why, my friend and I go to Celebration.com for party ideas and party planning for Sophie’s special day.

Celebration.com is part of our friendship. Yes, every special event in our lives was made more special because of all the ideas we got from the website. Her own wedding was the talk of the town… from the reception to the wedding souvenirs to the photo albums. Everyone who shared that special moment can’t forget how unique her wedding was because her bridesmaid [a.k.a. ME] did a great job as a wedding planner.

So if you want to make your next party an event to remember… visit Celebration.com and you will surely be the life of the party.

It Definitely Sucks!

I was up at 4:30 am this morning getting ready for work only to realize there is no work today. School is closed today. Kids are not going to school today. And I have to stay home today. We have another snow storm and the weather people gave warning that it will be a dangerous commute today. That sucks!

I still feel edgy when there is a snow storm. The car accident is still fresh in my mind and even if I am driving an AWD car now, I still feel nervous every time I drive down the road where I had the accident. Well, I know it will take sometime before I totally get over it. And it sucks!

I just got back from the driveway [as of this writing] to scrape the 3 inches snow on my car. The snowfall had stopped tonight but it is still freezing out. I have to scrape the snow on my car now because I don’t want to do it at 5 o’ clock in the morning. I have to scrape the snow on my car because I don’t want it to freeze out and turn into block of ice. Winter really sucks!

Custom Dream Homes

Everyone has a dream home. A home where they plan to live with their families. A home where they can create happy memories. And a home where they can relax and enjoy life to the fullest. Making that dream a reality is both easy and hard depending on the options one has on hand.

Building your dream home is easy if you have the right people for the job. It is easier if you have specific idea of what you want to build. And it is easiest if you have the resources to build one. But the reality is… building your ideal homes is a tough job. It is not easy to find the right people for the right job especially if you have to consider a lot of things like… the design in your mind… the materials you want to use in your home… and of course… the budget you have on hand.

But here is the thing… it will surely help if you know people who have been in the same boat as you are now. It will help a lot if you know about their personal experiences and the challenges they faced in building their dream homes. It helps to know how they made things possible so that you will be able to prepare yourself for the big decision. And here is the good thing… you can find those people at Schumacher Homes Reviews.

Schumacher Homes Reviews is a website dedicated for people who “been there… done that”. So if you are in the middle of a huge decision-making process it is just a click away. Go to SHR and let them help you build your custom dream home.

Starting Right

As much as possible we all want to start the new year right. Right? Everyone is looking for new things… new challenges… new beginnings. Everyone is busy making their New Year’s Resolution... or starting over again. And everyone is just so hopeful... so positive… and so optimistic about the new year ahead.

Well, I am just one of them. This year will be a better year for me and my family. I am very positive about that. Despite what happened a couple of weeks before the year ended I am so grateful because God is so good. I have a new job. I have a new car. I have a new laptop. And I have new opportunities.

This year, there are lots of changes that we need to adjust to. And I know the adjustment period will be a huge thing in our household. There will be a huge change in our lifestyle now. And everybody in our household is affected. There will also be a role reversal in some aspect and that is inevitable. And for sure there will be a lot of whining along the way but we will be able to overcome them eventually.

Oh well, starting the year right is easy if you have a positive attitude. I have reasons to be negative due to the economy. I have alibis to be cynical because my new job is just part-time and can barely add up to all the bills that we have to pay. And I have fears that won’t go away because of the bad experiences I had last year. But still with a strong faith in God, I know we will survive… just like every year that passed.

Happy New Year Everyone! Let’s start the year right… right now!